Sydney - Day 2 | Sydney, Australia

Sydney, Australia

This place was Great

SIP petting a koala

After a good night's sleep (as compared to sleeping on the overnight flight in coach), we headed out for some true touristing. First stop was a small zoo called the Koala Park. As you can see from the photos, we were able to feed and touch the koala bears, which was a neat experience. Their fur feels like a sheep's fur -- without the lanolin. Koalas apparently sleep about 18-19 hours per day, which was evident by the near-total lack of any movement among them while we were there, aside from the one the zookeeper had coerced into eating. What's really funny about them (aside from their little faces) is how ragdoll-like they position themselves on (and hidden between) the tree branches while they sleep. We also got to see and pet kangaroos and wallabees (though I still not able to differentiate between the two animals). Other amusement there consisted of seeing a Cuckaburro bird, which has a strange call. According to the sign, it is also known as a 'Laughing Jackass,' which I suppose kind of makes sense if you think of cuckoo ('crazy') and, well, 'burro.' So if I ever refer to you as a Cuckaburro, it's likely not a compliment. ;-)

We also went to Sydney Olympic Park, site of the 2004 Olympic Games. Really huge and amazing place. We didn't go into any of the buildings, but noted a few outdoor items of interest. First, each of the solar-powered light posts represents one of the modern olympiad games. One of those is, of course, for the 1972 games in Munich and features a memorial to the Israeli athletes who were killed at the games. Second, on the grounds near the main stadium is a sea of metal poles. While some of them feature interactive audio or video recordings, most of them are inscribed with names of the olympians who participated in the 2004 games. Finally, there is a wonderful series of fountains at the end of the long, wide main street. They arc upward and you can stand underneath of the arcs of water without getting wet. Quite pretty.

Ended the day with an almost four hour acoustic guitar concert to benefit Adventist Development and Relief Agency, which is Michelle's employer. Really amazing musicians.