Zootopia

Monday, November 7

It’s a good thing that Doug is essentially a nocturnal being (Tisha calls him Wombat) because I have been an anchor so far on this trip. Because I spend the nights coughing and wheezing, the days have all started late and I’m generally not much fun to be around. Last night was the worst night yet. Tisha declared that the tussin I was taking was substandard (no arguments there) and produced two more types of syrup to try and quell my barking and gurgling. At about 5 am, I finally fell asleep, drugged beyond comprehension and praying for a quick death.

Oddly, I think I made it over the hump. I woke up at around 11:00 feeling better than I had in days. I was almost chipper. Almost.

Doug and I were determined not to miss the zoo this time, so we hustled out to the ferry and got the zoo pass. Marge was no where to be found.

The Taronga Zoo is really amazing. Even if you’re not into zoos, the views onto the harbor are beautiful. It’s situated at the top of a hill. We took the sky safari cable car which is like an enclosed ski lift.

Our first stop in the zoo was to get our picture taken with the koalas. It was obvious that the two zoo keepers manning the koala enclosure were over the cute=factor of the sleeping nocturnes. Angus [me with another Australian native animal, the crusty old coot] was especially peeved at the Canadian woman who started negotiating with him on the price of admission (it was $3 AUD, approximately $2.25 USD).

We spent a few minutes with Felicity and Adori before moving on. Angus recommended the Free-flight Bird Show as “the best show at the zoo.” Doug and I checked it out and it was great. There were all sorts of birds, including an eagle and some owls, and they were trained to fly over the audiences heads and demonstrate how they catch food and track prey.

We spent a few hours in the zoo, checking out all the exhibits, and ended up missing the last sky tram. We got on a bus that was headed back to Sydney via Military Road which is the main street that runs through the suburb of Mosman. Saucy had recommended that we stop into Mosman to check out the shops, specifically the toy shop he used to own. It was perfect timing. We got to the toy shop just as it was closing, so we only dropped in for a minute to say hello to Saucy’s former partner. Hopscotch is a kid’s dream. I was sorry we hadn’t made more time to explore.

Mosman is just the cutest neighborhood. The shops are all small and privately owned and the houses are straight out of Better Homes and Gardens. If I hit the Lotto or score a rich Aussie boy who can support me, that’s where I’ll live.

Later, we met Tisha for our farewell dinner in Sydney. We went to a neighborhood called Double Bay. I wish we had more time, but we have to be up at the crack for our flight to Uluru.

Doug spent a few minutes wandering around Tisha's back patio trying to steal wi-fi from one of her neighbors. He was successful, but he had to stand on one foot and hop around a little to keep the signal. See? Crime doesn't pay.