Brisbane Day 2: A Zoo in Pictures

This morning we had reservations for "Brekkie with the Characters" at the Australia Zoo, the one of the late Steve Irwin. After waking up at the time we meant to be leaving, we made good time north to the Zoo itself. In the dash, we managed to forget that this is winter here, and thus we might want our jackets. Live and learn, I supposed.

Breakfast was a good time, though, despite the shivering (and the stares of the locals who thought we were nuts for walking about in the "freezing" weather). We made friends with Squirt the whale, Floyd the pink elephant, Khan the tiger and BW the croc. Games were played, breakfast was eaten, and no one froze to death. Afterwards, we stopped into one of the gift shops for jackets and found a couple that were not going to cost us too much money.

Afterwards, we fed the farmyard animals (goats and sheep) before watching Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin feed decidedly more dangerous animals. The whole croc show was facinating. They had several varieties of birds flying around the Crocoseam for the first half, some of which must have been flying at 40-50 mph. Then the real show started as they brought in one of the crocodiles and introduced us. The handlers were so enthusiastic, it seems Steve's legacy will live on for quite a while yet.

Next up were the Koalas. They taught us about them and then walked around, holding one and let everyone pet them. This zoo is the most hands-on approach to zoos I have ever seen. Nearly every animal could be touched, many included in the price of admission. Those that aren't included tend to be the ones a bit more dangerous, like the tigers. That said, you can pay for a walk with them or a photo shoot. (Since this also includes the necessary insurance for such encounters, I can understand it. And had Miriam not been with us, we would have been sorely tempted to pay the money they were asking for to walk with a tiger or a cheetah.)

Speaking of hands-on, next up was "Roo Heaven". We went through some double-doored gates and then into an open enclosure. Inside, kangaroos and walabies roamed about. You could purchase "Roo food" for $1 AUD and feed them. They were quite friendly creatures. The enclosure also had some fenced areas that were "No humans" zones, so the animals could get away if they needed time and space. But most seemed very friendly (though not all of them were hungry).

Miriam got a pony ride on the way back to one of the more exciting zoo-activities I've done: feeding the elephants. Twice a day, the queue interested people up, free of charge, in specific locations. They bring the elephants up to the edge of their pen, put a mat where we should stand, hand us a bit of fruit and... The elephants just taking it right from us. Miriam was a little worried about those long noses, but she did want to keep going back to feed them until they ran out of food. The morning lines were huge, so we skipped it at the time. The afternoon ones, however, we could just go from the front to the back. We probably fed them 6-8 times at least, among the three elephants there.

Then it was off to see the red pandas, the tigers, and more koalas and kangaroos. Then, on the way out, we find a small playground, tucked in a corner. Two khaki-clothed kids are running around it, from some guys in blue security uniforms. Yes, it was Bindi and Robert Irwin, relaxing after a day of shows. It was refreshing to see that they get some time to be just kids. Miriam played a bit with them and they posed for us with her for a picture. All in all, a very good day and far more engaging than I thought a day at the zoo was going to be.

Brisbane Day 1

All the baskets cleared Australian customs without a hurdle.  My two specimens I'm carrying for pathology did not, however; they're on a shelf at the Brisbane airport awaiting my return.  It's all right - now I don't have to worry about Miriam thinking the jars are toys. 

Picked up an Australian cell phone, which has a ridiculous number of minutes because of this curious "cap" system for prepaid cell phones, so Matt is using it for Twitter messages.  I don't know what international SMS rates are, but if anyone wants to try sending one I'll happily provide the info.
If we wait 6 months, we can unlock it from the Vodaphone network for $25 AUD and then we'll be able to use it wherever the dual-band phones will still work (primarily Australia and Europe, it seems).

We spent today on the Sunshine Coast (after dragging ourselves out of bed and getting a slow start) at the Buderim Ginger Factory, which is a cute little ginger-themed park. 
 We didn't go to the Bee Exhibit or tour the factory itself, but we did ride on "Overboard", which is an awful lot like "It's a Small World" with a gingerbread man as the protagonist, and we took the little train tour, that talked about the history and the buildings of the ginger industry in Queensland. 

And we had ice cream, which made Miriam happy.  She's eating a cone with mango on top and ginger-pomegranate on the bottom scoop there.  It's going to be a few days before I can think about ginger rationally again.

She also likes carousels.

We're Leavin' on a jet plane

Packed and ready to go - Miriam is eating cereal and the last of the pineapple out of plastic bowls, the trash is emptied.  The house is more or less devoid of our stuff. 
Today's trip is from Mount Hagen to Port Moresby, and then Port Moresby to Brisbane.  We'll have a few hours in Moresby before facing Australian customs with our woven baskets (sprayed with bug spray, frozen for at least 24 hours, and banged on the table to remove bugs) and miscellaneous other New Guinean souvenirs.  And then we'll be spending the next four nights in Scarborough, just north of Brisbane.  We have a busy few days booked there.

I meant to write something about leaving yesterday, but I was so exhausted by packing all day that it never got done.  Perhaps it will still come, eventually.  It's been bittersweet the last few days.