My day at Dallas Zoo was hot, Texas hot (Texas hot is similar to Sydney hot-- not humid, not sweaty and steamy... more searing, cooking your flesh hot). The place smelled like ass. The poor animals, jailed in their little cells, looked sad and scrawny. Needless to say, I should have stuck with my no zoo rule, and gone to the Dallas Arboretum, or somewhere equally as eye pleasing- with a pleasant fragrance.
But when we moved to Sydney, everyone told me that Taronga Zoo was amazing. And omigod, they were so right.
The elephants and giraffes have incredible views of the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
You can walk through an area with little red kangaroos (they may not even be kangaroos, not sure). They stay on "their side" of the small rocks that separate them from us- while we have the pleasure of appreciating their cuteness up close. Sadly, my guess is that there's one of those invisible fence systems which will electrocute them if they dare move too close... but it works right? Wow, that is so, so wrong--- but for now, lets focus on why we like the zoo.
There is a playground at the zoo!
The zoo is on a mountain (ok, I call it a mountain-- not sure what Sydneysiders call it, maybe a hill?). You can take the ferry to the zoo, ride the Skyride to the top of the zoo while enjoying views of Sydney Harbor, then wind your way down the mountain-- seeing all the animals, and ending back at the ferry wharf. It's brilliant!
And if you have annual passes, and we're all about the annual passes, you just stroll right into the place without waiting in the line with the riff-raff.
So even though occasionally you get a whiff of that special "animals live here" scent, and even though there are some animals I think would be better off elsewhere-- (ya know, like a forest or jungle), I am a Taronga Zoo lover.
Pictures from the zoo yesterday:
This wonderful day at the zoo has been brought to you by Hungry Jacks (Australian Burger King), we do it your way.
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7 comments:
if you go to dubbo zoo you can ride around it on a bike! we went and it rained so we all rode around in ponchos. lol. i love Taronga zoo too.
Gnu- Are you in Sydney??
No, but i'm not far away! cause i'm anonymous i can't really say which direction though!
sorry, i didn't mean to use so many exclamation marks. i'm not in witness protection or anything that would make me need for my sentences to go up at the end and make me sound shifty lol (!)
I didn't realize you were anonymous-- how mysterious!
I always will want to say to you...
What's gnu with you? :)
I actually like the exclamation points-- then it sounds like you really mean it (at least that's how I explained exclamation points to my five year old).
Lol! No, no electric fence, as far as I know — over time they learn that there's their space and human space, and it's much more comfortable to stay in their space. Check out Featherdale Wildlife Park, where the kangaroos often roam out of their sanctuary (boundaries marked by rocks and tree trunks).
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