Day 4 - Merry Christmas - Tarango Zoo

Merry Christmas!!!! Wow, it doesn’t feel like Christmas when you have to wake up your kids!!! The kids sent a note to Santa telling him to leave the presents in China since we didn’t have enough luggage space. No presents, warm weather, waking up your kids, heading to the zoo – not a typical Christmas for us but one I'm sure we will not soon forget! We discovered, prior to arrival, that not much was open on Christmas except for the zoo. They had a package that gave you a backstage tour of the zoo which we decided would be really neat. The Zoo is on an island. We took a ferry over to the zoo, then a cable car to the top of the zoo.

View from the ferry


View from the ferry


They were given these masks at the gate - don't they look scary??


Waiting for our tour to begin....

Our tour started at 10am & the first stop – the koala enclosure!!! Once again, Amanda was so excited. We were not allowed to touch these koalas but we were able to get very close to them. They even woke up & moved around for our tour – which the guide said was rare as they usually are sleeping this time of day – Merry Christmas to us!!!





Wait for me mommy...

Phew, I made it!!!

Aren't I just the cutest thing??

Being this close to the koalas, for such a long period of time, will definitely be a

memory we won't forget....and to have them awake & moving around was

awesome!!!

We also fed the kangaroos, went into 2 enclosures of nighttime animals, saw the kitchen where they prepare the food for the animals (gross!), & learned so much information about the native animals of Australia.

Come on kangaroo, there are people that want to feed you...

The smell of food was too much for him to resist!

The kitchen.....what can I say....it was disgusting, neat to experience

but disgusting

The daily feeding schedule

They breed mice to feed to the animals - those are baby frozen

mice

Food that we took to feed the nighttime animals. We don't have any pictures from our encounters with the 2 different nighttime animals. You couldn't use a flash & the one's Ron took didn't turn out. It was a really neat experience!

We ended our tour at the outdoor snack cafeteria where we relaxed & had fabulous desserts. Since telling Amanda we were going to Australia she kept saying that she needed to see a Kookaburra. Apparently her music teacher told her that you can see Kookaburra's in Australia & that they might even laugh for you. Well, she was determined to see one & even more determined to hear it laugh. The whole day she kept asking to see a Kookaburra. The poor guide was trying her hardest to look in the trees but to no avail. However, when we got to the snack cafeteria a Kookaburra landed on the railing, which completely thrilled Amanda, & better yet, it LAUGHED!!!! That made her day, I think her trip! She never asked to see a Kookaburra again but did buy a few Kookaburra souvenirs to bring back.

Enjoying her encounter with the Kookaburra!!!

More photos from our adventure at the zoo!



Tanner's favorite animal - he got so many Platypus
souvenirs!

The monkey below was trying his hardest to get the Sprite bottle out

of the water. He tried several different methods & was finally able to

achieve his goal!!!

At last, a drink...wait there is nothing in here....

Rumor has it that the giraffe's have the best seat in the house (view of the

Opera House) & that the other animals think it is unfair

The elephants Christmas treat. It took them awhile to get the frozen

block off the chain. Once it fell, they stood on it to crack it open & eat the

fruit inside.



The seal show:

Look...someone else that is my size!!!!

Our ferry ride back to Darling Harbour with some great shots of the Opera

House

Darling Harbour


What a great day!!!

Day 3 – Another day of Exploring Sydney

We started the day out by going to the Powerhouse Museum to see the Star Wars exhibit. They did a great job with the exhibit with a lot to see & many hands-on activities for the kids.

Look, I can drive!!!

Me too!

Just my size!!!!! I think I may even be a bit taller :)

Amanda thought this was pretty cool

An interactive robot. It actually talked to you!

We had a bit of outdoor activities planned in Manly for the rest of the day but since the weather was not cooperating, we decided to stay local & visit more attractions. Off to the botanical gardens for a walk. While walking to the Gardens, we came across a lady who was feeding pigeons - you know, those annoying birds that you should NEVER feed??? Well, Justin thought that was pretty cool & got in on the action - of course, he was the only Fraser child who did - is that because he is brave or the others are smarter?

Get that anti-bacterial soap out!!!

The landscaping in the Botanical Gardens was beautiful & the kids enjoyed the freedom of running wild in the park (something that does not happen in our crowded parks in Shanghai). The boys really wanted to go into the old government house, looks like a castle, but it was closed.

Dona, look at the girth on that tree!!

The park walk took us to the Opera House. The design & architecture was pretty impressive. The day was a bit cloudy & rainy so the pictures don’t really show its beauty. We hope to get better pictures before we leave.

Before meeting up with the Rockett's in the late afternoon for an hour long cruise (Magistic Cruisement) along the Harbour, we stopped to watch a street performance. Little did we know we would be watching a contortionist. All the words I would say to describe it, the contortionist said it best - "I'm a very nice girl just really flexible"! Warning....don't try this at home!

She is in that tiny box......

Enough excitement for the day...off to the boat ride! This boat ride was right up Amanda’s alley!

You can climb up the very top portion of the bridge

The Sydney Aquarium was up next! The kids enjoyed the exhibits, however, I do have to say the Shanghai Aquarium is a bit better!!

I don't think he liked his photo being taken....

He was swimming around with his tongue sticking out -

the kids thought that was funny

With Christmas right around the corner, we tried to do our best to get into the Christmas spirit & the Harbour area helped with that!

All-in-all, another good day of touring around!!

Day 2 - Continued......

Forgot to add one thing we did.....

After everyone got done with the Jet Cruiser ride, we headed to the Sydney Tower. It reminded us of being in the Pearl Tower in Shanghai as you can see for miles since you are several stories high. The day was a bit cloudy but the views were still pretty amazing.






Sydney Harbour Bridge

Day 2 – Exploring Sydney

We started the morning off with going to the Sydney Wildlife World. The kids had a great time & were able to touch a few koalas – Amanda’s highlight of the day, mine too!!!






The part I didn’t like there was seeing all the deadly creatures Australia has – they are ranked in the top for not only having the deadliest creatures but having multiple spots in the top ranks……don’t think I could live there!

Case in point....

A bird dangerous..now come on...

Need I say more!!! :)


Another highlight was watching the kangaroos fight - I guess siblings in the kangaroo family fight too, must mean we are a 'normal' family....however, I don't think as a parent I could sit back & watch my kids fight like the kangaroos do...ouch!






We had a great time at Wildlife World!! It was a great place to see many of Australia's native creatures along with getting up & close with the koalas - a great way to start the day!




After some lunch sitting by the Harbour, the boys went on a Jet Cruiser (speed boat that drives really fast & crazy - they make you wear raincoats) ride along the Harbour. Amanda was too short for the ride (go figure..even Renee got to go....) so we decided to have some fun ourselves with a train ride around the Harbour, Starbucks & a carousel ride. Ron & the boys said the Jet Cruiser was a blast & they all came off a bit wet!!
After dinner we decided to get some Krispy Crème for the next morning’s breakfast. Upon arriving, we discovered that they closed 1 minute prior to our arrival – bummer! We will have to try again tomorrow night.
We only got a taste of Sydney today but from what we saw, it is very pretty with lots of stuff to do & some great restaurants.