Day 12: Friday, August 19 Australia Zoo
I can't say that I was thrilled with the zoo visit. To begin with it was far longer than I needed or wanted. Five and a half hours is about twice as long as I would have wanted even though I didn't see everything. I still haven't seen a kangaroo - by the time I figured out where they were it was late in the afternoon, I was at the extreme other end of the grounds and didn't feel like walking back. There are so many paths it is difficult to follow the map so people just sort of wander and hope they see everything. I saw two crocodile shows, a bird show, a tiger show and a snake show. The shows were interesting enough and the animals as well trained as possible. The birds were particularly impressive from a training perspective. They have been trained to fly from one handler to another back and forth as the handlers move around the stadium. Some times I had trouble finding the handlers but the birds had no problems. The snakes are not trained in any way shape or form though they might be used to being handled. The tigers are trained but do pretty much as they wish. The crocodiles remember where the food came from day to day but that is really the extent of their training. As might be expected the zoo is very commercialized with junky souvenir shops all over the place.
The bus was on time both coming and going and the ride was made shorter by the showing of a video and, on the way back, a nap. The videos were featuring Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) who owns the zoo and whom I really can't stand but the content was interesting.
Lunch in one of several food courts at the zoo was a six inch high hamburger and french fries. I split the burger in half and ate the second half (more like a lettuce and tomato sandwich - the first half was the meat and a fried egg) for a snack later.
Before I left for the zoo I put a load of laundry in the machine (one machine that both washes and dries). It was done, of course, when I got back so I did some ironing after dinner (the remainder of the fish, mushrooms and onions).
The light switches in this suite represent an IQ test which I hesitate to say I have failed miserably. I found the switch for the dining room somewhere when I first arrived but haven't been able to locate it since so that light has remained on all of the time. All of the switches are small and not in the places I would expect them to be. After two nights here I now know where some of them are and can go straight to them but others remain a quandary.