The bus ride there felt long as I anxiously awaited to arrive - it was one of those rides where kids ask their parents, 'are we there yet?' hundreds of times just because they can't wait to see what is waiting for them at the other end. Fortunately for the bus driver, I resisted my urge to ask him this question and patiently awaited my stop.
When I finally stepped off the bus and was greeted by a large koala and its baby, my smile got a little bigger and my heart was beating a little faster with excitement - and if koalas made out of metal that weren't realistic looking in the slightness could make me this excited, I knew it was only going to get better when I finally got to wrap my arms around the real thing!
On my way to the koalas, I found one of these popular 'how far to home' signs. Realizing home was 15, 309 kilometres away would usually make me feel a little lonely and homesick, but having just come off my high of hanging out with my new pals, I simply took it as a fact, realized I was far from home, and moved on for more cuddles (another sign that animals are what make me 'tick').
Alright, now that we have that out of the way, on with koala cuddles! They aren't as big as I thought they would be, but they are solid - pretty deceivingly heavy. You line up to hold them and are told that you will act as their tree when holding them, so you have to stand steady and strong with both hands under their bum. The workers try to get them balanced on you, but it took them trying to balance three koalas on me before one would cooperate for them. It was quite the process...
Despite that, koalas are quite cute to look at and make having a nap look REALLY good. You think I can sleep anywhere? These guys are the pros!
It was a great day at the sanctuary, but unfortunately along the way, I think the 'dingo ate my baby'! (it had to be said!). These animals in Australia sure are ruthless! (On a side note: If you ever want entertainment, stand by the dingo cage in Australia and you will hear so many kids talk about dingoes in an accent that makes it impossible not to giggle to yourself.) |