Ferries

Hi there!

By now I have finished my first two weeks of observing the cockatoos that perform in the free flight bird show here at the zoo. Last Monday they went to a different cage off-display, while their cages are being renovated. So I've spend this week behind the scenes, watching how the cockatoos act when they don't get to perform two shows a day - very interesting. The people of the bird show are very appreciative that I'm doing this research, because it gives them a lot of insight in how their birds act and "feel". Always nice to be appreciated! ;) Behind the scenes is not as cool as it sounds, it pretty quiet there. Fortunately there is some keepers that pass and I regularly go to the canteen for tea and to warm up lunch. Yesterday one of the Galahs (a kind of parrot) escaped into the corridor and we took half an hour to put her back. We tried to lure her in with treats, but she was smarter than that ;)

Saturday was kind of a boring day, the weather was not very nice and Prue was sick. So I helped here out around the house, doing laundry, some cleaning and cooking. I went to the library to get some new books and CDs during the morning, but that's about it.

Unfortunately, the day after was even worse weather, because it started raining again.. But, optimistic (or naive?) as I am, I just got on the bus to go do what I had in mind: doing the coastal walk from Spit bridge to Manly. This is a 10km hike next to the beaches and harbours of Northern Sydney and is famous for the beautiful landscapes and views. As soon as I reached the starting point at the bridge, it stopped raining :) The walk was amazing! Clear blue sea, gigantic rock walls, rainforest-like vegetation and pretty little harbours. It was kind of a challenge, because although 10 km doesn't seem like a crazy length, the walk was far from leveled. I must have taken a 1000 steps up and down, jump around puddles because of the rainy weather and walk through loose sand on the beaches. After 3.5 hours I had reached the finish line of the walk at Manly Warf and it instantly started raining again, talking about good timing! I grabbed a delicious cappuccino from the chocolate bar, where I talked for almost an hour with a nice elderly couple that joined my table, strolled around some souvenir shops and then went on the ferry back to the city. Since the sea was rough, the ferry turned into a rollercoaster and as the Mexican tourist behind me shouted: "I'm the king of the world! Woohoo!" it felt like we were on a ship crossing the ocean. The view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge once you reach the centre is the best one I've seen till now. With a crab stick in my hand I caught a train back home and put my feet up till the next morning.

Since the cockatoos were moved during the day on Monday, I decided to work Tuesday till Saturday, which ment I had one more day of weekend left. The weather had cleared up and since I had lots of fun on the ferry the day before, I took another one. This time the destination was Cockatoo Island, which of course is a obligatory excursion if you are studying them! Historically, plenty of Sulphur crested cockatoos passed on the island, giving it the name. The only birds I saw were seagulls, which were aggressive according to the comforting signs hanging around. Cockatoo Island has a rich history and is listed on the World Heritage. First it was a prison, where the prisoners slept in wooden boxes until they had built their own baracks. Then they build docks and workshops, turning the island in a ship manufacturing place. The prisoners were then moved off the island and a few schools were set-up for orphan girls and boys. After the second world war, in which they contributed a lot, the continued building submarines and vessels voor the Navy. Now it is just a place to visit, where you can see all the buildings used for the several functions of the island through out history. It was also one of the locations of the Sydney Biennale, so lots of contemporary art projects were scattered over the island. This combination of history and modern art worked quite well.

Yesterday the bus trips were a bit different: one my way to the zoo, there was a ticket check. It's like an invasion of guys in suits and if you're ticket is invalid then you have to get out. The fine is $200! On my way back there was an accident, so I took more half an hour to get to the city. So today I decided to take the ferry back, it was for free now that I had the upgraded ticket that I bought to go to Cockatoo Island.

The views from the ferries are lovely, but other than that it's nothing special. So I'm done with taking the ferry for now :)

Bye!