Koala bears or physics lecture? I think we all know what I chose.

Every time I told my friends that I was going to Australia, they would say:

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Or if they were feeling particularly creative,

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After all, they’re Australia’s national icons, right? Yet a month had gone by and I had not yet seen a kangaroo or a koala. Thankfully, I had booked a trip to the Sydney Wild Life Zoo, where some international kids and I would be eating breakfast among the koalas.

Therefore, a friend and I woke up at the crack of dawn and hopped a bus to Darling Harbour. Neither of us had slept much the night before, so we were pretty tired when we entered the zoo.

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There were koalas! THERE WERE KOALAS! OH MY GOODNESS, THERE WERE TWO KOALAS JUST SITTING THERE STRAIGHT CHILLIN’.

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One of the zookeepers graciously gave us a tour of the zoo. The zoo is quite small, mind you– it’s located in downtown Sydney, after all– but there was enough to keep me awake.

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One dangerous snake!

Two dangerous snakes!

Two dangerous snakes!

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Three dangerous snakes!

Australian wild life is no joke! Check out this crocodile, Rex:

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Seriously, this guy is not to be trifled with.

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Yowza. Heck, even this fine bird…

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…is hazardous!

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Oh, Australia. It’s okay, though. This country has plenty of adorableness to make up for it!

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Tasmanian Devil!

Wallaby!

Wallaby!

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Kookaburra!

Kangaroo!

Kangaroo!

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Wombat!

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At the end of our tour, we reached a rooftop cafe surrounded by trees and koalas. Here, we ate our breakfast with these guys staring at us the whole time:

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Koalas actually sleep for 20 hours a day! We got lucky and arrived right when the koalas were being fed, so we were able to see them while they were awake.

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Though, after eating, they went right back to sleep.

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It was really a lovely experience. We had a nice breakfast, got to see the koalas (but not pet them– having tourists handle koalas is outlawed in New South Wales, apparently) and even got our photo taken with one. Around 9, I decided to head out. I had a 10AM lecture that I wanted to catch. I grabbed my friend.

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We headed back towards the entrance, taking our time looking at all the animals again.

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We reached the entrance.

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So we went through the zoo for a third time.

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After a little bit of wandering, we managed to find the exit, which was located at the end of a long series of pathways.

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And we got to the exit…

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Back we went through the zoo for a fourth time.

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And, for the fourth time, we went past the crocodile…

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The kangaroos…

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The various lizards and reptiles…

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…and through the nocturnal exhibit, down the series of hallways, through the gift shop, and finally, the exit.

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So maybe I missed my physics lecture. But hey, just this once– I think it’s totally worth it.

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For sure.

15 thoughts on “Koala bears or physics lecture? I think we all know what I chose.

  1. Hmmm…it isn’t really hard to choose between going to the zoo or a physics lecture! You got to eat breakfast with the koalas! That is friggin’ AMAZING. So lucky! Definitely beats a lecture any day. I never got to do that when I went to the Australian Zoo in QLD :[ and the wombat…DEFINITELY MY FAVORITE. I was seriously considering kidnapping it before I left haha my mum had to pull me away from it!

  2. OHMYGOSH!!! YOU TOOK SUCH GREAT PICTURES!! They’re all so cute and adorable. Well, except for the crocodile. He was… well… kinda mean and a huge jerk, but that’s the zoo! Those koalas really were fantastic!! SO CUTE! You even got to play on a playground, and right when a lecture was happening. Do you ever think anything like: “Man, right now my prof is giving this very boring lecture, but here I am having fun.” Or when your schedule temporarily changes and there is a large contrast to what you could be doing and what you are doing. I do that all the time.

    I love how things kept happening to you and your friend that kept you two at the zoo until you would have missed your lecture letting you guys stay even longer! I love it when things like that happen! Want a great new manga? Have you watched Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann yet? It’s so good! Oh, sorry, that last sentence kinda just slipped out. What I was going to say was there is a manga called Bonnouji which is this very slow moving romance with some comedy. It’s not funny like Nisekoi, but it does not need to be because it is so realistic. It’s fantastic!! Have you read any great manga recently?

    You really did take great pictures. And, I am glad you were able to have so much fun at the zoo. Now I have another place I should go to when I am older.

    You have influenced me! How do you feel about that? You DO know that I am now OBSESSED with comics and web comics, and will even create my own. I was not these things before I knew you. I don’t know whether it is the humor or the One Piece or the anime, but I like you Vy. Now, I am seriously considering starting a blog. AAHHHH!!!! Bah. These changes are probably for the better, but still… a blog. Now that’s crazy.

    • Thanks!! I got a new camera half a year ago and I’m still trying to learn how to use it! So it’s nice to hear that some of my photos are turning out alright.
      Oh man, you’re watching Gurren Lagann? I started it, but I admit I haven’t finished it yet. Manliest. Anime. EVER. It’s insane. Bonnouji, huh? I’ll have to read it; I’m a sucker for a good romance.
      Haha if you start a blog, I’ll read it! Blogs are a great creative outlet, though they do take up a lot of time. (Mine does, at least.) Oh man, and don’t let me influence you too much! As an aimless, goal-less college student, I am not the best role model to follow. Man, and now I’m spreading my nerdiness?! >.< Well, I'm glad you're at least enjoying the amazingness that is comics.
      Hmm. Good manga lately? If you'd like another down-to-earth romance, I'd recommend Horimiya. Also, I recently stumbled across an odd little comic called Ketchup Ninja that I'm thoroughly enjoying. And if you get the chance between classes, watch the Attack on Titan anime– I like it better than the manga!

        • Oh, sorry. That was just my face for about ten minutes after I watched the first episode of Shingeki no Kyojin- I mean Attack on Titan. That was like……uhhhhhhh……… rrrreeeeaaallllllyyyyyy gggoooooooooodddd. I’m still processing it. It was like, AMAZING!!

          Thanks for the other two manga, by the way. Ketchup Ninja is weird and sometimes funny, but Horimiya is fantastic! Having finally watched Attack on Titan, I know what every one is talking about. It conveys emotion so well that I am blown away. Very great anime. Very great.

          • Hahaha I think my love of Ketchup Ninja is probably just me. Maybe it’s because I love seeing how a Japanese girl deals with America, since I had to do the reverse last year. And I guess it fits my weird sense of humor. I’m glad you like Horimiya! My college friends and I love it– I don’t know, it’s just so refreshing to see a romance that isn’t flashy or overdramatic.

            And SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN! Good, right? Usually I’m wary when an anime becomes so popular so fast, but with Shingeki, I can see why! I highly recommend that you watch the rest 🙂

  3. Heya! If you want to cuddle a koala, you’ll have to go outside NSW, because as you’ve noticed, it’s illegal. It is legal though, in Queensland, and as far as I can recall, South Australia, so if you’re stuck for something to do during StuVac (obviously excepting studying…) and you’re after a Koala cuddle, there’s always a short little trip you could take! Though some zoos may have their own restrictions in place regarding Koala petting/cuddling so that’ll have to be something you have to research first.

    If you enjoyed the Sydney Wildlife Zoo and you’re after something a bit (or maybe a lot) bigger, there’s always Taronga Zoo! It’s over on North Sydney, and it has absolutely AH-MAZING views of Sydney Harbour at some points, there are a few places I can recall there where you can actually see a full panoramic view of the harbour. You can get there by ferry from Circular Quay, and it takes about 15 minutes, the wharf is near the entrance if I recall correctly. Or if you’re after something more aquatic, there’s also the aquarium, back at Darling Harbour again, which you may have spotted.

    With regards to Physics vs Koalas? Definitely an easy answer, after all, you are a Biology major! 😛

    • Yeah! I really want to go to Taronga; I heard it was great! And the ferry ride is an added bonus– I’ve done the one from Manly and it was beautiful. And the aquarium! I’m working in a marine biology lab right now, so that would be kind of amazing. I have to figure out how to get to Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef somehow this semester– it’s going to happen!

      Thanks for the tips, by the way! As one who is obviously not a Sydneysider I always appreciate a little inside advice 🙂

  4. “Bring me a kangaroo”? What about quarantine? (Sorry, I just couldn’t resist ruining that joke).

    I love the picture of the koala with the city in the background. The pictures with you in them are awesome too.

    I’ve actually never heard of Sydney Wild Life Zoo. I’ve been to Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo a fair way inland, and Australia Zoo up here on the Sunshine Coast, though. The more you know.

  5. Pingback: Koalas eat their own poop and are riddled with chlamydia. Let’s give one a hug! | I think in comics.

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