It's getting cold

So it's getting cold here, but cold is a relative term. My house doesn't have heat (or A/C), so it can get a little chilly at night. It's been raining a lot lately (11 of the past 13 days). I've been working a lot, as usual. I have been going down to the water every chance I get on the weekends but it's not as beachy. I found my new favorite spot in Sydney – it’s called La Perouse. It’s right on the tip of the bay and is one of the first places where Captain Cook landed in Australia. There’s a great hiking trail that leads to cliffs where the waves crash below you, hardly a person in sight. I have spent hours walking around the ledges, climbing down the rocks and just sitting, watching the water.

I think I've hit my stride with this whole solo living abroad thing, and look forward to solitary time on the weekends doing things like this. A few of my coworkers have invited me to hang out but I find myself turning them down more so that I can find a spot on a rock on one of the many secluded parts of the coast and just read a book, listen to music or watch the surf. If anything has changed about me over the past seven months of living abroad, that would be it.

On another rainy Sunday I didn’t have anything to do, so I decided to try my luck at Taronga Zoo. To get there I had to take a bus and a ferry, which I knew was a big gamble in the weather. It was only drizzling, so I said to myself that if it started pouring I would just turn around and go home. The weather teased me all of the way there, and after the short ferry ride I was committed. I asked the ticket counter lady if the animals would be out – she just laughed and said that they really didn’t care if it was raining or not (it sounded like a sales pitch). One thing – the ticket is $45 but if you show your bus/ferry pass, you get 10% off.

I couldn’t tell you the last time I went to a zoo – it would probably have been with my parents 15+ years ago, I really have no idea. I walked inside and got a map and was instantly happy with the decision to come. The place was fairly empty and there was a feeding going on at the giraffe pen. Of course the Australian animals section was the best, and I got my picture with a frisky emu that was walking around humping little kids (while their parents laughed). The coolest parts by far were the lion and tiger pens, which were enclosed by glass to let you get within inches of these massive cats. I got some great video that I’ll try to post on YouTube along with pictures that you’ll see below.