Bats, Birds and the Mondoshawan…….

Don't stand under the hanging bats!

When visiting a botanic garden, one expects to see flowers, trees, shrubs and various plant species, both indigenous and exotic, and the Royal Botanic Garden of Sydney does not disappoint.  Founded in 1816, it is a large expanse of serene, greenery set amongst the hustle and bustle of downtown Sydney, nestled between Circular Quay and Wooloomooloo Bay. The flora inside the park is beautiful, and because of its’ location, the park provides wonderful views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge. What was unexpected to me was the fauna; in particular the bats. Apparently the park is home to thousands of bats who take flight in the evening and happened to be coming home to roost in the trees during my early morning stroll; a fun unexpected surprise. I believe they are fruit bats. The bats were settling in for their days sleep in the tree tops. One thing to remember as you’re looking up enjoying the sight of bats nesting in trees, is that they poop while they’re getting ready for bed. Let this be a warning to you…… I learned the hard way.  

 

Cockatoos - the pigeons of the Royal Botanic Garden

Another surprise in the park was the birds. Being in a different country, of course I expected different species of birds, and Sydney has many. What was cool were the flocks of cockatoos. They were numerous and hung around like pigeons in a park. They too were very noisy, squawking and shreiking like children fighting over a single toy. There are signs around the park telling you not to feed the birds because they bite. I chose not to feed the birds. Another bird that is prevalent in Sydney is the Ibis. There are a lot of ibis?  Ibises? Ibi? Whatever the plural of ibis is. In the photo you can see one ibis hanging out with a group of pigeons. He is either confused or his pigeon mom had an affair with the ibis milkman.

Why am I so much bigger than my brothers?

Sydney Opera House

The Opera House is connected to the Botanic Garden and was my next stop. I don’t think the opera house is as impressive up close as it is when viewed from afar. From a distance the opera house is beautiful, more like a piece of art than a building. It supposed to look like sails on the water. Up close I think it looks like a mutant turtle or armadillo. And for some reason it reminds me of the Mondoshawan from the movie “The 5^th Element”. The house is covered with glazed tiles and although it appears white from a distance, the tiles are actually various shades of off white with a mixture of textures from shiny to matte. We were told during the tour that this was done because if they had been pure white it would have been too bright, shiny and blinding to look at. The opera house is actually 5 theaters each designed for specific purposes, one of which is for opera. It was completed in the seventies, 1973 I think. When started it was supposed to cost 7 million dollars and take three years. It took 16 years and cost over 100 million dollars. Sounds like a government project. I would have liked to have seen a production, but that will have to wait for my next visit J

Working on the handstand

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I took in a contemporary art tour at the New South Wales Art Museum; don’t know if I will every understand it. Rocks on the floor, mud on a wall, bottles hung from a tree?????? The tour guide certainly appreciated the pieces. She helped Christo and Jeane-Claude wrap the coast of Little Bay, Sydney in 1969.  There was one piece that was both fascinating and creepy at the same time.  Looked like it belonged in more in a Scifi or horror film than in an art museum. Then again, what is art?

Stopped for lunch at the Pyrmont Kebob stand and, since I was the only one in the restaurant, had a nice chat with the fellow behind the counter. An Aussie of Iraqi descent, studying to be a policeman. His mom wants him to come with them to visit their homeland before he gets too involved with his work and won’t have the time. He really doesn’t want to go. I obviously tried to convince him otherwise. The joy of flying.

Scott's Balaclave - High tech for the day

Finished my day at the Maritime Museum. In addition to actual boats and other sailing paraphernalia, they had an excellent exhibit on Robert Scotts last expedition to the Antarctic to discover the south pole. Lots of photos and articles from the expedition, including diaries and letters from their fateful trip. Scott was beaten to the South Pole by Roald Amundsen, and as Scott and his team headed back to their base camp they realized they would not survive and wrote about their final days in their diaries. One of the men, Lawerence Oates, just walked out of the tent into the freezing cold. His words to Scott were " I am just going outside and may be some time". The voiceover reading from the end of Scotts diary was compelling, sad, poignant, and inspiring.  What would you write if you knew those words would be your last?

Life is short, do what you love.

norb