Feed the Parrots

The neighbors here in Lane Cove, Sydney have some friendly visitors. Every afternoon, the most colorful parrots hang about in the trees around their back yard, hoping for a treat. The little buggers don't seem to be too worried about people harming them, as the photos below show!

food (munch munch) more interesting than big scary guy

closeup of colorful little critters

makes you want a bowl of Fruit Loops!

So if you're in Sydney, you can skip the stinking zoo. Just go to the neighbors and feed the parrots! ;)

For you bird watchers out there, these little guys are evidently called the Rainbow Lorikeet.

Schizophrenic Cockatoo

Last weekend -- here in Lane Cove, Sydney (Google map) -- we were sitting around in our neighbors garage watching the pig roast (another story altogether) While we sampled bits of the roast, we were also being amused by our good friend: Koki the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. Koki is the neighbors faithful pet bird, and is usually in good spirits, as seen here:

After a while, though, Koki started getting all aggressive. Perhaps she had angst about ending up like the poor little piggie:

Perhaps she was riled up from chasing/biting the grill's eletctrical cord every time somebody moved it. Or maybe the camera-flash freaked her out. Whatever the reason, she started flaring the yellow comb on her head, spreading her wings, and aggressively attacking our toes! She was promptly escorted to her cage, but not before inspiring these comics:

Spewing Turtles of Hyde Park

So yesterday, we were walking through the center of Sydney, Australia -- through Hyde Park to be exact. Not the real Hyde Park, but the fake one. Anyway, we came to a fountain, and I'm struck with this intense feeling of Godzilla-de-ja-vu.

I never thought I'd put the words "spewing" and "turtles" together, but, well here you go. I'm also amazed at how many hits "spewing turtles" returns on Google.

Click here for the plan-view of the spewing turtles.

CeBIT in Sydney

So who knew that there was a CeBIT show in Sydney? We were walking along Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour and couldn't help but notice all the red flags! Tempted as I was, the A$66 entry-fee kept me properly "on vacation." Besides, by the time we're done with our trip, all the gadgets from this show will be obsolete anyway. :)

More info:

• CeBIT Australia
• The real CeBIT

By the way, did you know what CeBIT stands for?

Centrum der Büro- und Informationstechnik

Gesundheit!

Manly Ferry

The first thing you should do when you get to Sydney is exactly what we did: hop on the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly and back again.

Take the ferry just before dusk, so you see the city by day, or just as the sun sets.

Then you can have dinner in Manly, and see the cityscape by night for the return journey. It's bright and beautiful, as you can see!

The famous Opera House is haunting as you drift by in the quiet night:

Oh, if you're taking the bus, there's a day-pass that includes ferry rides, for around AUD$15.00 at the time of publishing. The pass is called the DayTripper. Get up early and ride boats all day long! Sydney Harbor is HUGE!