How to take a Kangaroo Selfie

My first blog had a Kangaroo Selfie and to achieve one is harder then you think.

I highly recommend going to a zoo thats on the out skirts of a major city. Particularly one in Queensland they tend to have a higher amount of Kangaroos in their zoo. That way you can move from one kangaroo to the next if one gets tired of you. Generally if Zoos have a petting farm for Kangaroos they’ll also have a food to feed them with. Get some food and put the food in one had and the camera in the other. Then just shoot over and over again until you get a photo you like

  

Almost…..

GOT IT!!!!!

If all else fails have someone take the photo

Once you go pro… try for a Shark Selfie at the Sydney Aquarium

Cafe au Australia

After getting through customs I set my eyes to do two crucial things; first, purchase a cell phone and second, get a cup of coffee. I had heard great things of Australian coffee and being a former Barista I was ecstatic to try it out.

After a call home to tell my parents that I was indeed breathing, I found a coffee shop in the airport but I gazed at the menu completely befuddled. What in the world is a flat white, a long black, or a short black? I asked the barista kindly,  “Do you have black coffee? You know like drip coffee or maybe you call it house coffee?” She said, “ I think you’re asking for a long black.” When they called it out I eagerly walked to the counter to taste the coffee but I was disappointed. It wasn’t what I was expecting; it was just an espresso shot, diluted with water but the coffee wasn’t bad it was just different.

I quickly learned that most coffee drinks are espresso-based in Australia. The names of the drinks on the coffee menu are completely different too. There is still the ever trust worthy cappuccino, latte, and mocha which never seem to go astray at a café. (Though, mocha’s here are generally made with real melted chocolate and in the US it’s usually coco powder). However, there is also the short black, which I learned is an espresso shot with a bit of water and the long back, which is an espresso shot with a lot of water. At home, we refer to it as a Café Americano but generally you don’t get to choose the level of water. There is also the flat white, which is something between a macchiato and a latte some at home in San Francisco might call it a Gibraltar. The ice coffee here is generally a dessert, which comes with scoops of ice cream and whip cream. Though delicious, again different from the US, which is, generally drip coffee cooled down and ice.

 

In the US you generally see slow drip coffee everywhere, which we refer to, as just drip coffee or a house blend. When you order coffee you generally have a variety of roasts or blends pre-dripped ready for costumers on command. Which is convenient when you’re in a hurry between classes. However, drip coffee is also offered free in many places, it’s as common as seeing a bowl of free candy. My dad in fact rates car dealerships on the level of how good their coffee is. Last time I checked it’s currently the Audi dealership in San Francisco with Toyota coming in a close second. Where as here in Australia it is not so common to see slow drip coffee. Generally one can only get it through a pour-over-brew Chemex or a Plunger (which we refer to as a French Press) at specialty coffee shop such as Toby Estate. In the US we have coffee shops that only serve pour-over-brew such as San Francisco’s Philz coffee where you have a selection of over a dozen blends organized by roast to order from. These pour-over-brew shops don’t even own espresso machines.

Furthermore, I noticed that there is a lot more attention to fair trade here. Most coffee cups are stamped with some sort of protectionist seal such as the rainforest alliance, which can be found even on McDonald’s coffee. In the US it is also found just not nearly as much

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Though the drinks are different, the coffee culture found in cafes is practically the same. People go to cafes to read or study, meet up, have their first dates, and just to get that boost of Caffeine. Which is comforting though the drinks have taken some getting used to but I’m happy to say the overall quality of coffee is better in than in the US. I have yet to have a bad cup of coffee here in Australia. In a few months time I’ll probably be depressed I won’t be able to order a flat white when I get home.

Sydney Zoos

Koalas, Kangaroos, and Tasmanian Devils! Oh MY!

Marsupials are a main tourist attraction when coming to Australia. When you first land in the city of Sydney there are dozens of brochures being handed out to you with all different types of Zoos to visit. During my time abroad at Sydney University I went on a search to find the best zoo for the best bargain.

Wild life Zoo in Darling Harbor:

This is a quaint little zoo conveniently located in the dead center of the city at Darling Harbour. If you can spare only a few hours a zoos and want to get a quick snap shot of some animals this is the place to go.

However, it will be behind glass

But behind glass can be kinda cool 

 My school offered me a “breakfast with koalas” package that included a private tour of the zoo before other guests came in as well as a photograph with a koala.

Fun Fact: Koalas sleep 20 of 24 hours a day

But my the photograph wasn’t WITH the Koala just near it.

I unfortunately learned that in the state of NSW you can not hold Koalas, only in Queensland. Nevertheless had you gone to  Wildlife zoo with the basic ticket you wouldn’t get the chance to get close enough to the Koalas to take a photo.

Don’t get me wrong though my friend and I had a great time

The Taronga Zoo:

Is located on the other side of the bay in the Sydney harbor the fastest way to get their is by ferry and oh boy does it have a view! It’s very open unlike Wildlife.

This place is like a theme park you could spend the whole day here…

There are awesome animals like the black swans, parrots, elephants, and these climbing goats…

And emu’s that try to run you over

But the bird show is a must see, not only is it incredible but it has the greatest view that Sydney has to offer.

Lets not forget there are these cute guys.

Though one can get closer to the Kangaroos and Koalas than Wild Life  it’s not close enough to get a photo with a Koala or a Kangaroo. And to take a photo with a koala you still have to pay! But the upside is this zoo is gorgeous.

Featherdale Wildlife Park: 

Gets you the closest to these adorable little guys for the lowest cost and its all out in the open. It’s also the furthest drive from Sydney but a trip to it is offered in many tour packages. My group of friends and I all got a package to see the blue mountains and this was part of it. I Highly recommend it.

You can get close ups

so close you can get photos with them

 

feed them

You can get a group photo or individual no extra charge with Koalas

and even a selfie

*note that some of these photos were provided by fellow blogger and good friend  Vy

Check out her Blog it’s fabulous