Crikey! The Steve Irwin Experience.

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We stayed at another YHA in Maroochydore, the place that took me about a week to learn how to say its name, and it was a sweet hostel. Free use of bikes, kayaks, and boogie boards. Plus free brekkie and a film at night. The beach was nice but we didn't spend too time there in the evening. The next morning though, we woke up at 7am and the guys boogie boarded while Hannah and I went on a run. As I was running along the shore I almost stepped on a huge bloated rat creature which disturbed my run. I kept imaging it coming back to life and crawling out of the surf to knaw on my face. Oh how I hate rodents.

Back in the van after our beach romp and it was off to the Australia Zoo: Home of the Crocodile Hunter! It was an awesome zoo and I'm a huge Steve Irwin so it was rad to be at the zoo he used to be a huge part of. Right away I got in a line to feed a carrot to an elephant which was an experience! You hold out the carrot in your palm and the elephant sucks it up like a vaccuum, it tickled and I giggled like a little girl. We saw wombats which I used to be freaked out by, but they were just so adorable napping against the glass that my heart softened towards them right away. There was also a kangaroo area where a bunch of red kangaroos lay around and you could go straight up to them to pet them. They seemed sedated as they let random tourists pose with them and stroke thier heads. I was just waiting for someone to get kicked, especially Andy who turned his back to the kangaroo and started taking food out of this backpack one foot in front of the kangaroo. A koala sat in a tree that we all posed with and we went on to see tasmanian devils, a dingo, red pandas, and a cassowary. Also tigers, pythons, and elephants oh my!

Finally it was the moment we had all been waiting for. THE CROCOSEUM! An arena where all the croc shows take place and where you get a chance to see the Irwins. Bindi Irwin, Steve's young daugter, was just finishing a song on stage when we arrived. After a bird show where parrots were flying past my face fast enough to give me a shave...if I needed one..the Irwins all came out to do the croc show. It was very sad to see Steve's wife Terri and her kids Bindi and Robert out there without thier dad. To see how young his kids are just shows how early he was taken from them. The show was a bit scripted and stiff, even with the crocodiles thrasing about and doing thier death rolls, but it was entertaining enough. I found myself missing Steve Irwins style of performing which is exactly that he didn't perform. He was just his outgoing crazy self and that is what made him so popular. Later in the zoo store, we saw how much the family is exploited. Bindi Irwin, who can't be more than 10, was all over merchandise including beer holders! Please, let's not make her the next Miley Cyrus.

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Comments

[nirmala]

Awesome
Mr. Irwin is my roll model I want to join his NGO. I am true lover of animals so I want to protect them.