Just as I was going for a shower co-host Andrea knocks at the door with the puppy in her arms. I had asked too many questions about the little one the previous day and they probably mistook my curiosity for love of the dog! I tell myself it is time to face my fears, so what if it's only a puppy!
Zyla is not at ease, neither am I ;-)
Only 10 weeks old
And so with the pride of cuddling a little puppy we set out to meet the roos and the koalas. We arrived at the park practically for free, thanks to a promotional offer by Uber for first users. The place is pretty underwhelming at the outset. There is a large unattractive dummy koala at the entrance. Many Asian tourists are posing against it flashing their index and middle fingers in a "V" sign. I wonder why the excitement for plastic when there is the real stuff in flesh and bone indoors.
The park has a variety of caged birds and reptiles. Koalas are on display too but they are all asleep.
The sleeping beauty
They appear so big in reality I am not sure if I want to cuddle one anymore. I feel intimidated. I am hungry. So we go to the only eating place there - a modest 'general store' that offered us cold sandwiches and muffins. Thank god I carry my own lemonade. I try to postpone the koala cuddling for some more time. We enter the open range kangaroo and emu area.
Kangaroos are in abundance here. I try to keep safe distances, not touching them at all. But a tiny-tot trots in caressing a young roo under its jaws and lovingly bidding it goodbye.
One-arm distance :p
The little one inspires me so much that I rush back to the 'general store' to buy some kangaroo food for $2. There were many hungry roos. One was greedy enough to gobble up the brown paper that contained the food.
I prance back into the open range area. I bend before one and stretch my palm out with a fistful of the food. The roo is elated, it wants more. Another one joins in. They are surprisingly very well behaved. Happy times!
Another one joins while the first roo looks on
I can spend countless hours here. But Prashant reminds me we have a bus to catch in 30 minutes and I was yet to cuddle a koala. I am now looking forward to it.
It was a no-fuss affair. I did feel uneasy for a nano-second but once the koala was on my chest with its arms hugging me it was all good. I was most happy!
We get back to the city at tea-time. Co-host Andrea tells us about the Eat Street market on Friday and Saturday nights. She is raving about it and the wide variety of food on offer. A short ferry ride later we find ourselves at the lit-up market with food trucks, live entertainment and shipping containers for eateries.
I get my hands on a Thai 'grandma noodles' dish and immediately regret it. I naively believed the name - nothing that my grandma ever made was terrible! Prashant was wiser - looking for the busiest stalls as a mark of popularity. We settle for some delicious dumplings and crispy savoury crepes followed by gelato icecreams.
We head back on the ferry with the knowledge that our Gold Coast ambition will not be successful. Not in this trip at least. I have blisters on my toe from too much walking. Sunday will have to be another impromptu day...
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