Day 6 & 7, July 12 &13, 2009

Day 7 July 13, 2009

With the Ojesinas in route to Guam, Kim and I no longer have the arm of Toks as our guide to depend on for directions and decision making. TOKS WAS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL! We turn to the next best thing, the internet…now that is a novel idea. It’s 5:30 am and I am blogging to the comforting snore of Kim. She is flat out tired and by the sound level of her snoring she is way past counting sheep. No takers for the morning walk to St. Mary’s Cathedral, so I strike out alone and am surprised that there are very few people, ladies in particular walking in the CBD (Central Business District). For a few moments I am somewhat anxious by the glaring looks of some of the men and wonder if I am committing a cultural faux paux, a woman walking alone before daylight. I am relieved when I finally see a couple of women briskly walking from the bus stop and continue on to St Mary’s Cathedral. I am determined to attend a Christian worship service, as is my custom whenever I vacation.

I enter the Cathedral and sit in reverent awe of the grandeur of this monument of marble, granite and the finest brass and crystal ornamentation juxtaposed against the soft glow of dozens of candles. The statues and stained glass art of themselves are works of master artists. The message was of the certainty of God being in all things and through all things brings us into close fellowship with him when we allow time to hear and heed his voice amid the hustle of daily life. I follow along with the litany and prayers as best I can followed by the receiving of communion and the blessing of the Holy Father.

This starts my day and foreshadows a meeting Kim & I would have later the same day with Bindi, a spirit filled Hill Song congregant who escorted us to the bus stop where we journeyed on to the Featherdale Wildlife Retreat.

The highlight of the Day – KIM TOUCHES A KANGAROO!

Our Bindi Hookup

to Featherdale Wildlife Park. Bindi waited with us at least 45 minutes, shared her desire to visit the U.S. & extended an invitation for us to pray with her and visit her the next time we are here. Phew! We have been incredibly fortunate to have met the kindest people along the way.

Seeing Kim react to the animals in the wildlife park was more fun than you can imagine.. Not only was she not afraid, but at one point she was chasing the kangaroo so she could get a photo of him!. It was with wild-eyed wonder that we mingled among animals we had heard of, but never seen. For example albino kangaroos, koalas, Tasmanian devils, white peacocks, were all there.(Click here for more unique Australian animals info) The facts we learned were incredible, like “Kangaroos outnumber Aussie’s 2.1:1. Their mating season is determined by the availability of vegetation and resources to care for the young as the female usually has one in the pouch, one in the embryo stage and one under foot all at the same time.

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Featherdale boasts the world’s premier collection of Australian wildlife, allowing visitors to get up close to 2200 animals from over 330 species. You can cuddle up to a Koala, have a photo taken and hand feed kangaroos all day. Located at Doonside in the Blacktown region, en route to the famous Blue Mountains, Featherdale is Sydney`s ultimate interactive wildlife experience. From the initial greeting by the swaggie and joey at the entrance to the park, visitors are encouraged to get up close to Australia`s native wildlife. As well as numerous Koalas and Kangaroos, features include face-to-face encounters with all kinds of wildlife including Wallabies, Emus, an amazingly diverse range of birds and over 40 species of reptiles in the Reptilian Pavilion.

The train & bus ride to and from Featherdale was our first time out in the suburbs and our first look into a middle class neighborhood. It felt and looked a lot like home as we passed neighborhoods of one-story single family homes with sidewalk gardens, carports and driveways, unlike downtown Sydney's high rent, high-rise dwellings. Along the way were assorted means of self expression from creatively drawn murals to straight out tagging along the walls of the train station. Like at home, there are blighted areas with vandalized vacant buildings and scrap storage places, but overall the city is generally clean. By 8:00 we were back in Chinatown picking up last minute souvenirs for Lisa and fish & chips for me. It was a fine way to end our day.

Day 6 July 12, 2009

After grabbing a quick “brekkie” at a sidewalk café we headed to the very upscale Hyde Park area just across from St Mary’s Cathedral, (behind us) one of the oldest in Australia. It is opulent and grand. The arches and towers cannot help but speak to the majesty of God. The beauty and splendor inside is a testament to the gifts he has placed in each of us to show forth his glory. We missed this mornings mass, but have another opportunity this evening or tomorrow morning. Kim & I sat in silent reverence for about 20 min before heading across the promenade to the Australian Museum.

Australian Museum The Australian Museum is just as grand with its marble and granite posts, corbels and capitals throughout the building. We tailored our tour to 2 things although there were many that we could have experienced, but you only have so much time. We chose the dinosaur exhibit and the Aborigine Exhibition. In particular, I wanted to experience the art, what I didn’t know is that I would experience the “heart” of a people with whom I feel a kinship, not only because of the color of their skin, but more so their indomitable spirit. ). Their plight was so similar to that of the Native Americans who were displaced in the U.S. as well as that of African American's struggle for civil rights in America. Read about the Aborigine “Stolen Generation” where from 1896 to 1972 (dates vary by source) indigenous children were literally stolen from their families and brought into government institutions and into white families for foster care and adoption in order to “re-culture-ize” them according to British/European culture). As a result, many were subjected to abuse and slavery in these placements. This brought tears to my eyes. A public apology to the Aborigines has been issued by the government as well as attempts to reconnect the stolen children with their families and provide other forms of restitution. Many of the by-products of this atrocity still affect the Aborigine citizens, (i.e. high incidents of suicide, drug abuse, shorter life expectancy and disproportionate numbers are incarcerated in the prison system). Many white Australians are haunted by this "dirty secret," others shuck off the responsibility and feel that while they are concerned, their ancestors were the perpetrators and that the burden of past wrongs though tragic should not be charged to them.(See "Rabbit Foot Fence movie trailer.)

Dario. After a heart tugging tour of the Aborigine Exhibit in the Australian Museum, we met Dario in a seafood restaurant as we were looking to find fish & chips for dinner. We became intrigued by his story of how he came to dance in Australia and wound up living here for 30 years. He eventually followed us to Nando’s Portuguese Chicken Restaurant next door to give us even more information on the Black culture here. Dario, a dancer originally from Columbus Ohio came, as many African American performing artists to foreign lands, to exhibit and perfect his talent. (We sensed a great appreciation for African American music in particular as many bistros and sidewalk cafes were playing AF AM pop and jazz music throughout the day.) He is a dance instructor as well as a mentor for young blacks desiring to perform and perfect their talent. He encourages them to develop their talent as well as their skills through education.

Dario was most helpful by giving his perspective on Black culture in Australia. We are the least populous ethnic group in Aussieland. He dispelled myths concerning Aborigines. Many of his thoughts were confirmed as we had toured the Aborigine Exhibition at the Australian Museum today.

We left off with us exchanging e-mail addresses and Dario’s inviting us to a street-side performance later that evening, but as we had experienced a day that was physically and emotionally draining, we retired upon returning to the hotel. (click here to see movie trailer) (See movie details based on true story of adolescent sisters who were stolen and their amazing escape and 1000 mile trek on foot through the desert to reunite with their family.)