Eid a la Angelina

PROLOG
"Mama, are we going to Nana's house for Eid?" asked Brad. I let him ask the hard questions as he's always into trouble anyway.
"Ehmmm...we're not. In fact, we'll be going outstation this time around as your Dad and I have to do abattoir duty," came Mama's answer.
I couldn't suppress my excitement and had to open my mouth too, "Where are we going? Are you taking us with you? How long will we be away? You're not sending us to the babysitter again, are you?"
"Whoa! Calm down girl. We are going to a faraway city called Dubbo, about 400km away," Mama said and continued, "To all your other questions, except the last one, the answer is YES!"
Brad suddenly jumped and yelled, "Yahoo!!!!"
"Brad, behave! Or else you'll be left alone at home," o-oh...Dad has spoken.

ON THE ROAD
Frankly, the journey wasn't very exciting. It was indeed a loooooong looooong way from Sydney to Dubbo. Along the way, we passed by places like the Blue Mountains, small towns like Bathurst, Orange, Lucknow, Molong, Wellington before reaching Dubbo in the afternoon. I guess Dad was irrirated by Brad's constant whingeing of, "Are we there yet?" that we made very minimals stops.

Bales of hay in the field - had to convince Dad to stop so we could stretch our legs

among the brownish wonder.

The loooong road to Dubbo - this is what we see all along the way.

Finally, a much welcomed signboard.

Our room was quite nice. We stayed at the Cattleman's, reputedly Dubbo's best hotel. It has three swimming pools and award-winning restaurant.

EID DAY 1

Eid started with prayers at this little mosque (Kotku Mosque) that was established back in 2000.

Breakfast courtesy of the mosque. We get to mingle with the locals.

AT THE ABATTOIR

Then, Mama and Dad went to the abattoir to witness animal slaughtering there. We were left at the hotel as Mama didn't want us to be exposed to the gory scene. The abattoir management wouldn't allow us in anyway. Yeah, what if the shepherd dogs get excited and forgot their duties of guarding and guiding the sheep?

Sheep in the paddock.

Sheep before the slaughter. From these....

...to these...

...and these...

All packed to be shipped overseas.

To be continued....

What We Also Did On Eid Day

....the story continues....

EID LUNCH
As Brad and I had our usual stuff for lunch, Mama and Dad, plus a few others who were on abattoir duty too, were given a special treat by the abattoir management. We were told that they had lamb chops barbies for lunch. Hmmmm.....luckily Mama packed some for us. Or else, no more cuddles for her the rest of the trip.

Aah...the taste of succulent lamb chops...so mouth watering.... yummmm....yummmm....

OFF TO THE ZOO
After lunch, Mama and Dad had a bit of rest in the hotel room. We were watching telly when suddenly Dad said, "Hey, let's go to the zoo!"
"Yeah!!!!" Brad and I yelled in unison.
"Finally, I get to visit the zoo for the first time in seven years," Mama added.
And so off we went to the famous zoo of Dubbo. It's very easy to get there from our hotel. Just turn left at the exit, pass the roundabout and just go straight until we meet the junction on the left that says "Taronga Western Plains Zoo".
The zoo was opened to the public in 1977 although planning started way back in the 1960s. Its main objective was as a place to concentrate on breeding, especially large, plains dwelling animals. Over the years, this 300ha of irrigated grass and woodland has turned into a world class open range zoo with a fine reputation for its animal husbandry, enclosures, education and breeding - particularly of endangered species.
OK, enough of the dry stuff. Feast your eyes on the lovely visuals instead. We took thousands of photographs but pick and choose only our favourites to share with the world.

Oh, did I tell you that this is also an open range zoo where there are no visual barriers between visitors and animals. A system of concealed moats creates a breathtaking impression of being with the animals in the wild. 

What greets you at the entrance off Obley Road.

You get this map after paying the entrance fee. Charge is for per person and our car could be brought in for free. Of course, you can also rent electric vehicles or bicycles. And if you have the stamina, just walk around. After all, it's only 15km of bush treks. teeheehee...

Our educational journey actually begins here - over 1,000 animals are on display, grouped into 5 continental areas of the world. They are: Africa, Eurasia, North America, Australia and South America.

Arabian camels were the first animals we saw as soon as we entered the safari. Mama had to restrain Brad as he wanted to jump and hitch a ride on those friendly animals.

These Barbary Sheep share the same enclosure as the camels. I asked Mama if these sheep had escaped the abattoir's paddock. "No, Angelina. Their native home is North Africa. They are listed as VULNERABLE, that's close to being an ENDANGERED species, you know."

We had a fun time climbing up and down this tree while Mama and Dad tried to coax the zoo animals to pose for them. Wish we have a backyard with a tree like this.

Wow! What a tall animal the giraffe is. Heheheh...don't be fooled by this ferro-concrete baby giraffe. 

Now, this is the real deal. At certain times of the day, visitors are allowed to handfeed the giraffes from a specially built platform.

I shudder at the thought of what those sharp horns of the Addax can do. Listed as CRITICALLY ENDANGERED, the Addax is a Saharan desert antelope that can survive for long periods without drinking water. Very suitable for drought stricken Australia too, eh?

Introducing - the NEAR THREATENED listed Southern White Rhinoceros. Unfortunately, this most social among the rhino family is still killed for its horn. It's OK luv, you're safe here in Dubbo. 

Suddenly Brad got all excited again as we left the rhino to visit the cheetahs. "Hey, come out and play with me. I'll race you," he shouted over the moat separating us from the big cats. 

Should I tell Brad that cheetahs can reach speeds of up to 96km/h? There is no way Brad can win the race. Just look at those powerful limbs.

This duck doesn't seem to be afraid of the cheetahs as it roams freely in the big cat enclosure. Guess the cheetah's usual food must be yummier than duck meat so why bother, eh?

We joined Dad climbing this viewing platform, just to get a good look at the African Savannah.

A waterfall in the savannah. Such lovely water - great for a dip or a drink. There was a hippopotamus frolicking nearby.

The vista from the viewing platform. The luxurious Zoofari Lodge is just behind this section of the zoo. Imagine waking up to the sounds of elephants, apes, zebras and other animals of the zoo. 

People say elephants react differently to different people. This fine specimen of the African Elephant showed its handsome face to Mama.

But showed his bum to Dad! teeheehee....

We spotted this Red-Rumped Parrot as we were leaving the savannah. Apparently, only the males have red rumps. Hmmmm...interesting. Let me check your rump, Brad.

We bumped into a Zoofari Lodge bus as we approached the Sumatran Tiger enclosure. It looks like a humongous zebra.

Come on, Tigger! Show your handsome face to me. Ow...you're so shy. The zoo has both the ENDANGERED Sumatran and Bengal tigers on display. 

The Przewalski's Horse aka takhi in its native land. This herd was too busy eating that they completely ignored me. Extinct in the wild since 1965, five of these handsome horses bred at this zoo were returned to their Mongolian homeland in 1995 and the family has since quadrupled in number. Yeay!

Did I mention that the zoo has facilities like this all over the place? So that visitors like Brad don't pee under the tree! hahaha...

There's designated parking for the disabled too.

Must pay homage to our native koalas. Though they just seem oblivious to the rest of the world.

Need any help scratching there, mate? The Eastern Grey Kangaroo can be found almost everywhere. This fella was photographed scratching his balls by the roadside.

The Australian wetlands in the zoo is home to the Masked Lapwing, Australian Pelican, Purple Swamphen, Sacred Ibis and Black Swan.

And that concluded our tour of zoo. Given the chance, we'll come visit again.

After all the hard work at the zoo, we went back to the city centre and binged on piping hot cinnamon donuts. yummm...yummm....Brad shared Dad's mango smoothies while I helped finish Mama's iced mocha. 

Thank you Mama and Dad. It was a purrfect trip to the zoo for us. 

A purrfect Eid too. purrr......meow!

to be continued.....

Top Reasons Why Furkids Are Purrfect....

Evil-ly compiled by Brad.

Reason 1:
A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.
The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'.
The teacher asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?'
The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'.

Reason 2:
A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.
As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, 'I'm drawing God.'
The teacher paused and said, 'But no one knows what God looks like.'
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, 'They will in a minute.'

Reason 3:
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to 'honour' thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, 'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?'
Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, 'Thou shall not kill.'

Reason 4:
One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head.
She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, 'Why are some of your hairs white, Mum?'
Her mother replied, 'Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.'
The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, 'Mummy, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?'

Reason 5:
The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture.
'Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.'
A small voice at the back of the room rang out, 'And there's the teacher, she's dead.'

Reason 6:
A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, 'Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face.'
'Yes,' the class said.
'Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?'
A little fellow shouted, 'Cause your feet ain't empty.'

Reason 7:
The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:
'Take only ONE. God is watching.'
Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.
A child had written a note, 'Take all you want. God is watching the apples.'

The purrfect child! Me!!!!

Welcome to Australia!!!

Someone emailed this to me. Thought I might just share them with everyone.

These were posted on an Australian Tourism Website and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have a great sense of humour (not to mention a low tolerance threshold for cretins!)

Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia ? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? (UK )
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? (USA)
A: Depends on how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Hervey Bay? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia? (USA)
A: A-Fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not ... Oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked.

Q: Which direction is North in Australia? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia ? (UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do...

Q:Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is... Oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.

Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia? (UK)
A: You are a British politician, right?

Q: Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? (Germany )
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from. All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Australia, but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. (USA)
A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia? (France)
A: Only on Christmas.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first

Indeed, laughter is the best medicine! meow!

The Big Cat Has Landed

What big cat? The Lion King? New tiger at the Taronga Zoo?

No, we're talking about the two legged one. That very handsome, tall and super rich Tiger Woods. Everytime we switched on the telly there'll be visions of him playing at the Kingston Heath Golf Club in southeast Melbourne.

The Australian Masters officially start today but the hype about Tigger (that's my personal pet name for him) started way back in December last year. By coming here, he's added another US$3 million (AUD$4.5 million) to his ever growing bank account. That's his standard appearance fee outside the USA, apparently. The last time he soiled his shoes with Aussie dust was in 1997 when he played in the Presidents Cup.

Tigger about to pounce on the fairway. (pix by Getty Images)

The Aussie media reports that Woods’ appearance is expected to generate close to $20 million dollars in economic benefits to the state of Victoria through tourism and worldwide exposure via international TV coverage. His appearance has also been publicly backed by some of Australia’s biggest golfing names with many excited at the prospect of the huge galleries that always accompany an appearance by the world number one.

So if you see visions of a very sleek, properly behaved furry feline shadowing Tigger on his golf rounds, that will be yours truly. Aaah....Tigger...how I dream about you.

"Angelina, stop day dreaming. You can only go to the golf club if you're willing to wear the checked pants and caps I bought you for Halloween," Mama suddenly came into the picture and continued, "Can't have you prancing naked for all the world to see."

Aaw...Mama...you're raining on my parade. You know I'm not an exhibitionist.

By the way, just checked ticket prices, Tiger Airways offering only $28 one-way Sydney to Melbourne. hmmm...I'm drooling at the prospect. meow!