Botanic Gardens

Australia really is a different place. Trees, animals and sounds are all so exotic. Even now, as I write this, the hum of the Sicadas are constant in the background and the sun is in the northern part of the sky. It is all enough to remind you that you are a long way from home. It is like living life in a mirror, where your left is your right and right is left.

So to orient myself a bit and get to know some of what I am seeing and hearing all the time, I headed out to the Botanic Gardens near the Sydney Opera House and checked out some of the flora and fauna of the area. It is definitely an oasis and is well-used by the locals. I was there at lunch and walked along the water where many people were on lunch-time runs and families were picnicing on the grass, playing some rugby or cricket.

I walked by the government house and through the lower gardens where I learned to distinguish the ficus and eucalypt trees. The thousands of residents of the ficus trees though, were a bit disconcerting even if they just eat fruit (click on the pic for a larger view).