Happy Birthday to Me Part 5 (The Final Part!)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

This is it I promise.

Hartley's Crocodile Adventure.

Insert suitably dorky picture here.

We had no intention of going to Hartley's Crocodile Adventure but on the drive back and after seeing all the crocodile signs and no crocodiles (which we were both relieved and disappointed by) we decided we needed to see some crocs, and if they were in cages when we saw them all the better because we wouldn't be shrieking and running the opposite direction (in a zigzag fashion of course).

Now, have you ever been to the zoo when you wander around from cage to cage and you don't see any of the animals? At first this is how we felt. Kind of like in Jurassic Park when they're driving around well, Jurassic Park, and they don't get to see any of the dinosaurs. And then...just like that we realized we were just stupid and the crocodiles were EVERYWHERE! I'm not sure why we didn't see them at first cause they're huge and they were very very close. It was NOT like the zoo at all where all the dangerous creatures are behind glass, this place there was just a fence that you could have EASILY put your hand over...or jumped over for that matter, if you were so inclined. And the funniest part about all of that is they put a sign at the front door that basically says there are crocodiles in here if you leave the path and get eaten, it's your fault.

You gotta love Australia.

Because there's so many deadly creatures here in the land of Oz all the Australians have a very nonchalant attitude about the nasty buggers and they all tell you to try to put it into perspective. For instance you are about 100 x more likely to die in a car crash then get eaten by a crocodile. BUT THEN they go and tell you about all the people that have been eaten by crocodiles in an attempt to make you less nervous about the situation because all of the people who have been eaten were doing something stupid and careless....NEVERTHELESS these stories do nothing to ease my mind considering they all end with someone getting "taken" by a croc. That's the word they use, "taken", the boy was "taken" by a 6 meter saltie. Fantastic.

By the way, it also just so happens that the last person "taken" by a saltie in Queensland was a 5 year old boy who was trying to coax his new puppy out of the water...they were both "taken" as his 7 year old brother watched in horror. I'm telling you this because I heard it about 7 times simply because it was the last incident, but it absolutely horrified me...and I needed other to share in my horror.

Anyway, after wandering around for a bit with all the crocodiles, who all have cute names like Frank and Sally and Bertie we then went to a "feeding" and I totally thought I was gonna watch the feeder get his arm bitten off.

Luckily that was not the case because that would have been totally gross.

I had a video, but it won't load, so you'll just have to believe me that it was...enthralling to watch them eat.

Also at the croc farm...for whatever reason there were also the killer cassowary! All caged up of course, just like the crocs, but again we were quite excited to see one in person after seeing so many signs warning us that they might kill us.

You can see (not in this picture mind you but in person) that this thing is totally a descendant of dinosaurs if not a dinosaur himself. He's quite cool I must say, gotta love the cassowary in all his killer claw, bone breaking, disembowling fantasticness.

And that my friends, is THE END of Jesica's Birthday Weekend.