Adelaide (December 26)

 This is an echidna, which are found only in New Guinea and Australia. They are one of only two remaining monotremes left in the world, the other being the platypus. A monotreme is a mammal that lays eggs rather than giving live birth to its young. Unfortunately, the only one I saw happened to be in the Adelaide Zoo.

Inside the zoo, I sat and watched the only pandas in the southern hemisphere. They are beautiful up close and larger than I expected, there movement was similar to other bears. There entire back end would waddle back and forth as they would walk.

Matt and I were also fortunate to see the endangered Sumatran Tiger, which comes from Indonesia's northern island of Sumatra. They are critically endangered with estimates ranging from 400 to 600 remaining in the wild. We caught this one during feeding time.



Enjoying a few beverages with our friend of a friend and gracious host Vince. He gave us a break from staying in hostels and showed us an excellent time in downtown Adelaide.

I particularly enjoyed Adelaide with its Madison feel. A well designed, health conscious, and organized city. The downtown was surrounded by several blocks of parks perfect for running and outdoor games with the north side containing the university, zoo, and athletic facilities. Very walkable with a centralized strip containing excellent bars and eateries. If given the choice this would be the city in Australia where I would reside. Thanks Vince!