KOALAS

 A Furry Cutie

        One afternoon on my first trip down under we rode out of town to visit koalas in a zoo. A local guide told us, “Koalas are  a marsupial. They have very sharp claws so we wean them from their mother onto a stuffed koala. They can cuddle with the toy, and in captivity we can handle them without too many nasty scratches.

         “Koala is an aboriginal word meaning does not drink. Koalas derive all of their fluid from an exclusive diet of eucalyptus leaves. They are very susceptible to human illness. Virtually all of the koalas on Phillip Island are infected with clymadia and are dying out. They are on a preserve there and when they are all gone, healthy koalas will be reintroduced to the island.”

         Koalas are nocturnal and can travel as far as five miles in search for food. They are a small animal, not much bigger than a good size teddy bear.
        New South Wales and Queensland climates are warm so the koalas are grey with white on the inner ears and chest. Victoria is cooler so the animals are larger with a darker fur, more of a charcoal grey.

        At birth a koala is a furless newborn that looks like a pink jellybean. This tiny animal claws and climbs its way up mama’s stomach to crawl into her pouch where it spends six months. When it emerges the baby clings to mama’s back until it reaches full maturity. Koalas seldom have more than one baby and if they do only one survives as the pouch is only big enough to accommodate one baby. The normal life span is 16-18 years.

        It was awesome to hold a small koala as it clung to its toy.

        In Tasmania we saw koalas in the wild. One actually climbed down from a tree and tried to climb up a gal’s pant leg. We figured the little guy thought her white sneakers were rocks and her pants were the same color as the bark of a tree. The guide rescued the koala but not before he left a couple of puncture holes in her pants.

LOWITZ, POLAND

 POLISH  COUNTRYSIDE

            It is always nice to get out of the city and ride through the countryside. When in Poland we stopped at the Bernardine Monastery where the nuns had prepared and served us lunch.

            The nuns basically run a soup kitchen serving lunch to several poor people every day. They were expecting us and I must say it was one of the most memorial meals I’ve ever had. The vegetable soup was delicious and the bread was hot out of the oven. It was not elegant dining but it was a delightful time. The nuns were friendly and gracious and it was a pleasure to add to their coffers. When we left, the nuns standing on the front stoop, serenaded us with their lovely voices.

            When we arrived at the Lowicz Castle ruins musicians and dancers were waiting for us. Dressed in native costume they performed songs and dances specially for us. This was a real native performance, not some commercial affair.

Lowicz is a small native Polish village. The spokesman for the group explained, “I bought these ruins a few years ago and built this building on the grounds. My wife and I live here. Eventually, I want to restore part of the castle.”

            They were most gracious people and invited us into their home. I don’t know much about the history of the castle but it looked like he had an ambitious restoration project before him.

            Inside the home the man’s wife and a girl maybe 11 or 12 years old were doing some paper cutting. We all stood gaping in amazement at the intricate designs they were creating with sheep-shearing shears! The designs were beautiful and the shears were so big. I couldn’t imagine the patience it would take to accomplish such a fine art.

            We asked if the designs were for sale and were stunned when they said they ranged from 6-10 zoltys which translated into $2-3. We learned that this craft is unique to only this part of the country. I treasure my paper cutting and have it hanging in my living room.

As we were leaving, the fellow climbed a small hill to give us a cannon salute from his real live cannon. What a nice tribute!

TUNDRA BUGGIES

Unique Vehicles

       In Churchill, Manitoba, Canada the tundra buggy could be described as an oblong railroad car mounted on huge all weather/terrain wheels/tires. A viewing platform is at the rear. Each seat has a large window which opens easily for better photography.

       The tundra buggy can travel the tundra, in fall and winter, over frozen ground and through snow, and in the summer, over soggy terrain. The buggy travels 2-3 mph on the tundra and average about 6 miles per gallon. The front tires hold 6# pressure and the rear 9#.

      When loading and unloading the buggy, the bus taking one to the staging area turns around and pulls up so its steps are directly opposite the steps of the buggy, requiring only one step on the ground. Transfers are quick. Polar bears can run 25 miles an hour, and who wants to meet one on ground level.

        The permafrost of the tundra is only 6-12 inches below the surface. I never visualized water on the tundra, but we saw many ponds. Some were as small as a 10 X10 foot puddle, and many were very large. The frozen water areas are called thermal karst. In summer they are  liquid water in a soggy tundra, and in winter a frozen pond.

        Both the federal and provincial governments strictly regulate the tundra. Two companies own the seventeen buggy permits to travel over the tundra, and even that is controlled. Stay on the 'roads' and no running over the tundra like a wild off-road vehicle.

       The first tundra buggy was built in 1980. The tundra highway starts out over an old military road and then travels over esker, a narrow raised area on the tundra.

      A tundra ride is rough, as the buggy bounces over the uneven ground and rock. The buggies are heated, but everything is relative. Granted, a temperature of 40 is warmer than the outside temperature of 0-minus 10, but when animals are spotted, everyone wants to open their window for the photo ops, and the inside temperature plummets rapidly. However, that was a minor inconvenience for the fantastic experience.