We got to see Nick and Brett yesterday which was strange. Since you know, I'm on the other side of the world. We had lunch and ice cream and all sorts of fantastic things and talked about how DUMB Monica is (hahaha only kidding...) but I DID get to talk TO Monica. She screamed and did her Sheri voice for Lindsay and I was 1,000 times over excited.
THEN we saw the penguin parade. I wondered more if it was the people parade though, that penguins come out of the ocean to watch.
What happens is you go through this museum thing with a bunch of really morbid stuffed penguins (as in dead, not like furry stuffed animals), I guess so you get the general idea of what you're supposed to be looking for. They have a big model of a shark eating a penguin and a caption talking about how hard life is for a little penguin out in the ocean. Then there's little holes you can look through with a "penguins eye view" and you discover that all they see is trash, hands reaching for them and a really nice Canon Rebel with a gigantic flash going off. In one hole, someone set the stuffed penguins up so you can see what they look like when they have sex. I'm not sure why that's important but but I think it's so if you see it happening out in the real world, you know to avert your eyes and be politely quiet.
Further down was a hole you could look in and there were two little REAL LIVE penguins in their burrow huddled together, shivering like they'd just done a line of coke. It was pretty cute.
Then what happens is, you walk down to the edge of the ocean and you wait till it gets dark. Then you hear a description of the penguins and what they do in like 5 different languages. And then, all of a sudden you see little groups of tiny itty bitty "Little Penguins" (formerly known as "Fairy Penguins") floating in on the waves. Then they regroup, test the sand, maybe go back in the water for a second if they are scared. If they think it's safe, they waddle up the shore and to a designated climbing spot and climb through the grass and up the hill to their burrows, all the while screaming at each other and waddling along in a parade like fashion.
This is what's supposed to happen. What really happened for us was our penguins were retarded. All the other watching spots, their penguins came out of the water twice, maybe three times, making sure it was safe and then began their parade. OUR penguins floated up, regrouped, came out of the water, saw a giant seagull and went back in. Then they came out of the water, seagull still there, and went back in. Then they finally all decided the seagull was not harmless and came out of the water, all ready to march up the sand, and then a little one in the back got scared and turn around and ran back into the water, probably screaming ABANDON SHIP!!! and everyone followed suit. And then they regrouped and this time they decided the seagull looked menacing again and retreated. About another 15 times until finally, one of the penguins in the front said "This is bullshit" and charged up the beach, with a considerable group behind. The rest of the penguins waited for a different group that was a little less willing to sacrifice their lives for a seagull. I don't blame them, seagulls can get nasty.
Then they all waddled around, one particularly stupid one waiting on the hill for god knows what. We finally gave up on him and left. They did this weird relay thing, where a group of penguins would come through and leave one behind, and then when the next group of penguins would come through the left behind penguin would join up in the front and a different penguin from the second group would stay behind for the next group.
We watched all this in the cold rain.
Surrounded by umbrellas and some really nasty Scottish uni-brows down in front.
The bottom of my jeans looked like I had gone swimming WITH the penguins. I used my scarf as a babushka which helped and then it started to pour. And then it didn't help anymore.
Then we all broke into Kyle's house and waited for him to come back with some fish and chips.
He, in fact, did come back so we ate the fish and chips and made fun of Monica some more (haha kidding again, except maybe we did mention your popcorn burning abilities once) and went home.
Seis days till I leave the land down under. Does that make sense? That it should be over already? I don't think it does.
