KURANDA - THE VILLAGE IN THE RAINFOREST

The picturesque mountain retreat of Kuranda village is just 25km northwest of Cairns in far North Queensland, Australia. It is a vibrant little town surrounded by World Heritage Rainforest.

Kuranda is much more than a village in the rainforest and the ideal escape from the warmer steamy coast during the Northern summer. There are different ways to reach Kuranda including a 30 minute drive through World heritage Rainforest from Cairns city, on the Kuranda Scenic Railway or the Skyrail cableway.

In this present scenario, Kuranda offers a diverse mix of vibrant shops, famous markets and local artists. It’s always bustling with locals and visitors around the markets which operate everyday. I went to Kuranda with my husband during last year Christmas. The original Kuranda Scenic Railway is a spectacular journey comprising unsurpassed views of dense rainforest, steep ravines and picturesque waterfalls. This famous railway winds its way on a journey of approximately 1 hour 45 minutes from Cairns to Kuranda, the village in the rainforest.






Kuranda Station is world renowned for its tropical gardens and historic significance. It is possibly one of the most photographed railway stations in the world. The heritage-listed buildings blend with the tropical surrounds providing a relaxed environment to enjoy. The Kuranda Railway Tea Rooms at the station offer a great range of souvenirs and refreshments.

At Kuranda, we have visited the nature based attractions including the butterfly sanctuary, spider and venom zoo and the magnificent Barron River. We enjoyed boating and were excited to see a baby crocodile. Then we visited Kuranda Koala Gardens, a great thirty minute wildlife experience. We cherished the unique environment, the diversity of plants and animals and the wet tropics renowned for scenic panoramas of rainforest canopy from mountain lookouts, to rivers that carve through rugged gorges and cascade into freshwater swimming holes, to giant trees and ferns from ancient eras and curiosities from the animal kingdom.

The most unique and unforgettable experience we had by returning in Skyrail Cableway. Skyrail took us over the canopy and deep into the heart of the forest on a 7.5km gondola cableway between Cairns and Kuranda in the Barron Gorge National Park. This unique cableway was the ultimate rainforest experience, including a cableway journey over the canopy and two rainforest mid-stations, offering Ranger guided boardwalk tours and a Rainforest Interpretation Centre.

I still cherish the wonderful trip of Kuranda and it is one of my best, enjoyable and memorable trip till now.

COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY

Conflict often occurs due to the lack of opportunity, ability or motivation to communicate effectively. People at work experience communication problems because of cultural differences. Here are some of the problems that’s people experience due to communication. First, when two parties lack the opportunity to communicate, they tend to use stereotypes to explain past behaviour and anticipate future actions. Unfortunately, stereotypes are sufficiently subjective that emotions can negatively distort the meaning of opponent’s actions, thereby escalating perceptions of conflict. Moreover, without direct interaction, the two sides have less psychological empathy for each other.

Second, some people lack the necessary skills to communicate in diplomatic, non-confrontational manner. When one part communicates its disagreement in an arrogant way opponents are more likely to heighten their perception of the conflict. Arrogant behaviour also sends a message that one side intends to be competitive rather than co-operative. This may lead the other party to reciprocate with a similar conflict management style. Ineffective communication can also lead to a third problem; less motivation to communicate in the future. Socio-economic conflict is uncomfortable, so people avoid interacting with others in a conflicting relationship. Unfortunately, less communication can further escalate the conflict because there is less opportunity to emphasize with the opponent’s situation and opponents are more likely to rely on distorted stereotypes of the third party. In fact, conflict tends to further distort these stereotypes through the process of social identity.

The lack of communication to communicate also explains why conflict is more common in cross-cultural relationships. People tend to feel uncomfortable or awkward interacting with co-workers from different cultures, so they are less motivated to engage in dialogue with them. With limited communication, people rely more on stereotypes to fill in missing information. They also tend to misunderstand each other’s verbal and non-verbal signals, further escalating the conflict. What others say might have a very different impact on the other person.

People working in a very diverse working environment often times encounter these difficulties. The use of appropriate words and the proper way of approach is somehow different. But in order to overcome these obstacles in communication it is very important that there will be mutual understanding on both parties. It is still important that there will be given and take in communication. No matter how difficult it is to communicate with other culture but the essence of understanding should always be there.

CHUKU AND CHINKU

In the year 2007, my husband got job in Middle East and I was thrilled to see new places as it was my first visit outside India. We love pets very much but were not sure as how long we will stay in the country so could not decide whether to keep any pets at home or not.

It was on 18th Nov, my Marriage Anniversary, we planned to go for shopping and then for a lovely dinner at the best restaurant.When we entered the shopping mall, all of a sudden we had a glance at the pet shop and decided to have a look. When we entered the shop, we were charmed to see the pure white little birds with red beak swinging happily in the cage. There were two Java birds – male and female which is very rare to see. We both liked them very much. Though there were various types of birds of different species as well as puppies but we were touched by the white Java birds.


We asked the shop owner to arrange for a white cage and then we took the sweet little white birds in our home. The birds were very quiet as it was a new place for them but they soon got acclimatized with the new environment. I kept the names of the birds – Chuku and Chinku. They became familiar with the names. Whenever I used to call them Chuku and Chinku both of them responded by making sound. We both were very happy as our home was full of life because of Chuku and Chinku.

Being 18th Nov a special day but bringing the Java birds it became extra special and the happiest day of my life. I cherished each and every moment spent with Chuku and Chinku and they are still in my heart.

TOWNSVILLE - A LAND OF BEAUTY

On 2nd July’08, I landed in Townsville, my first visit in the beautiful country Australia. I was mesmerized by the charismatic beauty of Townsville. The neat and clean wide roads with greenery all around touched my heart deeply.
I observed that the traffic rules and regulations are maintained in a very systematic manner. There are renowned hospitals where the patients are treated with utmost care rendering the best service to them. The variety of colourful flowers with sweet fragrance is one of the main attractions found all around the city especially on the side of the road, decorated very artistically. I have found that the people in Townsville are very friendly nature and also very helpful. I am moved and spellbound to see how nicely everything has been maintained. As I am staying in Townsville which is the capital of North Queensland, I have covered the places more than half of North Queensland.

The first place I have visited was Billabong Sanctuary and I was very much excited seeing the Kangaroos, Koalas, Wombats, Cassowary, Possum, Dingo, Crocodiles and variety of birds moving around. I had a great and unique experience of feeding the birds and kangaroos.

The most popular and attractive place in Townsville which I visited was the Strand and the exotic beauty is mind-blowing. I usually visit Strand beach during weekends and love to sit in the beach and enjoy the cool breeze. It is wonderful to see the people walking, jogging, and taking their dogs for walk and the children playing around enjoying the water which splashes from the big bucket in Strand.

The next trip was at Reef HQ which is one of the world’s largest Coral Reef Aquarium and was overwhelmed to see the different types of colourful fish of various size and shapes, turtles and the Corals which was amazing. The Tropical Museum has a great collection of different things and shows videos which is very informative as well as interesting and moreover the museum is situated just on the bank of the Ross River so I enjoyed taking a cup of Cappuccino.

The Castle Hill, located very near to my house, is the place from were the whole city can be viewed and at night especially it looks like the small stars glittering because of the dazzling lights. The beauty of Townsville can be enjoyed by spending time at Castle Hill. The journey to the Magnetic Island by ferry is a wonderful experience. It takes just half an hour to reach from the city. Magnetic Island is an enormous Island with mountains and beaches all around. Bikes and car can be hired to see the place and also the bus service is there which takes from one Bay to another. The different beach has its own charm, beauty and speciality. Nelly Bay is the ship terminus and from there the bus service can be availed. Horseshoe Bay is the place where people take various rides like boating, Jet Ski and enjoy doing swimming. Arcadia Bay, people usually enjoy taking delicious and authentic food and then everybody feels pretty kind of laid back. At the time of dusk, it is wonderful to enjoy by walking and sitting in the beach.

There are quite number of shopping malls like Stockland, Centro, Willows, Castletown and Domain Central were everything is available and among all Domain central is the biggest.

The weather in Townsville is very pleasant from May to October. Though it has been just 10 months I am residing in Townsville but it seems as if I am staying for past few years.

I would like to conclude by saying that Townsville is “The land of Beauty”.

MOTHER’S DAY

The majority of countries that celebrate Mother’s day do so on the second Sunday of May and it is today, 10th May. On this day, it is common for mothers to be lavished with flowers, presents and special attention from their families, friends and loved ones. But it hasn’t always been this way.

Only recently dubbed Mother’s day, the highly traditional practice of honouring motherhood is rooted in antiquity. Apparently the personal, human focus to Mother’s day is a relatively new tradition. In the past maternal objects of adoration ranged from mythological female deities to the Christian Church itself.Only in the past few countries did celebrations of motherhood develop the human focus.

Every nation has its own peculiar way of commemorating a special day for mothers. The ancient Greeks, for instance, honoured mothers at the annual spring festival dedicated to Rhea, the Mother of Gods, with honey-cakes, drinks, and flowers at dawn.

In Britain, children walked the roads picking spring wild flowers to give to their mothers when they arrived back at their homes. They often brought small gifts from the merchants they worked for as presents.

The tradition of gifts, flowers and festive meals has endured to become what we know as Mother’s Day.

The modern day celebration had its beginning as Mother’s Day in 1858 in America where wearing a white carnation honours a deceased mother, while wearing a pink carnation honours a living mother.

In Australia, the traditional Mother’s Day lower is the white chrysanthemum means truth and loyal love and it is available at this time of the year.

While chrysanthemums are a popular choice for mother on her special day, they are not the only choice. The meaning of Mother’s Day flowers is to show her that time has been taken to think about her in bringing back the pleasant memories.

A special thoughtful gift such as a job in the garden would be appreciated by many mothers especially those on their own. Spending time with them is what most mothers really appreciate.

The heart of a Mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. I remember my Mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.

SNOWY

Earlier, I was not fond of pets. Especially I was scared of dogs. But I still remember the day when I became fond of dogs and that incident still flashes in front of my eye.

It was in the year 2001, after completion of my Master degree, I got job at Delhi. I stayed with my best friend in a flat. We worked in the same company and our office was very near. One day we reached home very late as we were stranded in traffic. We took dinner and slept. In midnight, I heard a voice as if somebody is crying. Due to fear I did not get up from the bed. My friend also heard, got up immediately and ran towards the door.



I was astonished to see a sweet little white puppy in my friend’s arms. The puppy was sitting near our door and was crying. I poured milk in a tumbler and gave it to the sweet puppy. The puppy started drinking and finished it off within a few minutes. We realized that the puppy was crying because he was feeling hungry. It was a very cute white puppy and looked like a snowball. We kept his name “Snowy”. Snowy used to sleep with me and I became his very good friend. When I used to come back from office, he would jump on me and play with me. My friend, Snowy and I used to go for walking together. We felt very much secured as Snowy was with us and we enjoyed very much.

Snowy is still in my house in India and my parents are taking care of him. I miss Snowy a lot and waiting anxiously to see him soon.

TUTSY & TUTIANA

Early morning at 5:30AM, they both came out from the egg shell looking towards the first sun of their life. They tried to crawl on the sandy beach while the gush of the cold wind making shiver on their spine. The white foam on the blue wave lashing on the beach invited them to the monotonous destiny but they refused it and did not look back. It is a journey of two brave souls who wanted to explore a beautiful unknown world, called Muscat. They are Tutsy and Tutiana, my two loving turtle and my best friend.

It is not an easy job for anyone to explore the new horizon and has been proved by many explorers from Columbus to Captain Cook. But these brave soled turtles chose their own destiny.

I still remember the date and it was on my birthday, 29th April, when I brought the sweet turtles in my house and was overwhelmed with joy. It was very small, little and looked very cute. Whenever I call them by their names, Tutsy and Tutiana, they come running towards me. I take them in my hand and they look at me by their small black eyes which looks like a button in such a way as if they are conveying something to me. Tutsy and Tutiana eat, play and sleep together. It is really amazing to see the love and bondage between them. Most of the times they prefer to remain in water and they come on the small island in their vessel when they feel sleepy. It is very nice to see both of them how they hug each other and sleep very deeply.

Tutsy and Tutiana are my most dearest and loving pets. They have a routine life and follow it scrupulously. They get up early morning at 6AM and I feed them. My pets are so sensitive that if food is given by anyone else they will not eat. After taking food they play for a while and try to explore various things like putting their legs up and standing by catching the tree, coming outside of their vessel after struggling a lot. It is very interesting to see how they perform various activities. During morning I keep my two sweet pets in my balcony and they move around everywhere. I enjoy very much to see them playing with each other. They are very sweet natured and also very calm and quiet. For about 2-3 hours they move around the house, sometimes sit quietly and sometimes move their head to see the new place as they are very inquisitive by nature. Then I keep them back to their place in a vessel. They sleep in the afternoon and in evening I give them small quantity of food. As soon as they finish eating they start playing with each other.

My friends visit my house very often to see my two little turtles. They watch the activities of the turtles very keenly and enjoy a lot. They feel very astonished to see them. It is really amazing to see the intense love between them. When my friends try to feed Tutsy and Tutiana, they refuse to take it. My pets never get scared of anyone infact very friendly with everybody.

Time passed very quickly and I observed that the female turtle, Tutiana, has grown little bigger than Tutsy. Now both of them have become little naughty. Tutiana always try to come outside of their vessel by standing on top of Tutsy to explore the new place.

It is not necessary that we can learn things only from human beings. But I feel that lots of things can be learnt from animals as well as turtle, fish, bird etc. Though we cannot communicate with them but we can understand them very well. They have their own language and they convey us various things like when they feel hungry they make sound.

I never thought that I will get such a sweet and loving friend in my life. After coming to Muscat I am charmed to see the beauty of the country and moved to see a very unique species like turtle which has taken an important place in my heart.

I take lot of care for my pets as they are my loving, caring, dearest and best friends. They are part of my life and I cannot imagine living without my best friends who are everything for me.

I feel that only human beings cannot be best friends but also animals and birds can become very loving as well as dearest friends. I am very lucky that I got Tutsy and Tutiana with whom I spend the whole day and do not miss my friends who are staying in India. I keep myself engaged all the time looking after my pets. Not only turtle, I also have two java birds and three gold fish. So I have seven friends totally in Muscat and my pets have filled the empty place in my life. I am very deeply attached with all my pets and they are like member of my family. Even my husband loves them very much and takes immense care of them. Despite of his busy schedule he devotes some time for them. It is only because of his support I am able to manage to keep such loving pets with utmost love and care.