[This is
the second part of this travelogue series. The first part can be read here.]
“What was
that pic about? Hanging shoes on a tree. I guess it must have been announcement
of Marathon.” Lulu, my parrot, asked. We were talking about my visit to Rotorua
town in New Zealand.
“You
guessed it right. It was 50 years of marathon that they were celebrating. I saw
this when I went to ‘Eat Street.’
“Khau
Galli version of NZ? Eat Streat they spell it! Ha ha.
I can bet Indians are at work there.”
“There are
three Indian restaurants in that small area. Very popular.”
“You said ‘We
watched something which you do not see in India.’ What was it?’”
“Agro Dome
Sheep Shearing Show. Interesting is the skill of westerners to make a ‘show’ out
of any activity. Sheep obeyed the commands of a man on the stage. And finally
he picked one, held it firmly, and sheared the sheep. Less than two minutes it
took. Stunning it was. But you do not like to see a ‘denuded’ sheep, Lulu. It
was as if it was shorn of its pride.”
“Wow! Hmm…”
“Sheep are
shorn once a year!”
“Hmmm……
Hmmm”
“And then
he demonstrated how trained dogs control the sheep. The dogs responded to the
whistles of the man.”
“Hmmm…..”
“What are
you thinking?”
“Aren’t
there parallels to this story in your corporate world?” Lulu’s questions are annoying. Lulu, my parrot, always has a different perspective on the man’s world. You animatedly talk about an interesting
experience, and the parrot interprets it in his way. Why can’t parrots be like
men?
[The animal in pic is Alpacas]
“Stop it. I
never knew you were a leftist!” I took a deep breath to control my anger and
continued, “They then took us on a long ride to the countryside. The grazing sheep
gathered around us. They even ate out of our hands. It was a tickling
experience for some of us.” I looked at Lulu. “Oh, stop it! I do not like the
smirk. Are you listening to me or interpreting your analogy in your leftist way,
Lulu?”
“Ok, ok man…..
I am sorry”
“We then
visited the famous Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve. There is a geo-thermal
activity there and a geyser called Pohutu erupts – it is a great sight to see.
The entire area is simply beautiful.”
“They have made
efforts to preserve the Maori culture.”
“And they
have an establishment for teaching and promoting Maori art and craft. We
watched their dance.”
“Wow! You
have thrown quite a light on these interesting places to see in NZ.”
“'Throwing
light' did you say? That reminds me of something I saw in NZ, and it reminded me of what I
saw in Jamaica.”
“What is it, man? Tell me.”
“Wait for two days to hear that story. Let the
suspense build up.”
“Eeeeeeeh!”
Lulu protested, “Don’t do the Arabian Nights trick on me.”