December 2002 / January 2003

1st December 2002

Well after getting to bed late (11.30pm) - packing bags, we again got up at 3.15am to wait for our taxi that was to take us to the airport for our 5am flight to Sydney.

Anantara Prabhu kindly gave us a lift to the airport in his Black & White taxi. We made it just in time but then spaced out and went to the wrong gate. By the time we got on the plane they were just closing up the doors. An uneventful flight from Brisbane to Sydney took us 1 hr and 10 minutes. The weather down here is much colder than in Brisbane so those jumpers meant for the European winter had to come out a little early.

 

Monday 2nd December 2002

Well we are packing again and off to the airport shortly for the flight to Auckland. Looking forward to seeing our old friend Radhikatma Prabhu who is one of the CO-directors of the Auckland project.
The day was reasonably non-eventful, besides the maha breakfast of curd slabs and rice and salad by Radhik which took us just over 6 hours to digest.

 

Tuesday 3rd December 2002

After 11 hours on the Qantas flight and 2 1/2 hours into the Immigration queue we finally stepped into what is proclaimed as "the greatest country in the world". Judging by the queues most Americans are overseas managing other countries rather than their own...

On arriving at the temple we met Sri Prahlad, the local Aussie representative keeping an eye on the locals.

OK so here you can what we came all the way to America to see. Sri Sri Rukmini-Dvarakadisha, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, Sri Sri Jaganath-Baladeva and Subhadra and Srila Prabhupada. Here are some inside shots of the temple room 1 2 3 After a long flight there are tends to be a tendency to be a bit spaced out as we can Taraka here in action

We have two nice hosts who are kindly letting us squat in their living room. Both are disciples of Devamrita Swami. Mukta Carita Prabhu and his good wife Dana Carita Mataji

 

Wednesday 4th December 2002

Spend the day getting acclimatized to Los Angeles temple which is expertly managed by His Grace Svavas Prabhu. Here are some of the local resident devotees fired up for book distribution as well as local street patrol. Just around the corner is the icon of American lifestyle and "civilization".
With the help of Harideva Prabhu we checked out the local scene and even managed to make a short excursion out into shopping land and get some paper for a cover for one of Taraka's new book projects. The morning Bhagavatam lecture was given by HH Devamrta Swami. He spoke in a very animated way both entertaining and instructing the audience in the science of Krishna consciousness. Also present was HH Prahladananda Swami who is soon to grace the shores of Australia.

 
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Thursday 5th December 2002

A short trip to Laguna Beach Temple of Sri Sri Panca Tattva with an intended visit to San Diego turned into an all day adventure with Tukarama Prabhu and family and the devotees at their temple right off the main street in Laguna Beach. Great pizzas followed by organic salad and, yes!, organic ice cream. Here is a shot of what it was like returning home on the 405 freeway and the local drivers.

Friday 6th December 2002

Today we had two highlights starting with an early morning trip to the Getty Museum. Some shots of the buildings and gardens. For anyone who has an interest in art, this was definitely a trip worth making as we saw some of the classical paintings, sculptures, and artifacts from antiquity usually only viewed in art books. By the way here is a photo of the new vyasasana for the guest speakers in Brisbane ... or was that a bed for the listeners?

The way to the museum was via cable car and had some views of Los Angeles.

Then we drove for two hours at breakneck speed through to the edge of the desert to spent the afternoon with Gaura Shakti Prabhu and family. We were told to expect cactus subji but were treated to an Italian feast! After dinner we got to see his wedding video and his cute young baby Amara Keli even agreed to pose with me.

 

Saturday 7th December 2002

This morning we had the fortune to meet many senior devotees including Bhakti-tirtha Maharaja., Romapada Swami, Rambhadra Prabhu, Anuttama Prabhu, Badrinarayan Prabhu, and Malati Mataji.

A great class by Romapada Maharaja on qualifying for residency in Vaikuntha and a general discussion on how Srila Prabhupada described that our temples are the spiritual world, not material, and how individuals can make their homes Vaikuntha by placing Krishna in the centre.

Today there was also a program in honour of the appearance day of HH Radhanath Maharaja and a big feast was to be served at the temple. Due to having catch the next flight at 2pm we missed it only to find that when we got to the airport, we were unable to board due to the efficiency of American Airlines staff in processing us at check in. 5 Hours later we rescheduled and in between finally got some time to update this web page. Here are some more photos of the deities 1 2 3 in LA as well as of Dana Charita Mataji, Hanuman Prabhu and Harideva Prabhu.<!--nextpage-->


Sunday 8th December 2002

Las Vegas - Well we made it to the big smoke as they say in Australia. Bright lights, stretch limousines and yes, DEVOTEES!

Nestled here in the heart of the kingdom of Maya, Surapala and Mineshi Prabhus have established nice centre for the cultivation of Krishna consciousness for those weary of embracing all that Nevada has to offer. Their suburban house serves as a regular centre every Sunday and approx. 20 guests attend. Devamrita Maharaja gave a great talk on life style and applying Krishna consciousness. Taraka dasi is seen her caring for one of the younger guests.

 

Monday 9th December 2002

An early start this morning took us out to the suburbs for a bus ride to Boulder City Airport for a 70 minutes plane ride to see the Grand Canyon. You can see the photos of the day here. We returned around 1.30pm and then had lunch at the temple. The rest of the day we spent driving around Las Vegas checking out Maya's kingdom, getting luggage repaired. It is very interesting to observe how despite so much material facility in America, the people in general are more disturbed than ever before. Especially in Las Vegas there are many fabulous buildings, big highways, and so much entertainment yet people all look miserable. Here are a couple 1 2 of short movies of driving around Las Vegas. We are so grateful to Srila Prabhupada for coming to the West to spread Krishna consciousness. Otherwise who knows where we would now be.

 

Tuesday 10th December 200

Another early morning start to the airport for a 7.40am departure to Dallas. Since September 9, 2001, security is very tight at the US airports and it takes at least 45 minutes to get through the security clearances. Arriving late is not a good idea. Our shoes have some steel parts in the soles for stiffness, so rather than setting off the metal detectors we along with at least 50% of the passengers take our shoes off before going through the security clearance. Also each airport seems to have their metal detector sensors set to different degrees of sensitivity so you just never know when you will be stopped next.

Arriving at the airport we are met by Nityananda Prabhu, who originally hails from Lautoka in Fiji. He is the Temple President and greets us warmly despite the 10 degrees chill. Nityananda Prabhu stayed in Brisbane during 1992 - 93 and still remembers Brisbane well.

We are nicely accommodated at the "Ponderossa" of Radha Vinod Prabhu and his wife Indranilamani mataji who is one of America's top book distributors. They have built a nice house opposite the temple of Sri Sri Radha Kalachandji who are the presiding deities, and in the back of their property they have 5 units that serve as accommodation for visiting devotees.

Lunch is at the temple restaurant which is managed by my dear friend, Durasaya Prabhu. He is a stalwart Krishna conscious devotee who also spent many years in the Hong Kong Temple in the 1980's.

Next door to us is a devotee from South America, who is also a GBC deputy and and senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada. He is currently visiting Dallas whilst on a preaching tour around America.

 
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Wednesday 11th December 2002

This morning we were invited for breakfast to the house Radhavinod and Indranilamani Prabhus, our hosts. They have two daughters both of whom take a keen interest in being devotees and attend the local devotee gurukula. Children are educated via a correspondence course that is used by many traveling families within and outside of the US.

We spent the rest of the day visiting devotees and sharing remembrances of HH Tamal Krishna Maharaja, the emotional experience of which is difficult to put down in words. In the evening Radhavinod Prabhu asked me to put my Guru Maharaja to rest in the temporary tent that has been erected and will later serve as his puspa (flower) samadhi.

 

Thursday 12th December 2002

Today we were invited for lunch at the house of Raskiendra and Padaduli Prabhus. Mataji has over the years perfected her cooking skills under the the direction of Tamal Krishna Maharaja, and the meal was just like nectar. Their house is special as this was the place in which Mother Kirtida spent her final months and one can immediately feel that a great devotee has had their residence here. Their altar is decorated with the deity of Haridasa Thakur (carved from the siddha bakula tree in Puri), the Govardhan Sila that Kirtida kept on her head when she left her body, and a Dwaraka and Nrsingha Sila all under the care of HH Rtadvaja Swami. A very potent line up indeed.

After lunch we toured the quarters of my spiritual master, Srila Tamal Krishna Gosvami, and viewed his place of study and the other parts of his living quarters. On his shelf we even discovered a card that Taraka had given him years ago with some remnants of Ramanujacarya's cloth. For us it was a very moving visit.

At 2pm we had to go to the airport to catch the 5pm flight to Lima, Peru which was to be our next destination. At the airport we again meet up with Devamrta Maharaja, who had been visiting HH Giriraj Maharaja, for several days whilst we were in Dallas.

The 7 hour flight was uneventful, although due to being a full flight there was no extra space for luggage or even a place to stretch.<!--nextpage-->

 

Friday 13th December 2002

We arrived at Lima at 1 AM today to a greeting by many nice devotees from Peru who had come to the airport to meet Maharaja. Baggage collection and Immigration formalities were very quick and we then sped through the night for about one hour to the outer suburbs of Lima (population around 15 million!). On our arrival this morning we have been accommodated at the house of Kanu Pandit Prabhu, one of the stalwart devotees of the Peruvian yatra since 1980.

Originally from Antilles on the Riviera in France, he was on a boat journey sailing around the world. He arrived in Rio de Janeiro on the last leg of his journey, and liked the place so much he gave up being part of the crew and toured around South America as a backpacker until meeting the devotees and joining the temple full-time. He now has a family, one boy and one girl in their teens, and is the spiritual pillar of the community. He has built a house and guest quarters next door to the temple gurukula (which is called "Escuela BhAKTIVEDANTA"), where he now hosts visiting sannyasis and guests.

We had a traditional Peruvian lunch today and spent the rest of the day recovering from the all night flight. In the afternoon we visited the beautiful temple the devotees opened here in 1990. Nowadays the economy of Peru has become very depressed so that it has become very difficult for devotees to eak out a living. Many have moved on to the greener pastures of Alachua leaving a few dedicated souls behind to maintain what was built in the glory days of the Peruvian yatra.

 

Saturday 14th December 2002

Mangal aratik was reasonably well attended and we beheld the forms of Sri-Sri Gaura Nitai, Radha Madana Bihari, and Sita Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman. Devamrta Swami gave a powerful class discussing 'real human society'. The lecture was from SB 1/12/14 about the birth of Pariksit Maharaja. Devamrta Swami said it is not the number of people on the planet, but the quality and that if humans knew the laws of nature they could easily obtain the necessities of life. When sacrifice is performed mother nature cooperates with the human beings. Then the qualification of parents/teachers was discussed focussing on the responsibility one chooses to undertake being in family life in Krishna Consciousness, related to Pariksit Maharaja's qualified parents and dynasty. Huge amounts of charity was distributed at the birth of this saintly king, and Devamrta Swami continued to enlighten the audience with analysis of the ability of persons who were conversant with Vedic knowledge to please the Lord and the laws of nature, thus living a sinless and goal centered life.

Being a holiday today we were treated today to the sounds of crowds cheering at the local soccer stadium for the military which in Peru is the real temple of worship.<!--nextpage-->
Sunday 15th December 2002

Ekadasi here in Peru today.

Taraka assisted Astha Sakhi dd in dressing Sri Sri Gaura Nitai this am. The devotees here are very artistic, decorating the Deities very nicely.

Devamrta Maharaja's class continued on with the history of Maharaja Pariksit's advent, reinforcing the idea that devotees need to not only 'believe in God' but development of spiritual intelligence is required. Even if it is only a small number of devotees who become wise, it is essential that some take up this challenge to become spiritual leaders of our society.

Monday 16th December 2002

A day of eating and sleeping and reading and e-mail catch up. In the evening we ventured out to the local markets and made a wise investment in a bottle of insect repellent, something we should have done days before.

 

Tuesday 17th December 2002

An early morning ride to the airport in Lima via the backstreets (the Prabhu was trying to save 10 cents by not paying the highway toll!) and the inevitable tussle with the check in counter staff, saw us make the hour long flight to Cuzco via TANS airlines. The plane had definitely seen better days as it took nearly one hour after the scheduled departure of the flight till we actually took off the ground. Some "maintenance" work was required to make sure the plane would make it!
In the seat next to me there were a couple of young guys from Harare in Zimbabwe who were going to do a 5 day trek along the Inca Trail culminating in arriving at Machu Picchu. After some light conversation one of them informed me he owned a company that he owned a clothing company called "Diesel" that exports all over the world. Only later did I realize how big a brand name it is. In Australian terms his company must be at least the size of someone like Billabong. I got his name but spaced out getting further details.
Arrive in Cuzco - We were met at the airport by the local Temple President HG Raghuvaram Prabhu. This Prabhu was formally a city council administrator and we soon realized that he is indeed a very organized person.
The devotees have a street level Govindas Restaurant that so far has served us the most satisfying and tasty prasadam to date. Located right on the Main Square of Cuzco, which is the number one tourist destination South America, it caters for the endless stream of backpackers seeking the truth about what really happened according to the book "Chariots of the Gods".
After lunch one of the local devotees, Yogesvari Mataji, who also doubles a catholic teacher and nun, decided to immediately show us all the holy places around town. Little did she realize that we lowlanders were not use to heavy exercises at an altitude of 3300m meters (10000 ft). No wonder Devamrita Swami had not decided to join us on this part of the tour, having himself experienced the light headiness and total exhaustion that takes place in such high altitudes.
His Holiness Prabhavisnu Swami had just visited here several weeks before us and the devotees were still talking of his visit, and like him we spent the rest of the first day in Cuzco flat on our backs trying to understand the size of the truck that had just run over us.

 
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Wednesday 18th December 2002

The early morning departure saw a tourist bus collect us at 6.15Am from the temple. From there we were shuttled onto the train that would take us higher into the mountains to the world famous archaeological site of Machu Picchu. Winding through countless canyons and gorges we were treated to some spectacular views of the Andes mountains. By the side of the railway tracks a winding river, sometimes filled with rapids and at other times calm and smooth accompanied us for the last hour of the 4 and half hour journey.
Arriving at the little hillside train station for the final 30 minute bus ride to the site allowed us uninterrupted views that were simply breathtaking. If you can just hang in there till we get to Dallas then you will also see the photos that we took.
Once arriving at Machu Picchu our tour guide proceeded to spout for nonsensical claims of how the natives had constructed intricately carved buildings with stones weighing more than 100 tons that you cannot even slide a credit card in between. All supposedly build within a 120 year span of time, it is hard to not marvel at the sheer engineering feat that accomplished such an amazing township so high up in the mountains. From Machu Picchu one has a sheer view down to the river 3000ft below and across all the hills and valleys. The views were simply breathtaking.
The tour goes for 5 hrs but after 1pm the weather changed and we became inundated with rain. Experiencing the township in the downpour took on another perspective as we headed back to our buses for shelter, preferring the comfort of modern amenities to those of antiquity.
In the township which is very much reminiscent of the scene in Katmandu, the devotees have a restaurant called Govindas (what else!) and there we were treated to a wonderful hot bowl of soup before rushing back to the train station for the evening train back to Cuzco.
Arriving back in Cuzco after 9pm we were so happy to see the face of Raghuvaram Prabhu, who took us straight to the restaurant for hot prasadam and then back to the temple for a deep nights sleep.

 

Thursday 19th December 2002

Arrived back in Lima after the trip to Machu Picchu. After a long drive we arrived at the devotee restaurant, 'Govinda', situated in the prestigious suburb of Miraflores. Peru does have some extraordinary wealth and this is were it is on show.
We were served a wonderful meal, especially the desert, which was a pie made from caramel and fruit. Should try and get this recipe I suppose.
This city is one of the ugliest that we have seen. The hills are just grey and along the beach the council dumps the garbage of the city. It is indeed polluted. Some way South there are a few waves for surfing, and a generally uninviting pebbly beach. It seems Australians are quite spoiled due to having such a beautiful country.
Later we return to Chosica to retire for the evening.

 

Friday 20th December 2002
Maharaja stayed in Miraflores last night, so Kanu Pandit Prabhu insisted today that Taraka give Srimad Bhagavatam class...Maharaja had promised she would do so during the visit.
The intention for the day was to go early to Lima downtown, but it ended up being late, due to the need to replace the battery in Kanu Pandit's car. We came up with an expression to cover all delays. The Spanish word for tomorrow is 'manyana', so everytime things are late, we just say...'manyana'...it happens a bit.
So we arrived in Miraflores late today and the traffic was like Manilla or maybe Bangkok. What normally took ten minutes took us over 35 minutes. Needless to say there were a few 'manyanas' uttered.
Initiation at Wilson centre in Lima.
The setting up of the pit for the yajna was delayed, of course, although it was very beautiful and nicely done. (Pictures coming..) Maharaja initiated three devotees this evening. Two were long time devotees and one was a newcomer to Krishna consciousness. There was a fantastic evening kirtana with great enthusiasm from the participants and many guests attended this evening's proceedings. Maharaja gave a lecture about the meaning of guru disciple relationship and presided over the yajna with the help of Tirtharaj and an exgurukuli from Mayapur. After hearing the vows of the devotees Devamrta Swami gave them their names. The newly published, "Escape Perfecto", the Spanish version of Maharaja's book, was available for the first time this evening. Some visitors and devotees were eager to obtain a copy and get Maharaja's signature.

 
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Santiago, Chile

 

Saturday 21st December 2002
Another morning in a new place. Last night we stayed at a devotees' place, 'Cassa Rosa' or red house. It is a very large house which has been made into a guest house where students from all over the world stay when they do some traveling or study in Lima. The mataji, Graciela, was a wonderful host and provided Maharaja with a room and ourselves with a room too. Inside are paintings of Krishna and Lord Caitanya and the guests aren't permitted to cook meat there. Devotees also rent rooms to live there as it is very close to the downtown Meraflores centre.
Maharaja had a management meeting this morning, so I made an exploration to a Laundromat and supermarket to test my life skills. I managed to buy some stamps, withdraw money and pay for some water without too much trouble and no Spanish. Luckily there was a lady in the queue who spoke perfect English (and liked my sari too). Tirtharaja stayed at the Red House to attend to his business.
Next we went on an Alpacca expedition to the shops to buy a few warm things for Europe...and a couple of presents. Maharaja is very personal and likes to make loving exchanges with close friends by giving presents when he travels, so the Prabhus tried on different Alpacca jumpers for size. The variety and colours of the merchandise is amazing and the Peruvian people are very talented with handcrafts.
Lunch...then the evening program at Meraflores centre...(just wait for the photos). Maharaja gave an elementary class for the newcomers and for reinforcement for the other devotees. The kirtana was a 'stay high forever' kirtana. Everyone was dancing and chanting ecstatically, I thought we were in Mayapur during a festival, and time seemed to stop still...Prasada was served and another late night.

 

 

Sunday 22 December 2002
Late night - early morning...leaving Lima to Santiago. Five hour flight, but a two hour time difference...something to adjust to.
The reception for Maharaja was very sweet. Devotees are enthusiasm in this inner city temple. Many new devotees and a great mood of book distribution prevails here. The bhaktas are all in the marathon fever which goes until December 31st.
Sri Sri Gaura Nitai are the presiding Deities along with Prahlada Nrisimha and Giriraj Govardhan and a large Nrsimha Sila. Powerful Lords protect the sankirtana devotees.

Santiago looks like Europe, at least in the city area. It is hard to think this country is just next door to Lima, the contrast is so great. There are trees, grass and people seem to like to grow flowers around their neighbourhood. The weather is exceptionally delightful. Early morning and evening cool, but sunny, very warm days. No humidity and clear skies...beautiful.

The Sunday Feast was well attended by both devotees and guests. The kirtanas are well appreciated here in South America. Latinos love to dance and sing. We stayed in the brahmacari and brahmacarini ashrams respectively... austere to say the least but the devotees are so warm and enthusiastic it doesn't seem to matter so much.

 
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Monday 23 December 2002
Disappearance Day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura.
Tirtharaja gave class this morning on the glories of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta. The devotees went out early for book distribution and came back for lunch around 2:30pm. Lunch is served under a manqué like a simple restaurant to University students who proliferate the area. There are many institutes and Universities where the temple is situated. Maharaja told Taraka to give the evening class..

 

Tuesday 24 December 2002
The temple is a breeding grounds for new devotees. The temple president, Adi Keshava and his wife, Indranila dd, both go out on sankirtana as do most of the devotees in the ashrams. Today Taraka decided to go out on book distribution as a small contribution for Prabhupada's marathon. Ill equipped with the local language, Spanish, the devotees made a small mantra card for her to try and communicate with the people on the street. To her surprise in a couple of hours she distributed three hard bound Bhagavad Gitas, a set of Krishna Books, a Higher Taste in English and a couple of small books. It seems the people of Chile are very receptive to Srila Prabhupada's books. One Chilean girl was home from Australia visiting her family and she came up to the devotees and asked for some books. Amazed, Syamakunda (the 16 y/o son of Prabhpada disciples) said, "she has to be a devotee...she came up to me and asked for a book." It was all round an ecstatic day. In the evening Maharaja gave class to a very attentive audience. In the evenings many people came to hear the special guest speaker.

 

Wednesday 25 December 2002
Christmas Day. Church bells ringing, sounded a bit like an instrumental Hare Krishna tune...wild imagination. Maharaja gave class about the qualities of Pariksit Maharaja and how due to his devotion not only did spiritual things go well, but mother nature co-operated with the residents of the earth. He spoke of the process of purification being a lifelong commitment, a spiritual career... which was a good reflection for devotees. At the evening program many guests and devotees came and Maharaja lead an amazing kirtan. Devotees were exhausted after their ecstatic dancing. The class was also very powerful as Maharaja concentrated on the process of chanting, asking the audience members if they had considered starting to chant Hare Krishna. He shared with us his first attempts to chant, and had us all laughing. The strategy Maharaja used was to encourage the newcomers to take seriously this important nay, essential aspect of spiritual life. He asked for members of the audience to put their hands up if they were at this point of chanting on beads. One lady volunteered and the whole class was directed mainly towards her, as she was asked what were the motivations for beginning to chant, and what were the obstacles. Maharaja answered these very specifically and I am sure she may have put her hand up, but there were others in the audience too shy to do so... therefore the class was beneficial for many...After the lengthy class/discussion/q&amp;a Pizza prasadam was served to all. Another late night...

 

Thursday 26 December 2002
Santiago to Guayaquil.
Another five hour flight. Loose two hours and arrive in a humid 32 degree summer day. Immediately upon arriving, Guru Mangala Prabhu, the temple president arranged dhobs to be bought... Mayapur Memories. It is mango season here too, and right across the road from the temple are street vendors with the most succulent mangoes on display. A country of agricultural bounty says Devamrta Swami. In all his travels he said he has never tasted such good produce. Even though half of the population is below the poverty level, people are happy because they can eat well without much money. A true opulence.
Local currency is the US dollar, which makes things easy.
The temple is situated in downtown Guayaquil across from a Square, which people seem to congregate in. There is plenty of traffic outside (and noise) and a ground floor restaurant makes good use of passersby as their clientele. A well-stocked gift shop is on the ground floor as well. The building occupied by the devotees has at least four floors (haven't completely checked it out yet) and we are fortunate to stay in a devotee couple's apartment just one flight above the temple room level.
That is all for now, but we will keep updated for the next few days.

 

Friday 27 December 2002

A day of eating and sleeping and acclimatizing to the Ecuadorian weather. As the name says it is in that zone of the world where there are two weather patterns besides always hot. Hot and raining (and humid)<!--nextpage-->



Saturday 28 December 2002

Today after morning program the devotees decided to take Maharaja to the beach for a swim. Sitting like sardines in the back up the pick utility we did not realize the ride was going to be more like a rodeo ride which was to last for over 90 minutes.
Arriving at the beach was the next experience. Little do we readies in Australia that what we take for granted as a beach is actually paradise everywhere else in the world.
The beach sand was white but littered with many items as a result of a lack of cleaners. There is no such thing as lifeguards or swimming between the flags. Mind you there are no waves but there is a constant onshore wind that allows the hapless beachgoer to feel like he is being subjected to sand blasting.
That having been said the swim was fantastic with water temperature being very close to body temperature and an hour spent in the water was later rewarded with the bodily effulgence of a bright red lobster. Luckily I had packed a large container of Pawpaw ointment which saved us from too much torment.
The ride back saw us oscillate between sleep, pain and bumped heads on Ecuadors super highways that are as flat as a Ayers Rock.
The night was spent listening to Salzer Music piped directly through the windows from the local vendors until the early hours of the morning interspersed only with the shrill tones of the alarm clock vendor demonstrating his wares.

Sunday 29 December 2002

Woke up this morning feeling more like a lobster than even last night. Finished typing the remainder of the missing reports from Machu Picchu and Cuzco. This evening is the Sunday Feast. We are awaiting to see what happens then.

Monday 30 December 2002

Today we leave to fly back to Santiago but before going, Maharaja asks me to give Srimad Bhagavatam. Then he tells me that he will also be doing an initiation yajna for which I am to be the priest.
The yajna is around 10 am and there is one Mataji to be initiated. She has been chanting for over 4 years whilst studying at University despite a medical condition which severely hampers her but has not dampened her spirits.
After lunch we head straight for the airport and arrive after a 5 hour flight and a two hour time change arrive at Santiago airport around 10.45pm. Many devotees have come to the airport to meet Devamrta Maharaja Take rest past midnight .....

2002
Tuesday 31 December 2002

Today is a late start and we wake up wondering if someone got the number of the bus that ran over us, we feel so wiped out.
Today is also the last day of the Xmas Book Marathon and many devotees are out early to see if they can get those scores up just that little bit more.
In the evening the local temple President, His Grace Adi Keshava Prabhu has a presentation ceremony in which he gives gifts and prizes to each and every devotee who has gone out, as well as to all the devotees who helped make the Marathon a success. A total of 42 devotees !!!, went out on book distribution. The top distributor is a brahmacari who receives an airticket to the Mayapaur festival as his reward. In South America that is very big thing, given the state of the local economy and the fact that a ticket is around US$2000.
In the evening the devotees go out on harinam and join in the local mood of New Year celebrations. The Fiesta rages outside and inside the temple grounds with lights out way past midnight.

Wednesday 1 January 2003

A New Years' resolution to get up early is delayed due to a late start because of getting to bed late ..... Anyway what to do. After the morning program the brahmacaries decide to all head off to the pool and some R and R.
It turns out that have to wait to borrow a car to get there as the temple has no vehicle. Finally by 1PM they are ready to roll. Turns out the car seats only 3 people, but this is not to dampen their spirits as 10 of them squeeze in anyway and head off for a well deserved day of fun in the sun.
In the afternoon 4 Hindu gentlemen show up for darshan and after some getting to know each other, we get the local rundown. Seems most Indian people in Santiago are of Sindhi heritage and are all doing some form of trading in Chile.
Taraka reads each one of their hands and soon convinces them that they are excellent candidates for taking up chanting Hare Krsna. In appreciation they offer to take us for a city tour in their car and after 8 days in Santiago we finally get to seem what actually goes on around town. Interestingly enough the city is very European and there are several very grand buildings, as well as the usual blend of modern office buildings.
Most people are of European stock, and the atmosphere is very similar to any larger European city. There is of course a stark contrast in the social fabric, as the division between have and have nots is very large. As in most of South America there is practically no middle class, as people either struggle to simply survive, or they are incredibly wealthy and don't mind showing it.
We return to the temple for another exciting program of Krsna consciousness courtesy of Devamrta Maharaja who reminds the large audience of the pinpricks of material existence and how Krsna consciousness holds the solution if they care to investigate it.
An early night is most welcome.

 
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Thursday 2 January 2003

After the morning program Devamrta Swami announces that at lunchtime he will be awarding initiation to two of the local devotees. Taraka busies herself helping the devotees with the construction of the yajna-sthal, the fire pit, while I head back to my room to see if I can find all the necessary mantras as I will be the priest for the ceremony.
At 1PM Maharaja comes and gives a short talk on the significance of initiation and then introduces the devotees who are to be initiated. Bhaktin Luna and her husband have both got university degrees in film making and today she receives initiation and receives the name Jai Sri Radhe dd. Bhakta Christobal becomes Premi Krsna Das and both are satisfied with their new careers in Krsna consciousness. A feast is served for the devotees, while we head of for prasadam to a small restaurant in the city one grhasta couple maintains as their livelihood.
The prasadam is typical South American with many of the dishes having been prepared by the wife of the Temple President from Ecuador who is rated the finest cook in the devotee community in South America.
After the program Adi Keshava Prabhu the local Temple President and I go to visit our new Indian friends at their offices. They receive maha-prasadam and are very happy to again see us. They offer us some nice gifts which we will donate to the temple priest in the the worship of the deities.
Later in the evening Maharaja leads and ecstatic kirtan for over an hour. Then in the Bhagavad-gita class he explains to the devotees the importance of developing good consciousness. He also explains how it is so important the cook in the temple be the most Krsna conscious person. The cook's consciousness enters the food and therefore whoever eats that food also becomes influenced by that consciousness.

 

Friday 3 January 2003

An early start this morning sees us leaving the temple at 6.30 AM to catch our 3 1/2 hr flight to Sao Paulo in Brazil. Flying out over the city of Santiago we cross the Andes mountains for nearly 20 minutes and enjoy some breathtaking views of the snow peaked mountains.
Sao Paulo - the worlds most populated city with between 16 to 20 million people depending on where you draw the city boundaries. As far as the eye stretches we see a mixture of houses, ghettos and fabulous houses. Brazil is a classic South American country in which their is no middle class. The rich and the poor; and never the twain shall meet.
At the airport we are met by several nice devotees who ferry us in two small cars to the temple situated approx. 1 hour from the airport. Their we are shown to our quarters and served a lunch of rice, beans, and salad. High energy food which results in us being in samadhi for several hours. On awakening we see the skies have changed and it is pouring rain. We are in the monsoon season in Brazil and the humidity and heat again force us to acclimatize to our new surroundings.
Maharaja is asked to give an evening Bhagavad Gita class. Tomorrow we are going to be heading west for 2 hrs to go to the beach, harinam and for a program at another town. Stay tuned!

 
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Saturday 4 January 2003

This morning Maharaja gave class to our Portuguese speaking audience. The tones and the language are to me quite different to that of Spanish, and the translator has an animated way of also adding import to what is being said.
After a light breakfast we head into the city for a lunch at a devotee owned restaurant called, Govindas (what else!)
The restaurant is situated in the heart of the financial district and is extremely popular so getting there early is imperative if we want to get a seat. The prasadam is fantastic and we are fully satisfied.
This afternoon we have scheduled a visit to the beaches of Brazil. Santos the beach town is a 2 hour ride on the highway and and I can honestly say I have never seen so many people on the beaches as here. The beaches literally go for miles and miles and there must be in the hundreds of thousands of people with their families enjoying the fantastic weather.
Sao Paulo is situated at a height of about 3000ft so the weather is totally different on the coast. Here the rich have their holiday homes 6 months of the year after which it becomes like a ghost town. The devotees maintain a temple and restaurant here and in the evening we attend a nama-hatta program. Devamrta Swami leads a great kirtana and then delivers his unique brand of introspective lecture culminating in an explanation of Krsna conscious lifestyle management.
Many people have been before but they are all challenged to look further than their comfort zone, and to seriously consider if they could not be doing more for their Krishna consciousness development.
The ride home is uneventful except for a slight detour (1 hour) as the driver gets a little lost on the myriad of highway exits out of town. We finally reach the temple in Sao Paulo around 11.30pm and manage to sleep like babies.

 

Sunday 5 January 2003

The morning sees us off to a late start. After breakfast we are met by Purusatraya Swami who is visiting from his farming project. You can see their web site at http://www.goura.com.br
There Maharaja has developed an Eco Project that is being funded in part by the Italian government as well as a dried banana business. We all tried the goods and agreed they were heavenly.
In the afternoon Maharaja gives the Sunday Feast lecture to a boisterous Brazilian crowd of devotees, fringies and sense enjoyers only found in Brazil.

 
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Monday 6 January 2003

Today we head off in the morning for Nova Gokula, the equivalent of Australia's New Govardhana farm. Situated nearly half way between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo it is a peaceful oasis comprised of around 100 devotees who live in their own houses situated all over the 250 acre property. Nestled inside a huge valley with steep slopes on 3 sides it is very beautiful and serene. A creek with certified mineral water flows through the property and on our arrival we are housed in a wonderful guest house not unlike a Spanish country home, complete with rustic furniture and decorations.
The local temple is a custom construction housing the deities of Gaura Nitai, Radha Gokulanda and Sita Rama and Laksman with Hanuman as their assistant. There is also puspa samadhi building for Srila Prabhupada.
Several days ago during a violent storm a large tree fell on the roof of the building devotees are containing the damage with temporary tarpaulins. Later in the day we head into the local town of Pindamohanga for some Internet access.
We sleep well that night...

 

Tuesday 7 January 2003

The mornings Srimad Bhagavatam class is given by Devamrita Swami. Unfortunately due to not being able to navigate our way to the temple till morning light we miss out on the morning program and get to the temple in time to greet the deities. Devotees and outsiders are busy repairing the broken roof, and later they fell another nearby tree to prevent any further possible damage.
For lunch we are invited to the house of Paramgati Swami where we are treated to some fine South American dishes.
In the afternoon we head to the airport for our 10 1/2 hour night flight to Dallas. As we traveled to the airport in several vehicles, we arrived first. While waiting we meet up with Malati Mataji who is in transit to Paraguay where she is to stay for a few days of preaching at the invitation of the local devotees. After exchanging prasadam with each other we head for the plane, which is full in every class. Only later to we learn that American Airlines was offering passengers US$800 to take the next flight!

 

Wednesday 8 January 2003

Arriving into Dallas this morning we spend approx. 1 hour waiting for devotees to collect us from the airport. It seems some miscommunication has led the devotees to forgot our arrival.
Arriving at Dallas temple we are nicely accommodated in the apartments of Radhavinod Prabhu. He graciously has made a nice breakfast which is sweetened with the surprise arrival of HH Gunagrahi Maharaja who has just arrived from Buenos Aires.
Lunch at Kalachandji's restaurant is sufficient to keep us going for a few more hours and soon we are off to the airport again for another full flight this time to London.

 
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Thursday 9 January 2003

We arrive at Gatwick airport in the morning to be greeted by the winter. Fortunately the warmth of the devotees once we clear customs is sufficient to allow us to thaw out and enjoy their association. Devamrta Swami is met by the president of our London Soho Street Temple, Mahadyuti Prabhu who has journeyed out to the airport this morning to have an impromptu meeting regarding some important managerial issues.
Then Bhakta Mark takes us to Bhaktivedanta Manor where we are greeted by Gauri Prabhu the Temple President. Our rooms are comfortable and we relax, only to find that local devotees are queuing up to see Devamrta Swami. Maharaja spends the day in meetings with devotees and later is greeted by HH Sivarama Swami.
We take rest early trying to catch up on last nights lost sleep.

 

Friday 10 January 2003

We had an early morning start today to catch the flight from Heathrow to St.Petersburg. At the airport I realized that I had Taraka's ticket and passport on me so in bewilderment I gave it to the check-in lady who promised to post it back to the Manor for me. Unfortunately I gave her an incomplete address so I am really hoping the Post Office figures this one out.
The flight departure was delayed for some time due to bad weather. Once in the air we crossed Europe on our 3 1/2 hour flight to finally land at St.Petersburg with the outside temperature showing -27 C. The airport was covered in snow and it seemed like we were going to be stepping out into cold like all the other arrivals. However the plane pulled up at a terminal and we took the aerobridge. Heating is absent in the terminal and the check for passport control and customs was hell. Once inside the baggage claim area, devotees managed things for us retrieving our baggage and shuttling us into the waiting car.
We are staying at the apartment of Tungavidya Mataji and her kids, and we are situated on the 6th floor overlooking the snow covered suburbs. Inside things are very warm and we manage to get a good nights sleep.

 

Saturday 11 January 2003

We woke up in the morning to be greeted by HH Bhakti-Vijnana Maharaja Maharaja has also been staying here but he only returned back late last night from an evening program and did not want to wake us up.
Devamrta Swami gave class at the temple this morning. The temple is actually more of a centre the devotees share with congregational devotees who have a a large building they are converting into a high-class Vegetarian restaurant.
Maharaja's class this morning was about the personal pastimes of Krishna and his friends in Vrindavan and was meant to make the point of how personal Krsna consciousness is, and how Krsna sets the prime example of being personal with all his friends.
Class went from 8AM till 11Am followed by a darshan, meaning that by the time we returned to the apartment it was nearly time for lunch.
We spent the afternoon reading and relaxing with Bhakti Vijnana Maharaja being scheduled to do the evening program, after which he left by train for a 6 hour ride back to Moscow.

 
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Sunday 12 January 2003

The morning program today was held at the temple which adjacent to a restaurant that devotees have opened as a business. Right now the temple is only a large hall in which the deities are accommodated. The restaurant is geared towards a high class clientele and whilst it does not seem to be a problem having the temple situated across the corridor the devotees running the restaurant have some apprehensions. There is an uneasy truce at present.
In the evening a hall program brings out around 300 guests and devotees for a great kirtan and class. Since the demise of HKS the temple has been scattered and it is only just now that some of those devotees affected are starting to return to the fold. The program concludes with prasadam and a book signing session with Maharaja selling around 60 books to eager devotees and guests alike.

 

Monday 13 January 2003

This morning we left St.Petersburg for Helsinki Temple. Arriving around lunchtime the local brahmacari Temple President brought us up to speed with the local affairs. It seems the government are in the process of deciding as to whether other non-mainstream religions, such as ISKCON, could be entitled to a share of the monthly church tax all companies and individuals are required to pay. The TP is hopeful of something.
The temple is situated in the centre of Helsinki, which is a very beautiful city. Although the city is covered in snow it is quite a pleasant atmosphere. The downside of being in the city is that the rents are very high and therefore space is at a minimum. Maharaja and I share a small room for the evening.
The evening arati sees Maharaja leading kirtan for well over an hour to accompaniment of 14 brahmacaries. Helsinki is the biggest book distributing temple in Scandinavia and it is not hard to see why. Maharaja gives the a glowing round of praise and compared Helsinki to a previous backwater that has come of age.
We take rest around 10pm and share some mutual "chain-saw massacre" as both of our nostrils seem to be quite blocked.<!--nextpage-->

Tuesday 14 January 2003

This morning we left Helsinki for Dusseldorf were we met by the devotees and taken to Cologne Temple. The german Autobahns are an experience in themselves as we zoom along at over 100 miles per hour for the 40 minute ride.
Cologne temple is a large building and everything is perfect. Germany produces people of a precise nature and the temple is no exception. Mind you the lunch prasadam does turn up two and a half hour late, but when it does it is very tasty.
Devotees here are also struggling with the post HKS syndrome, and the local TP, Keshava Prabhu has been in the job just 6 months. A disciple of HH Bhakti Busana Maharaja he has managed to turn the tide somewhat although the imminent threat of devotees wanting to sell the temple to pay debts is hanging over his head.
In the afternoon we rest up and in the evening Maharaja gives a very entertaining discourse geared towards the local crowd of guests and devotees. I take rest in the roof of the temple....

 

Wednesday 15 January 2003

Today Maharaja decided it was my turn to give class. Sure no problem only issue being he wants me to speak in German. Although I can speak and read german I am somewhat rusty I plead, but no avail. In front of the devotees and Bhakti Bhusama Maharaja I sit through 45 minutes of mental anguish trying to get a grasp of devotee jargon vocabulary in german. The devotees in Cologne are very sweet and help me through what turns out to be quite a lively class with questions and answers. Again tonight Maharaja asks?, no way is my response.
In the evening Keshava Prabhu takes me for a brief tour of the town and we pay a visit the the famous Cologne "Dom". The Dom is the largest church in Europe built out over a 350 year period. It is said that pigs blood was mixed in with the cement holding together the bricks, and whilst it is a truly humunges structure it looks like something out of Star Wars. I am really glad there is Krsna consciousness to take shelter of, even if the buildings don't match up.

 

Thursday 16 January 2003

Left from Cologne airport and flew to London were we stayed at Soho Street Temple. The day was kind of uneventful as I spent the majority of the day on the net catching up on emails.
The evening program by Devamrta Maharaja was well attended and Maharaja had a very lively discussion with a young Jamaican interested in spiritual life albeit Buddhism. Carefully and gently he convinced him practically how chanting was by far superior to a voidist meditation and lifestyle. Accepting defeat the boy agreed to start chanting regularly.

 
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Friday 17 January 2003

We left Soho Street Temple in London at 6am and spent the whole day in the air enroute to Mumbai.

 

Saturday 18 January 2003

Well we arrived into Mumbai in the wee hours of the morning and finally took rest at 3AM. Mumbai temple is celebrating their 25th anniversary since opening and Sridhar Maharaja had invited many old devotees who had been instrumental in the early days of the temple. It felt like being with the movie stars seeing devotees like Brahmananda and his brother Gargamuni, Guru dasa, Syamasundara,to name a few all recalling their experiences in the early days of ISKCON. Bombay temple really turned on the hospitality and we were lucky to catch the tail end of it.

 

Sunday 19 January 2003

Chowpatty ecstasy!
This temple seems to have descended directly from the spiritual world. There are so many devotees here for tonight's puspa abhisek, that close circuit television screens have had to have been installed through the temple grounds which are not much bigger than Brisbane temple to allow the more than 3000 devotees and guests the opportunity to view this amazing event.
Every year on this full moon night the deities are bathed in flowers especially imported from Vrindavan due to their superior scent. The temple room was packed and during the ceremony were serenaded with kirtans led by Niranjana Maharaja, Radhanath Maharaja and one mataji who sang like Yamuna dasi. The aratik was led by Guru Krpa Prabhu accompanied by Nara Narayan on his ukulele. The roof was lifting off the temple from the tremendous kirtan. Meanwhile on the ground floor of he temple (the temple room is on the first floor) a huge feast was served out. We had the privilege of sitting with Brahmananda Prabhu who told nonstop stories of Prabhupada till nearly midnight. What an unforgettable day!

 

Monday 20 January 2003

A day of recuperation after yesterdays events.

 

Tuesday 21 January 2003

Today we drove to a town outside Mumbai that houses the IIT Campus. Conceived of by Nehru as being a place to educate the elite of Indias high achievers, the campus has also had numerous graduates who have become initiated devotees and who are now actively preaching to their campus friends.
Maharaja holds an evening class well attended by around 45 students who all enthusiastically participate and ask many questions. We end up saying the night.

 

Wednesday 22 January 2003

This morning for the Srimad Bhagavatam class over half of the students decided to return for a second dose of Maharajas witty and intelligent discourses. As always they were not disappointed. It seems that many of them chant 16 rounds and are very nice. From here on completing their studies they will be snapped up and taken to America where IIT graduates are in big demand. We hope that they can remember to keep their Krsna consciousness in these locations.



Thursday 23 January 2003

We finally part our ways in Bangkok with Maharaja heading to Perth and myself going on to Hong Kong for a few days and returning to Brisbane on Sunday. What a great trip it has been. Taraka has stayed in India and I will meet up again with here in mid Feb.