Monday 29 September 2008

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA

Walking was extremely limited today for many reasons, one of them being that I took time after the flight to Winnipeg to view with administration a new location for self-realization practice. The address is 108 Chestnut St. Tonight was our first formal gathering at this Krishna Conscious centre which is a charming century-old building in great condition. The mute yellow outside walls with navy blue window shutters gives the place a real welcoming feel. Inside the house, the staircase and wood frames are made of rich oak and the rooms are of ample size to accomodate many guests.

Among the guests was a religious professor at the University of Manitoba, who very much enjoys the mantra meditation. Another guest was Ruplal Choudhary, who moved here from India a couple of years ago. Ruplal invented, built and patented a machine for mass producing the popular Bengali sweet, Rasagula.

The visit here was a reunion of sorts with Doug (Daruka dasa), who was my support driver for five months last summer during the eastern leg of my third walk across Canada. He is usually accompanied by his parrot Billie, who also made the long trip with us. Our host in Winnipeg is Vrnda devi dasi, a fine example of a devotee and a wonderful human being. She managed to acquire the new facility in the granola belt area of Winnipeg (population 650,000).

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