Chemainus, British Columbia
To the Mountain Cabins
Jaya Govinda, Dawn, Leah and I took to the
early ferry at Horshoe Bay for a water voyage to Vancouver Island and then
drove onto Chemainus, to the unique home of Gadadhar and Manoharini. I say
“unique” because the couple have established a real amazing retreat or tirtha;
a sacred place. How quaint are the cabins Gadadhar constructed! In addition to
their mountain home, he assembled these rustic but regal 10 feet by 10 feet
structures for resting and relaxation. A third cabin on the desk is a washroom
where you can shower. Finally, a fourth 20 by 20, is the residence of
Jagannatha, Lord of the Universe – an actual devotional temple.
We had arrived at this attractive
destination by mid-morning. Before arriving, along the way, I was peering out
the window of our vehicle wondering if I could spot from the road the trail I
took to walking 25 years ago, when I embarked on that first of a number of marathon
walks across the globe. I recall the main street at Ladysmith.
It was just great at mealtime. Nothing like
nourishment in a mountain setting. When some guests arrived to join us it was Virat, who works
with the town of Nanaimo, who asked a question about my walks. This was my cue
to tell all about pedestrian adventures.
When I do these talks about trekking, I
simply welcome listeners to join me on the road and let them feel the sensation
of it all. They usually do feel it.
Then Virat asked a second question. “What
do you do when you’re walking?” And my answer was, “I’m chanting, so if I’ve
walked for nine hours I will have completed 64 rounds of chanting on the beads
for that day.”
May the Source be with you!
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