MCG - SCG Yatra, Day 34

Rest Day 2 - Canberra

For sleeping at Manik’s house, I chose a hard bed. For the last 40 years or so, I have been sleeping on the floor mostly without any mattress or a very thin mattress. I was brought up that way. Growing up in India, I always slept on a wooden bench with no mattress but a thin durrie and a bed sheet. Durrie was not designed to offer a cushion, like a mattress does but perhaps act as an insulator and the role of the bed sheet was to provide freshness. The bedsheets were washed regularly while the durries were cleaned seldom. So, I had a good sleep in the firm bed at Manik’s.

Shekhar chose a different bed but also had a good sleep. We both sat up and had breakfast with Manik. We talked about our families. We talked about Baba and Akka (Manik’s late parents). We talked about the ancient Indian traditions and their application in the 21st century. We talked about the Australian society and how it had been undergoing a constant change in its social makeup, business and industrial sectors and how the Indian diaspora has contributed to Australia’s economic growth. We briefly touched upon the global issues that the world currently faced.

Today was more like a rest day in a true sense. We had no plans to go anywhere until dinner. There was no rush to do anything. We took our time to have a shave and shower. Manik prepared a delicious soup with dark rye bread and sour dough rye bread with cheese, butter and cream along with chopped up chives. It was one of the healthiest lunches we had had for a long time. And it was equally yummy. Thanks very much Manik for taking care of us. After having lunch, I felt a bit heavy and went for a quick power nap.

Around 4:00 PM, Manik took “Jacket” her dog for a walk. When she returned, we all had a cuppa with a variety of snacks. I had a cup of black tea and Shekhar had a coffee. I was a bit cautious trying all the snacks. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the dinner that we were going to have in just a few hours. Shekhar and I enjoyed the cuppa and then drove to a shopping centre to get somethings we needed.

Around 6:30, we reached Ritambra Ji’s place. Her husband and their son were also home. Her son had to leave shortly after we arrived. We rushed outside to take photos with the whole family before he left. Ritambra ji is a devout Krishna devotee. We had typical Indian tea with snacks and then we did some kirtan followed by the aarti. We had a feast of north Indian dishes for dinner. Of course, we had to have a dessert and another cuppa while our discussion with her husband revolved around the world politics. It was getting late again. So Shekhar and I took leave and returned to Manik’s place to sleep.