MCG - SCG Yatra, Day 52

Rest Day - Sydney

The Walk to the Entertainment Quarter yesterday Monday 2 January 2023 brought us within a kilometre of the SCG, our final destination after a walk of about 1,100 Kms. On Wednesday morning 4 January, the opening day of the Pink Test between Australia and South Africa, we will walk the remaining distance to the SCG, alongside the team of champions who had walked 150 Kms over the last three days from Newcastle to the SCG, also to support the McGrath Foundation. Thus, Shekhar and I were going to take it easy and have complete rest today.

My friend Sukhi, his wife Sharan and their sons are highly knowledgeable people and guest-friendly generous hosts. Sukhi had already left for work by the time Shekhar and I came downstairs. A variety of cereals had been placed on the kitchen bench. Shekhar and I made our own breakfast to suit our individual tastes. Sharan came downstairs and she made us a beautiful Indian chai (herbal tea with milk and sugar). Then we had some fresh fruit followed by coffee. Later, we had a chat over lunch. We were continuously having something to eat and/or drink. Sharan also packed several containers of cooked food for us to have dinner at the hotel. The level of their hospitality was unbelievable. Thank you so much for raising the bar to such a high level. Sukhi, Sharan, Sameer, and Sunil…..You guys are an incredible family. A big thank you for everything!

I was expecting a call from the media manager at the McGrath Foundation at 10:30 AM to brief me about the next day’s proceedings and the press conference outside the SCG. We also had to ring the Meriton Suites to check if we could park our van in their garage with 3.2-meter clearance. The van was too high to fit under the usual 2.1 m garage door. We were relieved when we got the confirmation to the park the van at the hotel.

We proceeded to the hotel only to find the check-in queue extending outside the reception door. Finally, we checked-in and were able to park the van. Once we settled into our suite, I started working on my blogs. I went to bed for a quick powernap. When I got up, I received a message from Luke from the Big Three. They had also arrived at a nearby hotel after walking from Newcastle. He asked me to come over and join them which I humbly had to decline because I was exhausted. I promised to meet them all in the morning before the final march to the SCG. Shekhar and I heated up the food that Sharan had packed. After dinner, we both went upstairs to have rest and sleep.