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South American Culinary Tour July-August 2003, Part Six: Pindamonhangaba, Brazil

Kurma Dasa
2006-02-25 17:23:15

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of the Movement's affairs in Brazil. But since Maharaja was always travelling, he had graciously decided to open it up to whomever guests were passing through the farm.

We had been invited to attend breakfast at the beautiful home of a family who lived on the farm with their children, a little way up on a ridge overlooking the valley. On the way we noticed a large mango tree with peacocks. The birds roam free all around the farm, the males of the species occasionally displaying their stunning plumage, and piercing the atmosphere with their unique cat-like cries.

Breakfast featured locally-grown fruits, notably ripe papaya just picked from the tree, home-baked breads, hot milk straight from the cows, various freshly squeezed juices, jams, and sweets from the temple. After saying farewell to our hosts we returned and assembled whoever was around for a final group photo outside the stately entrance to the temple. We had yet another class to prepare for back in São Paulo, so soon we would be 'on the road again'.

We drove down the long track that would lead us to the highway. The whole duration of our visit to the farm had been accompanied by the sweet sound of running water, but as yet I had not seen the source of the sound. Avyakta took a quick detour and we sat for a while and pondered the sweet River Yamuna, named by the local devotees in commemoration of the famous river in India where Krishna sported as a young lad. The crystalline Brazilian counterpart snaked through the forests off into the distance.

Our refreshing reverie over, we rejoined the highway and drove back to the metropolis of São Paulo. In keeping with the rest of my time in Brazil, the mood was light and relaxed. Mahabhakta had to return to Rio Preto, so we dropped him on the outskirts of São Paulo, but not before we shared a big farewell hug. My last class in Brazil was to take place in a Vegan Zen-styled Macrobiotic restaurant somewhere in a well-to-do area of the city centre.

We arrived at Natural Zen in time for a simple lunch before seriously re-arranging the restaurant's tables and chairs to accomodate the class. In the early evening our ten eager students arrived, and it wasn't long before we were all washing, peeling, chopping, kneading, stirring and cooking merrily into the night. I had lost count of just how many classes I had hosted on this vast continent. I just knew it was a lot, and there were many more to go! I was a seriously wasted Kurma by the time the repast was shared at the end of the night.

Day Nineteen

Well, the time had finally come to leave the vast land of Brazil. I had hardly scratched the surface, and it would take many more visits to accomodate the massive diversity of the place. I was less than half way through my tour of South America, and as is often the case on trips like this, my whole perception of the movement of time had blurred. I recalled one of my favourite sanskrit verses from the great Bhagavata Purana..."With every rising and setting, the sun takes away the duration of life of everyone, save and except those who are acting in transcendental consciousness". Well, I aspire for that day... I posed for a last photo with my dear friend Avyakta in Madhava's little temple room, and then we headed to the airport. Varig flight 8011 departed for Buenos Aires, Argentina at 11.00 am.