Krishna Bus Tour

Part 8- "Thank You"

There was no escaping the heat. The air conditioner had been removed from our bus. "It never worked right," Manu said, "and we were able to fit one more bunk when we took it out."

I made a gallant effort to sleep, even when the sun crept around to my side of the bus and one of the boys sat on me,

"Oh sorry."

"It's alright. You didn't know."

I tried to be polite but my tone was frightening. Wet earplugs shut out the world as I pretended to sleep.

I hadn't signed on to become a grouch.

I began a habit of counting my blessings each time I was awakened. Instead of cursing that my sleep had been disturbed, I would notice I'd gotten a little sleep and be grateful. "Thank You" were the first two words that came to mind whenever I woke up. I paid attention to the sleep I'd just gotten, like finding a ten dollar bill in my pocket.

Saint Louis Krishna community is not as large as Houston; it's sort of an outpost. Fifty Krishna kids dropping in was the highlight of their year. Local devotees came to see the kids perform a drama and kirtan.

After feasting the two buses headed off into the darkness, a ten-hour drive to New Vrindaban, the farm community in West Virginia.

"We want to get there for breakfast," Manu said over the radio as I bunked down.

***

Chapter 5 - Moundsville, West Virginia

"Anyone that's awake should get up here quick," I told my keeper-upper. "They'll want to see this."

I drove our bus over a narrow mountain road, past barns and tractors. A couple sleepy boys came up front. "It's coming up pretty soon ..." I said.

"What is?"

"... just around one of these bends you'll get a glimpse. The devotees built it in the seventies. They call it the Palace of Gold. Tourists come here every day and ... there it is!"

"Whoa!"

"Wow!"

I had to drive with both hands. Part of the road had fallen away a few years ago and there was always a chance it might not be there.

"You'll see it again," I said. "We'll drive right by it."

"Devotees built that?"

"Yes."

"It's beautiful."

"And they had no idea what they were doing," I said. "They learned as they built it. OK, here it comes again. You get another look."

***

Once parked, the kids found the temple room, the harmonium, drums, and kartals and began kirtan. Some opted for small kirtans on the lawn overlooking the swan pond.

British kids posed with the peacocks.

"Did you see the palace on the way in?" I asked.

"No, but we heard about it."

"So this is your first time here?"

"Yes."

"It's a ten-minute walk up the hill. Do you want a quick tour?"

They agreed. A couple more joined and we headed to Prabhupada's Palace of Gold.

Walking quickly uphill, I spoke in broken sentences. "My wife helped to build this place ... way back, before I met her .... It was originally going to be a temple ... a Krishna temple .... That was Prabhupada's idea for this place—seven temples on seven hills ... like Vrindavan with the main seven temples."