AUSSIE WEEKENDER 26

Next day to Christmas is Boxing Day in Australia. I have no clue what Boxing day means. All it means for me is it is a public holiday for us. We planned to go to a temple which is heard to be big one in Sydney, but a little far away. It takes two long train journeys and a bus journey to reach there. Being a public holiday, the bus schedule to the temple area from the station was hopeless. They have a bus at 1:30 and 3:30 to the temple, and it will come back at 2:40 and 4:05; and that is the end of the bus services! We only looked at these aspects in the afternoon. Started by 12:50 got two trains well connected, reached Helensburgh station by 2:40. It was a small station surrounded by nothing but greenery. No car, no taxi, no shops, nothing! And we were the only people in the station apart from a guard. We came out of the station and walked in a direction we felt fine. We crossed a small bridge over a stream brimming through rocks. We continued on the road, climbing with it. We started seeing houses built in lavish compounds, resembled of the houses in Kerala once we move out of the city in Cochin and Malabar parts. The heat, the humidity and the sound of the stream made me feel that I am walking somewhere in Kerala.

But we realised that we are on the wrong side as the road was closing down, and we walked back and saw the map at the station which had no details of the temple. Again, there were no pointers at all, around the cut roads near the station. I was in a very helpless situation. We need to wait for another 35 minutes for a bus, but again, we won’t be able to get the bus back. I can’t see any taxis also around which again will be a problem to come back from the temple to the station. I would have blindly decided to take the next train back home, if I were to decide, in this situation. But, Krithi, who never demands for anything was giving a sad look with my suggestion to return.

It is around 4 kms to the temple and the summer Sun was doing its job well. Krithi’s troubles of pregnancy have not yet fully gone. We decided to walk slowly as waiting for the bus is only going to make things worse. We started climbing the road, and we would have almost walked 15 minutes. It was tiring for Krithi, but I also didn’t know what else I can do if she still wants to see the temple. We were so helpless. We were crossing the road here and there for shade. We were crossing at a point and found a red car stopped with an Aussie (named Andrew) looking at us with a smile! He was just being so kind that he stopped seeing us walking, and was asking, ‘I can give a lift if you likeJ’! It was unbelievable!

Aussie can never replace anyone in the World for his friendliness (the nearest I have seen is the Scottish)! We accepted his lift and were in the temple in 5 minutes. He knew the temple and actually his home was on the way to the temple. He drove another 2 kms to drop us to return home. Again, he was showing us the route in case we happen to walk back and explain how long it takes. He also suggested me to mention it to the temple people to have some pointers to show the way from the station!

I just looked at Krithi expecting a normal human response of giving the full credit to God (Saying God has sent him). She was so excited with what happened, but she was thankful to Andrew. While writing our names for pooja, she was asking me whether we can do pooja in Andrew’s nameJ !

Temple was big enough in peaceful greenery. It was as Indian as possible, even with the people. There were only two people (Iyengars, if you understand) with T-shirts and Dhothi. They were selling tickets at the counter and they were doing the poojas too. But with very few people in the temple, it was still peaceful life for them.

I tried to tell them that we had problems in finding way from the station. They took it cool, and asked me back, ‘How did you come?’ I told about the lift, and immediately came the reply, ‘try to get something like that to go back. We don’t think there is any bus today’. They also added, ‘people come here in cars, and they know how to come’ as the reason for having no pointers.
Excellent! So they were indirectly telling us that we are not expecting beggars like you J.

Krithi’s desire to have a masala dosai and we had a choice to try it, the temple canteen. I think all these people run away from India, come here and learn to make dosai! They know only one thing, cook only one side and they don’t learn to make it thin enough that one side cooking will do. So again we had to eat a half-cooked dosai! But I appreciate one fact, that temple was maintained well and neat.

We were optimistic that 4:05 bus will turn up despite the temple authorities says there is no bus todayJ. Our optimism paid off, we got the bus back home. The rest was easy, there was no hassle in getting the connection trains to Central and then to Parramatta. We were back home by 6.
It was a memorable day which I will remember forever! Being so helpless and suddenly getting some unexpected help and that too in another country, it was great! We went to temple and we met God too! But the only doubt is whether we met the God at the temple or on the way!