The evening after our epic chip making day, our new arrivals stayed up
late watching a video. I was now sharing a room with the two girls
and with their late arrival back into the room after watching the
film in the boys room, I didn't make it to Arti that morning, nor did
I make it to the kitchen.
I had another week at the Farm, or so I
thought, so I would have plenty of time to make up for my decadent
lie in.
At breakfast, however, it was announced that the four new
comers and myself would all be heading back to Kuala Lumpa that
afternoon!!!!
I asked Gopesa the reasons why I needed
to go so soon, I knew there was a festival in KL on the 3rd
and I had planned to leave the Farm then but he just smiled and said that Simheswara
had asked for me go to the temple today!
I packed my things and began my rounds
of goodbyes. I felt I had done so little during my time at the Farm
but I had also made some good friends.
In the kitchen Ganesh and I shared
e-mail addresses and gifts.
It had been such a pleasure to help in
the kitchen with the others, chanting and laughing each morning as we
packed the workers breakfasts.
His gift of the CD we had listened to
each day would remind me always of my time there.
In the Chip factory I said goodbye to
'Little Prabu'. He too had become a friend of morning smiles and
appreciation.
I gave away my fresh fruit to the
wonderful old lady on the hill who had worried about me getting wet
each day, and to Prabu in the next room. Prabu had fallen from the
roof of the building we lived in during its construction. He had
broken his back and lost the use his legs yet he had been such a
positive presence in the block despite his accident.
With my bag packed I joined the others
for a tour of the farm that until now had been impossible due to the
weather.
As we piled into the truck Gopesa
explained the workings of the Farm.
For a man, that until now had been a
man of few words, he was eloquent with his stories and a mine of
information about the practices used.
He explained the difference between the
heavy root watering of a Jack Fruit tree in comparison to the drip
watering of a Guava tree. We were given a demonstration on how to
cover the Guava fruits to protect them as well as details on how to
look after the tree.
At the cow stall he explained in detail
how the fertilizer that was used all over the farm was made.
At the moment they are running an
experiment to see which combination of ingredients works best on the
trees.
Once the formula had been perfected,
full time production would take place freeing them from the use of
brought in fertilizer.
From the cow stalls we headed out into
the fields where the trees I had wondered about were explained and
tasted.
Eventually, and with great excitement, we
headed to the sugar can processing plant!
We had been drinking the sugar cane juice either
straight from the freezers or fresh during our time at the Farm but now we
were going to see how this incredibly sweet liquid was processed into
its bottles.
Sugar cane will grow for about five
years before it needs to be replanted.
Until that time the mother plant can be coppiced of her canes without any damage to the main plant. These
canes are then chopped and fed through the crusher where the juice is
squeezed out into a large vat.
Passed through a series of filters
this wonderful natural liquid is then poured into bottles where it
will keep for up to twenty four hours.
To lengthen its life span the bottles
at the Farm are frozen until needed giving chilled and refreshing
juice any time we want it!
The sugar cane beds were level with the naturally filling lake in the low lands.
When needed a gravity release could water vast areas of crops but
with all the heavy rain we had been receiving they had the problem of
too much water!
Isolated from TV and papers we were not
aware, at this point, of the extent of the damage done by the floods
in the area. We had needed to come back to the Farm from Klang the
long way as the free-way was closed due to water but even though we
had been rained upon every day since my arrival, the damage was not
too sever at the Farm.
Sugar cane beaten to the floor by the
storms was in the process of being tied to supports or harvested to
turn it into juice.
It wasn't until we left the Farm did we learn
about the devastation the floods caused as they washed across
Malaysia.
Although I had been at the Farm for two
weeks (admittedly with six days off for Rathyatra's!) I learnt more
during our hour tour with Gopesa than I had learnt the whole time I
had helped out.
For a man of few words he explained the
running and dreams of the Farm with clear and detailed explanations
and I left the Farm truly enlightened.
With supplies for the temple and our
bags stuffed in any available gap plus SIX people to transfer, the
truck was extremely well packed as we left the dirt track of the
Farm. Gopesa put on my favourite track and feeling a wee bit guilty
about the space I had to myself up front, while the others squished
together in the back, we headed for KL.
The two girls and guys were dropped by
one of the main bus stops so they could reach the place where they
planned to party the New Year in and Gopesa and I continued to the
temple.
I was to be here for a week and as yet I had no idea what was
expected of me or for that matter what I would do for a whole week.
The Kuala Lumpa Rathyatra wasn't until the 3rd of January
and today was only the 30th of December
(yes I know I am
rather behind with these Blogs!!).
Prasadam was being served just as we
arrived and I was sent off to get my lunch while Gopesa delivered the
juice and chips.
Simheswara appeared just as I was finishing and
explained that there was going to be a program at the temple for the
New Year plus a Rathyatra in Melaka on the 1st as well as
the Kuala Lumpa one on the 3rd.
I was invited to relax and
enjoy my time at the temple and was free to come and go as much as I
wished!
The female ashram was unfortunately
full so I was invited to board with the Mataji and her daughter who
ran the ashram, staying in her private quarters.
My duties while I worked this part of
my 'Workaway' posting?
To eat prasadam and to take association with
other devotees while attending festivals!!
This was going to be a challenging and
complicated assignment lol!!!!!!!
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