Traveling Sankirtan

After Las Vegas we drove through New Mexico to Hugo, Oklahoma. There we will stay with Acutya Priya Prabhu and Krishna Lata Didi. Due to my incompetence I didn’t arrange for us to have a place to stay in between Las Vegas and Hugo, OK. Ramachandra Prabhu came to our rescue, luckily he was on the ball. He started calling all his family and friends seeing if they knew anyone in Northern Texas or New Mexico. Finally he went on the Iskcon website and found some phone numbers for devotees in Albuquerque, NM.

We arrived around 6pm and we were all a little nervous to go into a home of an unknown devotee of a different mission. Krishna Kirti Prabhu and his wife Urmila Didi answered the door and were very sweet from the start. They were a little unsure of us, which is understandable when 4 strange young men come into your home. But we started talking and we realized that Nowl Kishor’s brother Milo, had stayed with them a few years ago. After this we started singing some songs. Finally they brought a huge feast and served us very humbly. The dinner consisted of fancy rice, khari sauce, cabbage subji, green bean and potatoes subji, papadams, fresh mango, and strawberry ice cream. We were all humbled by their hospitality and very gracious association. Ramachandra and Ratan stayed up and washed all the pots and cleaned the kitchen. We gave them a Heart and Halo and an invitation to our Santa Cruz and San Jose temples.

Next up, traveling through Texas to Hugo, Oklahoma . We will spend 2 nights in Hugo with Acutya Priya Prabhu and Krshna Lata Didi. Its funny in Texas there are minimum speed limits for the freeway (40mph) and they have a speed limit for night time too. It was Ekadasi and we brought some food but we were going to stop at a gas station and pick up some more nuts and potato chips. Of course the gas station I pick is straight out of the movie Deliverance and they didn’t have any Ekadasi food but they did have saddles for sale.

We powered through from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Hugo, Oklahoma. Ramachandra has an aunt in Seminole, OK. We dropped him off to spend 2 days there while Kamal, Ratan and myself went to Hugo. After driving 850 miles on Ekadasi we got to Hugo to the warm house of Acutya Priya Prabhu and Krishna Lata Didi. The made a lovely potato and yam subji for us. The next day Kamal made a potato subji and Ratan made a nice kitri for lunch. While they were cooking I went to Walmart to buy more supplies for our trip.

I have been to more Walmarts since we started this trip than I have been in my entire life. And as much as they are big corporate company, they are super helpful and very convenient. Except for the Walmart, Hugo doesn’t have much more. But it a very quaint and nice town.

Krishna Lata Didi graciously did all of our dirty laundry and Acutya Priya Prabhu gave me a very needed haircut. For dinner I cooked up some leftovers and I made some palak paneer. And I humbly have to say it turned out very good.

As of Hugo we have traveled almost 1900 miles. Next we travel through Missouri on our way to Chicago.