We found out that the flight was scheduled to leave at about 7:00 a.m. instead of 6:00 a.m., as we originally thought. We left Sundara Gopal Prabhu’s house about 6:00 a.m. Srila Gurudeva wanted to make sure that we were on time. He also wanted to chant as many rounds as possible before we started our drive. Morever, he wanted to spend time with the Lautoka devotees before boarding the flight to Labasa.

When Srila Gurudeva was ready and packed, he called on Sundar Gopal Prabhu and his family and spoke with them a little bit, encouraging them to continue with their nice devotional service to the devotees and to the Deities. Sundar Gopal Prabhu was so moved by his spiritual master’s intimacy towards his family and himself that he many times choked, as tears glided down his cheeks. But it was all in a very nice and devotional sentiment, which Srila Gurudeva appreciated very much. He encouraged the two daughters and their only son to chant as many rounds as they can and thanked them for their hospitality and left for the airport. By this time, Parasurama Prabhu was back with his car and took Srila Gurudeva and his servants to the airport.

It was not long before the devotees arrived at Nadi airport. Parasurama Prabhu drove to the domestic terminal where they would board their flight. As they approached the terminal, Srila Gurudeva noticed that there were already some devotees waiting to see him off to Labasa. As he scanned the area he saw one lady devotee on her cell phone. Gurudeva smiled and said, ‘Hey! That’s Guru Smarana! She made it!’ Srila Gurudeva was happy to see her because she had been busy with her work as a doctor and so he was not sure if she would be able to come to the airport. After getting out of the car, they all made their way into the terminal building lounge and Srila Gurudeva selected an area where he could be with all the devotees who were slowly drifting in to see him. He spoke a little with Guru Smarana Mataji and thereafter he spoke with Gita Kirti Mataji, who had accompanied her. They both wanted to make sure that everything their spiritual master needed was made available. Within twenty minutes at least one hundred devotees had manifested, each trying to speak as much as possible with their spiritual master. Of course Srila Gurudeva was very kind to respond to everyone’s queries and suggestions.

In the meantime, Viswanath and Radha Krishna Prabhus checked in the luggage and got the boarding passes. Much to our delight there were other devotees who were also flying to Labasa but that they were all coming on different flights. Srila Gurudeva was not so impressed, however, as he always prefers devotees to travel in unison rather than to be scattered out in different groups. His reasoning is very simple – a unified group of devotees blissfully associating with their spiritual master creates a nice spiritual mood on the aircraft. In any case, however, he was happy that many more would come to Labasa. When they were ready to board the airplane, Srila Gurudeva asked Viswanath Prabhu what type of aircraft it was and if the flight was a direct flight. Viswananth replied that several months earlier the South Pacific Airlines had a crash and they had upgraded all their aircrafts. He also said that they would fly directly to Labasa. This made Srila Gurudeva very happy. He was not one to waste time simply flying from one place to another when it could be done in the shortest time.

Spiritual masters bring out the best in the devotees. It was no exception here at the airport, as the jolly devotees sang and cheered, showing the entire world that their spiritual master was unique and deserving of the worship they were all offering. It was simply transcendental. Srila Gurudeva was once again offered hundreds of garlands and he lovingly reciprocated with all the devotees by giving his garlands away to as many as he could. He did not want to disappoint anyone, so he tried to give those who did not get a garland a flower or two! The nice kirtan resounded throughout the entire departure lounge and the Holy Name was heard by all the living entities there!

With an enchanting smile on his face, Srila Gurudeva said to all that it was time for him to go. He made his way to the departure gate, followed by the mass of devotees, each pushing and shoving their way to the front to see their spiritual master off. He passed through the security gate with his servants hurriedly trying to catch up with him. At the gate to the runway, when he was stopped by the security he turned around for another time to all the devotees who were singing and cheering ‘Jaya Gurudeva!’ The security lady could not make head or tail out of the whole incident but Srila Gurudeva made sure she got some benefit from the situation: he quickly removed a garland from his neck and offered it to her, putting her totally in ecstasy! Little did she know her great good fortune! Finally Gurudeva turned around, waved and said, "Haribol and we will see you soon!" and quickly walked to the tarmac.

Once again we were stopped by the airport security on the tarmac. They wanted to ensure everything was going on smoothly and that the aircraft was also ready to take on the passengers – something that we found amusing – as they had already done all the checks etc. Still it was amusing to see how the Fijians were operating their domestic flights in their islands!

At this point Gurudeva asked the security man if the flight was a direct flight to Labasa. He looked at Gurudeva and said that it was not; first it flew to Suva and there they would have to change planes to continue to Labasa. Srila Gurudeva simply turned around and looked at Viswanath Prabhu, who blurted out that when he bought the ticket, he was told it was a direct flight. Srila Gurudeva said that was not a good answer because Viswanath should have rechecked with the airport authorities. The security man then ushered Gurudeva to board the plane and everyone started to rush towards the aircraft, but when we boarded the plane we were told to sit according to the numbers on our tickets. They had us sitting in the airplane according to our body weights! But it was not too bad as Srila Gurudeva sat behind the pilot’s cabin and on his left was the aisle and Viswanath sat on the other side. Radha Krishna sat behind Srila Gurudeva.

The flight to Suva was a smooth and the best that Srila Gurudeva had ever encountered so far in Fiji. Normally the airplanes are old, noisy and rickety but this aircraft was new, big and also had a hostess. This airplane was in good condition, and mainly used to shuttle between Suva and Nadi for the tourists. When we got out of the aircraft, we found that we were to wait for another half and hour before we board the next flight to Labasa. During this wait Srila Gurudeva spoke to Viswanath Prabhu about how to book tickets and ensure that he does not inconvenience his spiritual master unnecessarily. In case some of you are wondering why, let me explain: you see, Srila Gurudeva flew from London to Dallas to L.A. to Fiji in less than a week and he was very exhausted and was not so keen on the frequent flight changes during short flights. It simply made him weak and exhausted. Ever since his surgery he gets exhausted easily when he pushes himself too much. His doctor had advised him against traveling so soon but Gurudeva wanted to see his disciples and his well wishers who were very dear to him. So Srila Gurudeva wanted his disciple to understand what was happening. Of course it was hard for Viswanath himself, as he was caught unawares. But Srila Gurudeva impressed upon him that he needed to check very carefully with the booking agents and the airport officials in the future, as it seems that they were out of sync: one was giving a different answer than the other.

In any case Gurudeva said that if they had known they were going to have to stay here, they could have invited some Suva devotees to the airport and met them there! Then he looked at Viswanath and smiled! After half an hour our plane arrived and we boarded for Labasa. What a contrast this aircraft was to the earlier flight! This was the aircraft we were all familiar with: yes, the old, noisy and rickety aircraft that seems to defy gravity somehow! We were seated as in the earlier flight. To top it all the aircraft had two pilots but one was definitely a trainee! He had the flight charts in his hands and kept looking at them and changing switches ever so often. Srila Gurudeva simply shook his head and turned around and looked at Radha Krishna dasa who similarly shook his head. They both then turned and looked at Viswanath who simply smiled! Nonetheless Krishna takes care of his devotees and we must believe in that! After a while we did not pay any attention to the pilot. Srila Gurudeva read a little while the rest of us chanted on our rounds albeit the loud noise. Fortunately we all had ear plugs and therefore this cut out the noise from the engines. After about 45 minutes we finally landed at Labasa.

There were no clouds and the sun was now in its full glory. As we walked to the waiting area we could feel the heat. There were no big buildings around the runway. Since all of the aircrafts that land here on this island are small mono and bi-planes, they were simply parked on the tarmac and serviced there. When they were ready they just took off from where they were parked. It is just like parking cars in a lot. The only difference being: that you are not allowed to go to your ‘car’ on your own unless escorted – if you know what I mean!

At the waiting area, there were at least fifty to sixty devotees, all dancing and chanting. The kirtan was lead by Rasa Bihari Prabhu. While Gurudeva went ahead to greet the devotees, both his servants went ahead to pick up the luggage and meet him outside to be taken to Rupa Vilas’s place. Again the onlookers were surprised and at the same time delighted. Some of the native Fijians began to bop to the tune and smiled broadly when we looked at them. Yes, it was delightful to see how the mood of the devotees can change everything around them – simply delightful!

When we got outside we walked to the car park and loaded the luggage in Rupa Vilas’s car. The kirtan followed Srila Gurudeva and ended as he got in and we drove to the city. Rupa Vilas is the temple president in Labasa and he is also a doctor. He has his practice in the city. Srila Gurudeva was happy to see him and asked him how he and his family were doing, etc. He was happy to see his disciple, although he has never visited his medical practice, this being his first visit to Fiji since his surgery, and also this is a newer premise. Unlike Suva and Lautoka, Labasa was not as developed as the main island for obvious reasons. Nevertheless Rupa Vilas negotiated through the difficult roads and finally reached the city, which had a better road system. The city itself was small but it was full of life and many people were busy going about their daily affairs. As we went through the main road Gurudeva asked Rupa Vilas about Hrishikesh’s shop and Vrndavan Candra’s shop and Rupa Vilas pointed them out. Rupa Vilas also pointed out his wife’s (Shyama Priya) pharmacy, which was also located in one of the best spots in the city. Thereafter we came to Rupa Vilas’s residence and practice.

His doctor’s office occupied the ground floor and he lived upstairs with his wife, son and his mother-in-law. The car stopped at the back of the house, which had an entrance to his residence. It had a very nice garden with many coconut, jackfruit and mango trees. There was a pleasant breeze as well. We quickly took the luggage and went upstairs. Gurudeva’s luggage was placed in his room. Srila Gurudeva took a quick shower while the rest of us prepared for breakfast. Shyama Priya and her mother had cooked a big breakfast. It has become a norm by this time to expect only huge breakfasts, lunches and dinners here in Fiji. Of course this was so because all the disciples want to please their spiritual master very much! When Srila Gurudeva came out we had breakfast. After breakfast, Srila Gurudeva thanked all the devotees who had come to see him and had breakfast with him. He went to the kitchen and thanked Shyama Priya and her mother for the very nice breakfast and thereafter went to take a little rest. He called Radha Krishna as he went to his room. While in his room he said to Radha Krishna that he was extremely tired and hoped that he will not get ill. His servant encouraged him saying that if he gets sufficient rest he will be all right. Thereafter he sent his servant out.

It was not more than fifteen minutes when he called his servant again. Gurudeva rested a little and now wanted to meet with Rupa Vilas about the program in Labasa. Rupa Vilas informed him that they had organized a harinama in the city and then after that they plan to proceed to the temple to meet the devotees and have lunch there. Thereafter they will have an evening program at the temple at 7 p.m. Gurudeva then spoke to Rupa Vilas while the rest of us went about taking care of laundry and contacting devotees for meeting with Srila Gurudeva for initiation etc.

Around 11:50 a.m., we received a call saying that the harinama party was at the city center and they were all waiting for Srila Gurudeva to come and join them. Rupa Vilas informed Srila Gurudeva and he quickly took his Khasadesa sun hat and went to the harinama.

The Khasadesh sun hat was specially made by the Khasadesh yatra for the participants of the 1992 and 1993 Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama. Srila Gurudeva arranged all this then. At that time he requested the many parikrama devotees from all over the world to pray for the good fortune of the Khasadesh devotees so that somehow they could come to Mayapur in the future. By the devotees’ prayers, years later many of the Khasadesh devotees have indeed come to Mayapur!

Srila Gurudeva uses the hat whenever he is out in the bright sun. This made for a unique sight: a saffron-clad sannyasi in an equally saffron colored Khasadesh hat, walking along the streets of Labasa, Fiji. Rupa Vilas took Srila Gurudeva and his servants to the city, where the devotees where ecstatically chanting. Gurudeva got out quickly and immediately joined in the kirtana. The entire place was packed with people walking busily to and fro doing their late Christmas shopping. The curious onlookers sometimes stopped to see what was going on. It was humid and steaming hot, but the devotees were relentless as they chanted the holy name of the Lord with great delight and gusto. They weren’t singing Christmas carols, but this was certainly a wonderful glorification of the Lord!

Gurudeva then took over and began leading the kirtan as the devotees followed down the streets. We came to a portion of a mall and there we all stood in a line and chanted for a long time. Many hundreds of people came, crowding around us, and they tried to see what was happening. They could only see the energetic and ecstatic singing and dancing of the devotees. Time faded away: we could not tell how long we were there but it was a long time indeed. Then Srila Gurudeva lead the devotees down the street to the Bus Interchange or depot, and we had another long kirtana there. Srila Gurudeva then made all the devotees line up again and we sang and danced for a long time for the many people walking by us. It was very enjoyable despite the summer heat and the soaking perspiration than ran down the participants’ bodies. By the time we concluded the harinama, it was 1:30 p.m.; we had to return to change up and go to the temple for the afternoon program and lunch. Rupa Vilas drove up with his car and Srila Gurudeva got in. The car sped away into the traffic.

Back at Rupa Vilas’s, everyone took shower and got ready to go to the temple. The drive was short. The temple was located just outside the main city up a hill. The long incline to the temple was a familiar sight to the devotees. And as we drove up, we saw many walking up quickly for the program. At the temple, many devotees greeted Srila Gurudeva. As he walked towards the building the devotees from upstairs tossed flower petals as they chanted: "Jaya Srila Gurudeva!" Vrindavan Candra Prabhu, the first temple president of Labasa, was also there. He had been instrumental in the beginning days of the temple. He is a very nice and dear disciple of Srila Gurudeva. His brother Hrishikesh was also there. Hrishikesh likes to serve the devotees very much he is always around asking everyone if they need something or other. Though he is in his fifties, he runs around like a teenager! Rasa Bihari Prabhu, Rupa Vilas’s brother, and their family members were also there. Rasa Bihari Prabhu is one of the biggest preachers in Fiji. He has made many devotees and was very much in ecstasy simply seeing his spiritual master. In the same way, there were so many wonderful devotees there to see their spiritual master.

The devotees guided Srila Gurudeva and held a foot bathing ceremony up stairs at the temple room. Thereafter Srila Gurudeva spoke briefly and thanked all the devotees for the nice reception they gave him. He also encouraged everyone to actively participate in this sankirtan movement by preaching, chanting nicely and doing their services to their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Candra.

After this we all went downstairs to the prasadam hall and had a great feast. Srila Gurudeva made sure that all the devotees were nicely seated before the serving could commence. He also insisted that all the ladies be seated nicely, as he wanted everyone to take prasadam with him, except the servers. The prasadam was simply the best Srila Gurudeva has had on this visit to Fiji. He looked at Vrindavan Candra and said, "The best feast in Fiji so far! They have beaten the Lautoka cooks." The Labasa devotees were all beaming with great joy. The devotees who were there from Lautoka were also happy to hear that but said that it will be even better when Gurudeva returns to Lautoka from Suva! In this way they were exchanging some sweet moments with their spiritual master. Whilst we were all honoring prasadam, Srila Gurudeva saw Nandanandana and some of the Lautoka devotees and asked him when he came to Labasa. We had departed earlier then Nandanandana. He said he had flown in 10 minutes after we landed in Labasa but their flight was direct, saving about two hours, since they flew out around 9 a.m. Gurudeva then looked around for Viswanath, who simply stood outside smiling for a little while!

Just then Guru Dasa and his wife walked in and Gurudeva immediately requested they be served prasadam. Guru Dasa informed him that more devotees were coming and that prasadam must be saved. Gurudeva told Viswanath Prabhu to ensure that prasadam is saved for them. After a little while, Srila Gurudeva finished and the devotees who were serving quickly came and took the mahaprasadam away to distribute to all the devotees. After lunch prasadam Gurudeva wanted to rest a little at the temple but they could not find a suitable place and so we left for Rupa Vilas’s.

Back at Rupa Vilas’s place, Srila Gurudeva took some rest. When he got up a little while later he did some studies and later on he came out of his room and began reading from sastra.

Around 6:00 p.m, he called Shyamala Sakhi, one of his disciples who lives in London and takes care of many of Gurudeva’s needs in terms of administration and management. She is a certified Nurse and is managing a nursing care/consulting agency. Gurudeva called her to inquire about Kirtida and how other matters were as well.

Gurudeva then took a quick shower and changed for the evening program in the temple. At 7 p.m. we left for the program. The temple was crowded as usual and we had a wonderful darshan of Sri Sri Radha Vrindavan Candra. Srila Gurudeva then spoke from Bhagavad-gita 6.21-24. It was a very enlivening class with Gurudasa and Parasurama Prabhus taking turns translating Gurudeva’s talk to Hindi. Though Gurudasa was adept in translating, he always almost gets tongue tied whenever his spiritual master was around. He gets nervous, starts perspiring and makes simple mistakes. So much so, that the audience got into helping him translate Gurudeva’s speech. When Srila Gurudeva saw what was happening, he immediately asked Parasurama Prabhu to take over. Gurudasa Prabhu was glad to hand the microphone over to Parasurama Prabhu. At around 8:45pm, Gurudeva finished his lecture and met the first and second initiates a group at a time. When he had finished we finally left for Rupa Vilas’s. While driving back, Srila Gurudeva began joking with Rupa Vilas Prabhu. He told Rupa Vilas that he was not a manager but just a simple Brahmin, a good Vaisnava. Rupa Vilas is not the outgoing type, he is a little reserved but he does know his job though. So Gurudeva was picking on his soft side and Rupa Vilas enjoyed his Guru Maharaja’s taunts.

When we got back to the house, Srila Gurudeva took some fruits with the devotees and quickly called London and spoke to mother Kirtida at the hospital. When he finished with his telephone call he told Radha Krishna Prabhu that though Kirtida was dying of cancer, still her consciousness was great. Another problem was that she could not eat as the cancer was blocking her esophagus.

Thereafter he decided to take rest but noticed something odd about the room. When the air conditioning unit was run it made such a noise that Srila Gurudeva felt that he could not sleep. He asked all of us what we thought about it and we all agreed that the sound was indeed quite loud. So we decided that the next best thing to do was to open the glass doors and let the cool air come in. But while we were attempting to do, this we noticed that the screened doors all had holes in them. There were plenty of mosquitoes in Fiji and they are always waiting to get in! So Gurudeva told both Viswanath and Radha Krishna to do something about it. Both the servants got some masking tape and sealed the holes up real tight. In fact because the screen doors were also warped, they had to seal the doors to the frames so much so that you could not open them any more. Srila Gurudeva was pleased now he could get some decent sleep in natural air circulating his room. But just as he was about to take rest we all heard a high-pitched humming sound go off in a distant. When we looked around we found that right across the main street opposite Rupa Vilas’s was a market which had refrigeration units. The units had just started up and there was no way to do anything.

Then Gurudeva told Rupa Vilas and the servants that he could tolerate heat or cold but sound is very subtle and very close to the jiva atma, as it is through sound that the entire creation was created. And it is through sabda, transcendental sound vibration, that we get out of the material world eventually, through the chanting of the holy name. But he said to hear Rupa Vilas’s air conditioning was binding to this material world. Everyone simply burst laughing. Srila Gurudeva also laughed. It was also interesting to notice how Srila Gurudeva saw Krishna and His creation at this late in the night when most of us would simply want to hit the sack! Then he told everyone to leave except Radha Krishna and spoke to him a little about the programs so far. He then asked his servant to give him massage, took out his earplugs and said ‘haribol!’ It was way past 11 p.m. and we all went to bed as quietly as we could manage, looking forward to another day of Krishna consciousness when we would awaken.