The Bright Path: Auckland

Two days ago, my friend Vivek had called me to invite me to Auckland, I looked at the hail and freezing rain falling outside in Queenstown and I accepted. Vivek lives in Sydney and is visiting his older sister Munmun in Auckland coincidentally at the same time I am in NZ. I have not seen them in about 20 years. Their father and mine used to be pilots in the same airline and good friends. I don't recall his father since he died on duty, the victim of a suicidal hijacker's handgun in the early 80s. Munmun moved to Auckland about 4 years ago after marrying someone she met in university in India.

I arrive in Auckland at the tail end of a shower and the tarmac is wet, nevertheless I am grateful for the warmer climate. The next day is Good Friday and the start of a 4 day weekend here in NZ, the traffic is horrific as I head in the airport shuttle towards Munmun's home. I had heard that traffic would be bad here but what I witness is alarming, there is congestion on the freeways from every direction and we crawl even on the surface streets through neighborhoods. As I step out of the shuttle an hour later, the clouds have drawn back and I notice a rainbow as I walk up the driveway. It is a good omen.

The house is tucked away from the road in a suburb called Birkdale, there are big ferns shielding the home from all sides it is immersed in green. Vivek greets me at the door, he is much bigger than I remember, he's really filled out but I recognize the features of the boy I knew. He tells me he has just started with a trainer at the gym nearby to get himself back into shape and he teaches him Tai Chi as well. Munmun and her husband are at the Indian restaurant that they own. It keeps them very busy especially since the chef just had a hernia operation. Vivek and I head to the nearest mall, I am curious to observe Kiwis here. The mall is very small and Kiwis seem to wander through it leisurely and aimlessly quite unlike the shopping mob at MidValley.

After the mall we head for a Japanese restaurant, and it proves to be quite elusive in the NZ suburb. We come across a few small eateries before finally locating a proper restaurant serving sushi. Over dinner I learn that Vivek whom I knew to be spiritual from past phone conversations is familiar with Toltec wisdom. As a boy he read all of Carlos Castaneda's books. Like me, he is also 33 and has lived and worked in many countries since we parted ways in Malaysia. And he too is passionate about discovering one's full potential, in fact he is a consultant trainer for corporations to perform individual assessments on the individuals, tailored engagements breaking barriers of mistrust and strategies unique for each person to increase productivity and improve working relationships. Peak performance/executive leadership building kind of stuff. And like me, he is not working at the moment, his reason being because of corporations trimming their budgets.

We talk about going on a power journey and discuss moving to Buenos Aires in July. He has read a book called 'The 4 Hour Work Week' that describes how to live a very comfortable lifestyle there on a small budget. I learn about 'Zeitgeist', and he also tells me of a book series called 'Ringing Cedars' that I find fascinating.

We return home, and Munmun and Andy arrive soon after. I meet Andy and I find for the first time in my life someone that looks a lot like my older brother. He doesn't look East Indian, he seems more South American. As for Vivek and Munmun, I am amused to observe that in 20 years, their relationship with each other hasn't changed. There is still this teasing, and at times childishly disparaging banter between the siblings. Nonetheless their strong bond with each other is obvious.

That night, I am treated to a comfy bed with an electric blanket and I have a good restful sleep.