The Aeroflot flight from New Delhi to Moscow is full, so I get no sleep on the plane. The Aeroflot seats do have plenty of legroom — perhaps the most generous of any airline I have ever been on — so although there are two passengers between my window seat and the aisle, I don't feel squashed or cramped.
Avadhut Maharaj and two Ukrainian devotees — Mukunda Prabhu, the upcoming Ukrainian tour coordinator, and Vanamali Prabhu, the driver — are at the Moscow airport to welcome me when the plane lands at 10:00 a.m.
It is much cooler in Russia than it was in India. It was 26°C (79°F) at the New Delhi airport at midnight last night; it is 6°C (43°F) in Moscow at mid-morning. Mukunda Prabhu lends me his jacket. It's good to be back.
On the ride back to the city, Avadhut Maharaj fills me in on the latest schedule. He wants me to go to Saint Petersburg tomorrow to work with some of the devotees there on a multimedia/slide show for Srila Guru Maharaj's Vyasa Puja on Sunday. I will return to Moscow on Saturday morning.
Since it is almost lunchtime, we stop off at the Jagannath Express Restaurant. I get something from the salad bar while Avadhut Maharaj quickly whips up a tasty tofu preparation.
After lunch, Mukunda Prabhu and Vanamali Prabhu drive me over to the apartment next to the temple at the Autozavodskaya. I take a shower and a nap, and get ready for the evening program.
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