On the way home I bought a mud mask from that froofy store I like. The mud is Fuller’s Earth, this dirt from Pakistan that women have been using for ages as a beauty treatment.

I read that the Taj Mahal was looking grubby from all the pollution, so the caretakers imported truckloads of Fuller’s Earth and coated the Taj with it, let it sit, and sprayed it off. Voila, a bright, spanking white, clean Taj Mahal.

That night I walked along the seaside and saw all the Ganpati pujas, which I mentioned earlier. It is fun having all the carnival like stuff going on all around. I like unexpectedly seeing groups of people dancing and jumping around with drums, or wandering the shore with plaster elephants. Keeps you on your toes.