Diwali has started, and our landlord came and put up some lanterns for us.

He also brought us some sweets (my mouth found the plate before my camera did).

At the start of Diwali we started seeing people building these papier mache dudes by the side of the road, then we were driving into Arambol one night and heard a big PA (my bass sense was tingling) and crowds of people. There were loads of the papier macher dudes and they had strings attached that could move their heads and arms and swords and whatever. They were playing what sounded like 70s Sci Fi film soundtracks over this tinny PA and the whole thing felt like the bit at the end of the Power Rangers when all the big monsters fight.

Later that night they all drove out of Arambol, with the music playing at full volume. A slightly more familiar tradition was celebrated on the 5th November.