Monday, February 17

I walk past Abhi’s Café and down to the kiosk on the corner by the temple. I say hello to the woman who sells me bananas there, and then notice that right next to her I can see a man high up a tree. I watch for a moment and he waves to me.

Next to me an Englishman films and says into her phone “they say they are tidying up. Bollocks, I say. More idiotic vandalism, more like.” I say nothing.

Initially I think he intends to collect coconuts but then I notice he has chopped off a number of branches, while, in classic comedy style, sitting on the branch that will go next.

I photograph him up the tree.

When I come back this way I will see that he has felled several trees and another man has begun clearing all the years of deposited rubbish from the surrounding ground. This will continue all week, with the bottles, cans, wrappers, and so on, finding their way into gigantic plastic bags.

It turns out that tidying up has happened. Bollocks to you then.