They first smeared oil on our hands and then applied the paste. Once it was dry we dabbed a mixture of lemon juice and sugar over the top to help it stick to the skin a little longer and thus darken the end result. When it was time to wipe the paste off, about an hour later, we used mustard seed oil to scrape it off. The longer you can avoid contact with water immediately after removing the henna paste, the darker it will go. It starts as a bright orange when first removed and deepens to a warm brown over the next 24 hours.
If you decide to get similarly decorated while here, ask around about how much it should cost. Some volunteers got their mehndi done at the market and paid ₹500 ($8.50) for one hand, while those of us who had it done at the house paid ₹300 ($5.10) for both hands.
Saturday was a day I had been waiting for. It was finally our tour of the Taj Mahal! We had to be up and ready by 6am. It was a three hour drive to Agra where we stopped and had breakfast and met our guide. From the restaurant we drove closer to the Taj and then had to take a smaller, open air bus to the gate.
We walked through the very crowded gate, dodging the occasional photographer who seemed to think the sweaty foreigners were more exciting than the glorious monument we were at...
Interestingly, the legend of a black marble Taj Mahal that was never completed seems to be a myth, unsupported by any archeological evidence. The black stones found on the opposite bank of the river have been shown to be discoloured white stones.
After our tour of the Taj we we're taken for lunch followed by a bit of shopping and then we started the long drive back.