Mehndi - Check!

One of the things I wanted to have done was to get some "henna" done. I now know that henna actually refers to the plant but Mehndi is the application of henna to the skin. My pals and I set out to find someone to decorate our limbs at one of the bazaars we had been to. Locals told us that Soarojini Nagar (the market I bought my first pairs of shoes) was the place to be. When we arrived, it was crazy!!! There were people everywhere. It was so crowded, we couldn't find the Mehndi guy! After asking several vendors, we found him, right in the middle of the market (right by a garbage can, I might add) doing his work. We each had something done (picture posted at right). While being decorated with henna, some of the vendors literally picked up their tables and quickly left the market - in fact, it was quite a stir! We asked what was happening, apparently, those that just have the wooden tables (pieces of plywood with a cloth over them sitting on a neatly stacked pile of bricks in each of the corners) are there illegally. About 10 minutes later, here they came back to sell their wares! My henna application probably only took about 10 minutes, it didn't take long at all. They worked so quickly and the whole thing was free-hand. If you look at my picture, I have a peacock and a fish - very fun!

We decided to tour some of the rest of the market. We looked ridiculous as we were walking as if we had just had our nails done - we didn't want anyone to bump into us and ruin our designs. Besides, the henna will stain clothes just like it stains skin. We were trying to be cautious, not everyone felt the need. Taking the advice of the artist, we purchased some Vicks to rub on after the paste dried. Supposedly it was to help the color. I can't comment on if it worked or not, but I sure smelled like I had a cold.

Today we plan to sit by the pool. I finally found a place where I can buy goggles so I can do some swimming. I'd like to get some laps in. After that, we'll do some last minute shopping as one of my colleagues leaves for home today. We may try and squeeze in a visit to a Sikh Temple (aka Gurdwara) here in Delhi. We'll see how it goes.....

Three Mondays done, three more to go.....