Today, I got my hand tatooed in henna! "When in India..." you just gotta do the things that look cool and this just looks cool. I have a video and pics of the process that I'll upload soon. I left my camera cord across town. Came home to hang at Lisa's again tonight. It's too much fun having a Boulder girl show you around her New Delhi digs and favorite places.
Henna Art, is an Indian custom, most often tied to a wedding tradition pretty much like a bachelorette party, of which is calleda Mehendi Celebration.
Mehendi or henna motif is not only the adoration of the bride it is meant to epitomize her transformation from a virgin girl to a temptress for her husband. As per Kama Sutra, henna is one of the sixty four arts of women.
Price of the artwork is the cost of Education!
The cost of streetwise education.... Apparently I paid way, way too much according to my native friends. They say I got ripped off by paying 400 Rs for something they would not pay more than 100 Rs for... and in most cases even 50Rs would be too much. It's 45 Indian Rupees to One Dollar. So I figure I paid about $9 for a cool looking hand. AND THAT was 1/2 of what the guy asked for! He charged me 800 Rs.. but I talked him down.
Lisa, who is an ex-pat here says, this is just the custom. This place is like negotiation central. Even the Taxi's are negotiable. You have to ASK FIRST what it costs and fortunately, I've been with people who live here, so I know what they pay and then when other drivers want to charge a higher rate, I tell them what I will give them, rather than what they ask for. The only thing you can't negotiate your way out of are public places, for example. The museum entry fee is 10 Rs for natives and 150 Rs for non-residents... a significant difference. Took my fine art and had a latte at Cafe Coffee Day.. kinda like the Starbuck's of India/Asia... good, but personally, no one makes a latte like they do in Italy! But Lisa and I sat outside and enjoyed the warm evening.. both being NEW to Cafe Coffee Day... pics, again.. on the way.
Monday I leave for Bangalore.
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