Henna Tattoos by venitha

Just when I was thinking that my toenails could probably use a break from constant polishing, a jaunt through Little India with my niece, nephew, and mother-in-law reminded me of an equally fun form of body decor: henna tattoos. Elizabeth and I opted for lower leg adornment; Matthew, for a tough scorpion on his bulging bicep. Marilyn, my mother-in-law, graciously declined in the face of awesome peer pressure.

Henna tattoos have the advantages of being cheaper and faster than pedicures and of being less painful and less permanent than real tattoos. The artist simply draws freehand on your body using a tube of thick liquid henna. Try not to rub against anything for the next half an hour, which is trickier than it sounds if you're in Little India and next to impossible if you're in Mustafa; then the henna is dry and starting to peel off, leaving behind a brown tattoo.

I doubt this will last until Jim and I go to India in just under six weeks, but it's sure a fun way to get into the right frame of mind. Who knows what other body parts I'll decorate while we're there; maybe I'll finally take my sister-in-law's advice and do a zipper tattoo below my 6-inch-long knee scar.

venitha