The Girls Go Shopping, India-style

We're still in Varanasi, with tickets to hop back on the train today for our nearly three day train ride. We arrive in Goa on Wednesday night. Does anyone want to give me a tranquilizer shot? I'm all run out of upbeat and perky, too old and tired for a three day train ride with four kids. I'd love to sleep the whole thing off, but I suppose then we'd need to tranquilize the children, as well, and there would be all sorts of issues with that.

Anyhow. We're still here, and last week my wonderful friend Leaf came up with a plan to take the YaYa sister out and bling her up, Varanasi-style.

That means razzle and dazzle.

(I'm picking up all sorts of words from these Aussie friend of ours. One of our favorite things to do is sit around and figure out all the different words the Aussies use that we've never heard before. And vice versa.)

I tagged along. And YaYa was happy to have me tag along. I was shameless in inviting myself. Lose out on seeing the YaYa sister turned into a princess? No way.

We walked into Vishwanath Gully, a wonderful gully filled with bangles and razzle dazzle as well as Indian sweets and candies.

We went to a little place that Leaf had in mind.

And we found a suit that YaYa liked. She's SO finished with pink, she says. It only took about five years to overdose.

Now THIS is a bangle shop.

This place was part of Leaf's plan, because here the men took the dress and matched a set of bangles to it. SO fun to watch.

And the transformation was complete. A princess.

Thanks to Auntie Leaf.

I love the bangles. And YaYa's serious pose. I just love this girl, this place, and Auntie Leaf's generous, fun-loving heart.