My tattoo experience of getting a sak yant in Chiang Mai, Thailand
The sweet fragrance of incense drifted across the open-air room, slowly burning inside a Buddhist shrine tucked away in the corner.
The faint sound of chickens rustling through the dirt yard filtered in between the distant motorbike traffic on a rural road on the outskirts of Chiang Mai.
All around me statues and wall hangings decorated the studio, emblazoned with scripture and teachings in Buddhism. The kaleidoscope of ornaments created a colourful and humbling environment, shrouded in peaceful ambiance.
I, however, noticed none of it. I was transfixed in the moment, my eyes closed, all thoughts vacant as the steady tapping of a needle broke the skin on my back.
Behind me Ajarn Rung, a master tattoo artist donning the traditional orange robes of a monk, etched the mixed Sanskrit, Khmer, Thai, and Burmese characters of a Buddhist mantra onto my shoulder blade.
Breathing deeply I focused not on the pain, but on the spiritual episode that I had found myself in, getting my second authentic sak yant tattoo in Chiang Mai.
The idea of getting tattooed by a monk has captured the imagination of travellers to Southeast Asia for decades.
It has become commonplace to encounter hordes of backpackers on the banana pancake trail sporting these phenomenal “bamboo tattoos”.
In 2014 I travelled to Wat Bang Phra, a large temple complex outside of Bangkok, and received a sak yant from the famous Ajarn Luang Pi Nunn. This renowned tattoo master has been inking Thais for years and steadily growing in popularity amongst foreigners.
My journey to Wat Bang Phra and the subsequent tattoo I received from Ajarn Luang Pi Nunn was an incredible experience and something I will never forget.
Yet with no ability to communicate with him and a lack of understanding from the whole ceremony, I felt like I missed out on a deeper appreciation of what was involved.
Two and a half years later, after traversing Asia without taking a single flight and exploring some of Europe’s most fascinating sights, Alesha and I found ourselves back in Thailand.
Having always used tattoos to immortalise my travel experiences, I was ready to be inked again.
My fondness for indigenous and traditional art has lasted for years, and since my first experience had been so amazing, I couldn’t wait to get another sak yant tattoo in…
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