Sak yant bamboo tattoo
By way of taxi, van, bus, and finally a rickety motorbike for three, I traveled from exhaustingly chaotic Bangkok to peaceful Wat Bang Phra, Thailand, questing for a magical sak yant tattoo. This wasn’t just any tattoo—it was a traditional bamboo tattoo administered inside a temple by a Buddhist monk continuously tapping the end of a long pole to puncture the skin in a chosen design. However, the choice wasn't mine. Not only did the monk decide where the tattoo would go on my body, but he chose what design to give me. I received a Hah Taew design on my left shoulder blade, which displays five rows of magical spells for protection, good luck, love, fortune, and success, all sealed with the monk's blessing.