Time for a Tattoo
You never know what the night will bring
The moment had arrived. Ashley and I were walking to Master’s Tattoo so she could get a triangle glyph on the back of her tricep right above the elbow.
The forty minute walk offered us an opportunity to further familiarize ourselves with the city of Chiang Mai.
Streets that were packed with vendors and people pushing past one another during the Sunday Walking Market look like any other road tonight.
Schools and malls that were foreign 10 days ago now serve as our landmarks. This familiarity offers the opportunity to notice new details and the courage to branch out even further.
We turn down a new road, Google tells us we are 100 meters from our destination (converting to metric hasn’t been burdensome — for me at least).
Ashley excitedly leads us into Master’s, but we quickly scurry back out when we realize we forgot to take our shoes off before entering. Still getting used to the nuances of that custom.
Upon our second arrival, we are informed that there is a two hour wait. Ashley fills out a form and we hit the streets, excited to kill two hours.
After walking through an art gallery with jaw-dropping prices, we happened upon The Mickey & Bunny Cafe.
Seated at the center table, which was also an aquarium, we sip on local Thai beers and listened to 60's classics.
Apparently we look friendly, because an American stationed in Thailand for work strikes up conversation with us. He recommends a few clubs and raves about Cambodia. He told us Angkor Wat is a must see.
Given that we’ve received this exact recommendation twice in the last 4 days, we are officially adding Siem Reap to our list. Our beers cost 110 baht total (~$3USD), we pay and leave.
5 more minutes of walking brought us to an organic food restaurant. We treated ourselves to some healthy hydration to balance out the booze. Wheatgrass for Ashley, juice for Aaron.
Once hydrated, we‘ve effectively eaten and drank two hours away so we walk back to the tattoo parlor.
Ashley’s tattoo takes about 15 minutes. On the other side of the parlor, a Slavic guy is wincing as he is getting a sleeve on his arm. It’s his second day here, and he’ll have to come back a third time, too.
“You can’t beat these prices,” he mutters.
The two artists were extremely professional, each with over 10 years experience in the field. We observed them take great care in their cleanliness and preparation throughout the process.
The triangle glyph was completed in less than 15 minutes. Ashley loves her tattoo.
We exit Master’s and plunge back into a Chiang Mai night.
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