I was poisoned by a tattoo artist.
Dear Wilson,
So I made the decision to get a tattoo. I have a strange fascination with Ganesha for some reason. (That is what my tattoo is.) Erica got a tattoo about a week before and the guys over there at the tattoo shop were super cool. I saw some of the owner, Tong's, work. He is extremely talented and detailed. It really got me thinking about getting one. Also the place has 500+ reviews with a perfect 5 star rating. It seemed like we just so happened to be at one of the best tattoo shops in the world. So I pondered the idea. Honestly the deciding factor was something Erica had told me. I never wanted a tattoo because they are permanent. That was my only reason and I was always scared I would change my mind one day. Erica said "It's like a page in a book, so it's like a story that you can look back on as a reminder". Or at least she said something very similar to that. So yes it's permanent but it just shows a story of your past. So I don't have to resent a good memory of a trip to Thailand with my family. How could that ever be a regret? So that is why I changed my mind along with being in the right place at the right time. It just seemed like the right thing to do.
So that's it, I booked the appointment for this tattoo. Not just a small insignificant tattoo that most people would get as a trial run. I got a 14 hour "install" lol. Yes 14 hours of torture is what I signed up for. In case you have seen the tattoo and are wondering why in the fuck I would choose this, here is my reasoning.
Ganesha is a Hindu and Buddhist god. He represents prosperity, wisdom, remover of obstacles , and gives protection, along with a bunch of other things depending on what you read.
Ganesha is my favorite god of any deity from a symbolic standpoint and it's very popular in Thailand.
Ganesha is also an elephant which is my favorite animal and sums up Thailand very nicely as a bonus.
The broken tusk represents overcoming hard times or setbacks.
The cards represent taking risks, going for things when you think you have an edge, and also dealing with whatever "cards life deals to you." You are dealt a hand and it's your job to play it correctly or to the best of your ability. I chose 2 Aces because the artist wanted detail and he suggested 3 cards. 3 cards made no sense to me so I chose 2 like hole cards in poker. Aces are obviously the best cards if I can only have 2. It also kind of represents that sometimes you have high hopes for the cards you are dealt in a scenario just like aces in a poker game and things don't always go the way they "should". Aces very much depict that in a poker hand with high hopes and big disappointment sometimes. The artist asked what suits and I honestly just chose the spade and heart to represent my favorite 2 card games with friends. That is Spades and Hearts.
The endless knot is tied in with the globe. I wanted something that represented global unity and oneness. I believe that we are all part of something much bigger than we see and I'm not a fan of segregation or thinking of people in other countries as lesser human beings. So to represent global unity I chose the endless knot which is a Buddhist symbol and that goes nicely with Ganesha as well as the globe. We are all just one part of a whole and we should treat others as such.
The broken chains represent breaking away from religion and the hold it once had on me. It represents freedom of thought and new beginnings after breaking the bindings I originally had through religion. I'm glad to be free from mental oppression that comes with religion.
It is a black and white tattoo because I didn't want color. However, there are gemstones in the tattoo. The round ones represent Pearls. (Cali's birthstone) The oval ones represent Amethyst. (Chloe's birthstone) The square ones represent Emeralds. (Brandt's birthstone)
So on the first day I was supposed to get the majority of the tattoo completed and just have a few hours the next day. Well, that was the "plan" at least. The plan didn't go as we expected though. About 2 hours into my tattoo, the artist asked if I wanted some tea to help relax me for the long duration of the tattoo today. I asked what kind of tea makes you relax? He said they sold it next door and it was a Kratom infused tea. I told him I would think about it and let him know. After a while we took a break and the artist left. He came back with tea for me. Well shit, now I feel bad if I don't drink it. He paid out of his own pocket for me to have this tea. So…. Yeah, I drank it. About 30 minutes later I felt a little funny but no big deal. About 2 hours after that I started to get very nauseous. Then all of a sudden I had to ask him to stop the tattoo immediately. I jumped off the table and ran for the bathroom to puke. Well, that was embarrassing… I came back about 10 minutes later thinking it's time to go home. He asked me to please stay because he really needed to finish a section. I agreed to stay till about 10:00 pm which was another hour. At 10:05 he was about to finish up and again I had to run to the bathroom to puke. Talk about misery. Large tattoos are bad enough but add on nausea and a very determined artist that wants you to stay regardless and that's not a very fun event. After the 2nd time he agreed we should end the session. After all it was kind of his fault for poisoning me without exactly getting my consent. I went home again and was puking. Straight to bed for me after that.
The next day I got up and felt fine. Just had to get the poison out of my body lol. Day 2 was better without the nausea but fuck, tattoos hurt on day 2. Very sore from day one and still had a 7+ hour session to endure. I honestly thought it was NEVER going to end.
Finally he said "done". What a relief haha. 14 hours of millions of needles. So fun… I will say the finished product was extremely impressive. So much detail. It's honestly the coolest tattoo I've ever seen. Good thing because it's on my right shoulder FOREVER…
Today has been a week since I got the tattoo and I have no regrets other than that fucking tea… Thanks Tong. Moral of the story. Don't ingest drugs from strangers. I will never try Kratom again for the rest of my life.
In the end, it's worth it. I really like the "story" I have stamped on my body. I don't see myself getting another one anytime soon. However, we will be in Africa in a few months. It would be pretty cool to get a tattoo in Africa but definitely just an idea. I probably won't do it. So that's my tattoo story and my reasoning for getting it!