Samuel Castaing/Travel + Leisure
I was about to get my head shaved.
I nodded, attempting to hide my fear.
Her gentle hands held a lock of my long, dark hair.
Christina Fang at the Dhutanga Insight Meditation Center outside of Bangkok.Credit:Samuel Castaing/Travel + Leisure
Before I said goodbyesnip, snip, snipit was gone.
A few tears welled, and I wondered, Am I going to be ugly now?
Then, with careful precision, another monk began shaving my head.
Christina getting her head shaved at the Dhutanga Insight Meditation Center.Samuel Castaing/Travel + Leisure
Once complete, my fingertips grazed my cold, naked scalp.
My monkhood only lasted two weeks; I couldnt fight my itching desire to explore Thailand.
Who knew my travels would land me on an HBO hit?
Some of the women at the spiritual sanctuary.Samuel Castaing/Travel + Leisure
My journey began at the Dhutanga Insight Meditation Center as a volunteer.
Before sunrise, Id wake to the sounds of chirping birds and croaking lizards.
Planting baby mango trees to blossom long after were gone.
With Charlotte Le Bon and Aimee Lou Wood from season 3 of The White Lotus.Christina Fang/Travel + Leisure
I traded my baggy meditation clothes for a little black dress and dove straight into chaotic nomad life.
Travelers come here seeking transformationwhether through serene spirituality or wild revelry.
Some find enlightenment in meditation halls; others, in the dizzying haze of a Khao San Road bender.
I found it in both.
Thailand exists in extremes.
Travelers come here seeking transformationwhether through serene spirituality or wild revelry.
Some find enlightenment in meditation halls; others, in the dizzying haze of a Khao San Road bender.
I found it in both.
Months later, I fell in love with Koh Phangan, an island split by these dualities.
One day, a WhatsApp message invited me to be an extra on an unnamed HBO show.
I was skeptical yet open to a new adventure.
In between takes, we bonded over card games and travel stories.
Spending 12 hours a day together, a camaraderie formed among a small group of us.
Whenever one of us got a close-up with an actor, the rest would silently cheer.
My shining star moment?
From the perspective of a lapsed meditation student and former monk, the depiction felt surprisingly accurate.
Most scenes we spent sweeping the grounds, meditating in groups, and studyingDharma.
The moment that felt off?
A scene where we ate a meal at nightbecause I know firsthand monks dont eat past noon.
Our last day of shooting flipped the script, so to speak.
We changed sets from a tranquil temple to a rowdy rager.
Fishermans Village Night Market was reborn as a tightly packed alley leading to Full Moon Party.
Dressed in pink cat ears and booty shorts, I pretended to party until we wrapped at 3 a.m.
But it was something outside myself that I fell in love with: the people.
The only Thai characters inThe White Lotuswork for the resort.
Hours passed with our eyes closed, legs folded in lotus position.
I started to battle my own eyelids, fighting the urge to open them and check the clock.
I wonder how many of us were actually meditatingand how many were just pretending.
LikeThe White Lotussuggests, the answer depends on the traveler.
