Secret Royalty On Tour

I walked in from a quiet side street into the modest Vat That Luang temple today thinking I was just going to watch a ceremony.

But in a glorious twist of fate, I was the only one that showed so the ceremony was for me.

It was a Baci Blessing – a Lao ritual to call back the guardian spirits (kwan) that live inside us, restore balance and bring good fortune. It’s believed that when those spirits wander, we feel off-balance. The ceremony invites them home. And somehow, today, all of this was being gifted to me.

Seven people took part: six women and one man, each solemnly tying a white string around both of my wrists – each knot a tiny, improbable blessing.

The man, the Mor Phon, quietly led the proceedings. He lit candles, waved flowers and chanted in Pali. The women followed. Threads were tied; wishes whispered. Reverence wrapped around all of us – and both of my wrists.

The ceremony lasted less than an hour. Afterwards we shared a small plate of rice and coconut sweets, deep-fried crunchy rice cake and bananas. Then I was given a choice: take the incredible marigold pyramid home or make an offering to the Buddha. I made the offering.

And then – because the afternoon wasn’t quite surreal enough – two kittens strolled through the temple. No one blinked. No one remarked. They padded past, perfectly at home in this blessed, sacred space.

I left with so much gratefulness. For the life I’ve made. For the humans I seem to attract into my world – unplanned, unearned and secretly? A little bit royal.