Hello All,
What can I say about mid tour? Even now, I feel a certain rush of emotion when it crosses my mind, and I haven’t been home very long at all.
Despite some last-minute troubles that left us wishy-washy on whether or not my love would actually meet me in our planned location, Green Lantern did make it late in the evening on the very same day that I arrived in Phuket, Thailand. It was here, in the tropical, hot and humid climate that we made our home for two weeks, blissfully unaware of the world’s problems. For those days, it didn’t matter. I had what I had been aching for.
Green Lantern planned this whole trip. I was take myself dutifully to the airport closest to our home and allow myself to be whisked away to Asia. I can admit I was nervous… but he planned for that. In fact, he made it fool-proof. He booked the plane ticket… he booked the hotel… he even booked and paid for the cab that would take me from the airport to the hotel to wait for his arrival. Sitting in the Frankfurt airport, it was impossible for me to focus. It was a whole day of travel… practically two until I would see my Lantern, but knowing that all I had to do was get on a plane… it was exhilarating.
Seeing him… it was magical. I had a vague recollection of high school; I was overcome with those nerves that set the butterflies fluttering in your stomach. I almost couldn’t believe that he was real. Even now, the memory of that first touch and first kiss is the strongest memory I have of the vacation. It was what made it all real, and took away the dreamlike state.
We had a late dinner at the restaurant in our hotel, completely unable to stop touching. It was as if we were afraid the fantasy would melt away if our hands let go of each other, and we would again wake up in separate, but lonely beds. I didn’t want him to disappear. Looking back, I still have a little bit of the surreal quality veiled over the whole time. Did it really happen? Or did I finally miss him so much that I dreamed the whole thing?
When I woke up the next morning with Green Lantern snuggled into my back, I wanted to cry I was so happy. We spent many of our days in Thailand (when we were not on the scuba boat) at the beach. Our hotel had a free shuttle to Nai Harn beach, which we took the very first day. The beach was beautiful, nestled in a pretty little cove. We laid on beach chairs, waded and played in the water, and wandered in and out of the little shops along the edge. The best part was the fact that it was not overly crowded, like some of the other beaches we wandered across. We visited this beach many times, and every time it was perfect.
Our first night out we spent in Patong Beach, and found our way down Bangla Road. The night life on this part of the island was CRAZY, with bars and clubs galore, plus street vendors and shopping everywhere. In fact, there were many nights we came back to this beach for the wonderful food they had to offer. The nicest Hard Rock Cafe that Green Lantern and I have ever been to resides right in the heart of Patong beach. Not only that, but a wonderful steakhouse (In which I had the best burger of my life) and a fantastic mexican restaurant. It’s hard to pass that up!
Three days after we arrived in Phuket, we started the process of our next great adventure: scuba diving. On our honeymoon, Green Lantern and I had done a little intro-to-scuba dive in the Bahamas. It was a nice little introduction, and it definitely wet my Lantern’s interest. I, however, had discovered a few problems, and was slightly less keen than him on the idea. Green Lantern was so excited though, and I couldn’t take that away from him. I got some Sudafed to try to help my equalization problem with my ears, and jumped it. The first day, which was composed of mostly classes, and some skills in the swimming pool at the faculty. The course was fairly straightforward, and we learned and reviewed the basics that we had been given well over a year ago. I struggled a bit more than my Lantern, especially with the weight of the equipment, and regulating my breathing so I didn’t rise underwater. By the end of the day, I was sore and frustrated, and Green Lantern was energized and excited.
The next two days were spent on a Thai boat with a bunch of other divers. Our instructor, who I am going to credit as perfectly sarcastic for us, and wonderfully patient with me and all my problems, dived with us 6 times in those two days. The sites ranged mostly around Racha Noi, Phi Phi Islands, and a place called Shark Point. The first dive off the boat, I will admit I got nervous. Standing on the boat, in all of my equipment, holding on to Green Lantern just so I could keep my balance, I was not particularly anxious to get in the water, but I jumped anyway. As I let the air out of my BCD unit and started to sink, I was greeted fairly quickly with a sharp pain in my ears. So I had stop and clear. Of those dives in the first two days, Green Lantern and the instructor both sank a lot faster than me. However, by the end of the first day, I had learned how to keep myself level, regulate my level in the water with my breathing, and mastered the skills. I learned that I hated currents when our instructor and Green Lantern would swim into it…. and I would just stay swimming in one place. On the second day, I was able to enjoy more of what I was seeing. I did develop a certain love for the quiet, and an interest in the fish and animals we were seeing. The reefs were among the most beautiful things I have see in my life. Something about what is going on deep beneath the surface of the waves, the mystery of this whole other world so close, but so far from us, is just exhilarating. We saw all kinds of creatures, including, much to my Lantern’s excitement, black tip sharks in the waters around us. I still won’t go as far as to say that I get the kick out of it that Green Lantern does, but I was learning to love it. After this three-day set, we were certified open water scuba divers.
After this, I insisted we take on some activities on dry land. This led to full day trek of amazing proportions in the Phuket Rainforest. We spent the day elephant trekking, traveling through the forest, and canoeing down the river. I don’t think I had ever been so amazed. It was beautiful, it was exciting, and it was the opportunity of a lifetime. We were “lucky” enough, according to our tour guide, to get the only male elephant in the camp. The elephant wrangler (for lack of a better term) even let us get out of the chair and ride on the head and neck of the elephant that Green Lantern affectionately named Steve. It hit me on the back of that elephant that this is the kind of thing that other people dream about… and here I was, with the man I love, doing it. From there, we moved onto the canoeing which took us through a more up close and personal view of the rainforest. The landscape was gorgeous and looked like those exotic, National Geographic kind of prints that I had only ever seen in magazines.
Even after all of the traveling Green Lantern and I have done, and knowing that there are still more exciting and wonderful places to fill our time on the horizon, I can’t help but still be amazed by the world around me, and all that there is to see. It truly is a blessing to be married to a Super Hero/Military man. Sometimes it’s a lot harder than it should be, but the wonderful rewards outweigh it all. I have the love and devotion of a courageous and fantastic man. I have learned that my capacity to love is vast, because I never thought I would ever love anyone the way I love my Lantern. At this point in our trip, I was sure I had never been so blessed in my life.
Well, I do believe that’s enough ranting for one post. 🙂 Tune in for the second part of our vacation in Thailand in the next blog.
All the best,
BG
Batgirl and Green Lantern 