Campfire songs Chapter 23

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Chapter 23

Friday finally arrived and we were off. I had been to Spain a few times, Cattle Class, of course. This the first time I was travelling long haul and Business Class to boot. Business Class is so much better than economy, I think I actually enjoyed the longer flight. It wasn't about getting where you wanted to go, this was travelling in style. I was pampered by the staff, and was able to lie my chair almost flat. I am not that big to begin with, so covered with 3 supplied blankets, I had a wonderful sleep. The surgery was scheduled for the following Friday. We figured we would do the active stuff before. After my SRS I probably would not be up to much.

We initially stayed at the Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort. It was a beautiful hotel, better than anything I had been in before. Tracy was an avid user of Tripadvisor and was more interested in other people's reviews than the price of the stay and this hotel had scored highly. It was slightly away from the busiest areas but provided a ferry up the river to a more central location. The ferry ride itself was a peaceful experience. They also provided a sunset cruise with dinner, which we tried another night and it was glorious. The hotel also provided a night time entertainment of Thai dancers along with a buffet.

Most of the time, however, we spent sightseeing. Lots of Temples and the Royal Palace. My favourite was the day trip to Ayutthaya. All that is left of a once great city is temple remains, some of which was desecrated when the city was destroyed. And yet, there is a weight of history to the place. It was eerie, but not in a nasty way. I felt a sadness, a disappointment, a peacefulness. It really made an impression. Something pictures could never convey.

The time passed quickly and there was so much to do, I didn't think too much about what was coming. It would pop up in my mind, to be forgotten when another distraction focussed my mind elsewhere. Then all of a sudden we were packing to fly to Koh Samui, where the Hospital and our next resort was located. The hospital was part hospital and part resort, so that you could have your surgery and recovery in the same place.

We were booked in for a week and then were moving to another hotel on the island. I would then return once per week for a check up and more hair removal, as I had chosen some permanent hair removal as an optional extra. It wasn't just for SRS. All kinds of cosmetic surgery, done in secrecy, by truly expert doctors with amazing after service. They were also pioneering new techniques that were cutting edge. Mine was a fairly standard SRS. Dilation was still necessary but less frequent and for less time than the original versions.

It was a painful week. The operation was a success, but sometimes it didn't feel that way. I had to keep my mind on the end goal. Knowing the pain was temporary, it was all going to get better. Having Tracy there was a godsend. How anyone could go through that alone was beyond me. By the end of the week the pain was much more manageable and only really noticeable with certain movements. Dilation was still a chore, not pleasant in any way. Since it mimics a sexual act, I was sort of hoping that it would become more pleasant as time went by. Maybe a lot of time would need to go by for that to be the case. I left my newly formed clitoris alone to heal. As it began to heal, I have to admit I liked the sleek look of it all. For as long as I can remember I have been attracted to women, so it didn't surprise me too much that I liked how I now looked. I left the hospital with a letter from the doctor saying that I had a vaginal hysterectomy, to explain my lack of cervix to a gynaecologist. It was also recommended that I take the pill. My body naturally produced high levels of female hormones. But that was for a man. For a woman, I was on low normal, so a top up was suggested.

We moved on to our final destination. The Tongsai Bay Resort. We had this wonderful room with a balcony overlooking the sea and a big bath, which somehow was still private. We were supplied with flowers to add to our bath along with beautifully scented bath salts. We were taken to our room on a golf buggy. The resort was hilly and built without cutting down any major trees, working with the existing environment. We could walk to the pool and sea or restaurants, or we could call for the golf buggy and were encouraged to do so. When we went down to the pool, rather than choosing a sun bed, we chose where we wanted to be and they brought the sun bed to us, put 2 towels carefully to completely cover the luxurious cushion and a 3rd towel to dry ourselves after getting wet. If that didn't blow my mind enough with the level of service they then left us with a flag. I was wondering what on earth I needed a flag for so I asked. You want a drink or food, just wave the flag and someone will come out to you. Unbelievable.

Steph wasn't joining us until the 26th December and by the time she arrived I was mostly better. Not that I did much. I swam everyday and slowly built up the number of reps. Tracy and I did our Tai Chi forms and I went through my Aikido kata's. For Chirstmas presents we went shopping. Tracy hired a consultant who flew in from Bangkok and I tried on so many different clothes and insisted that Tracy did the same. In the end, we both had great fun. Laughing at some of the choices that were so wrong for us and getting excited when something just worked. My hair extensions were done almost straight away along with my ear piercings when we first arrived in Bangkok, so my ears were mostly healed now and gave Tracy the opportunity, as she called it, to buy me some decent jewellery. There were a few times the amount of money she was spending on me did get to me, but I tried my best not to let Tracy know and just enjoy it. She was clearly having a ball spending it, so I didn't want to diminish her fun. Having Steph join us, just gave us more chances. Steph was a lot more hesitant, but I took her aside and asked her to let it go and watch carefully how much fun Tracy was having. I think she got it, because if it bothered her again, she hid it well.

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Comments

Memories

Christina H's picture

I remember so well waking up after the op and the chore of dilating you have it perfectly the short term pain is well worth the long term gain.

I am loving this quirky story its told sensitively and with compassion long may it continue.

Christina

"Steph was a lot more hesitant"

WillowD's picture

It's hard for most of us to let others spend significant money on us, even if they obviously enjoy doing it.

Other shoe

Jamie Lee's picture

Events are going rather too smoothly, the operation went well, they've enjoyed their time, and Tracy has enjoyed spending her money on someone in need of help.

Buutt...with things running smoothly the blade is hanging in the air, ready to fall.

Others have feelings too.