Darth Vadar Comes to Phuket!!!

Along with missing the summer tour of Dave Matthews Band one of the things I thought I was going to miss was seeing Anakin transform into Darth Vader. Well I didn’t have to worry too much because as it turns out, the whole world is just as crazy for Star Wars as we are (OK they don’t dress the parts here). And Darth, Yoda, Obi Wan and the rest of the gang were coming to me. Only if I were so lucky with Dave Matthews…
So I decided to put together a little trip to Phuket. There were 15 of us that wanted to go and 11 fit in the van so 4 had to hitch to Phuket. The trip was about 150 Kilometers so it took awhile to get there but we had great company.
We got there about 40 minutes before the movie and we decided to get something to eat. I was at the Pizza Hut with one of the guys and the food was taking forever. I had flashbacks to my twelfth birthday and going to see Return of the Jedi. I was so excited to see the last movie and we got there 20 minutes late just as Yoda dies. I cried my eyes out!!!
Just as I was about to throw a tantrum in the Thai Pizza Hut my dish came. I wolfed it down and ran upstairs to the theater.
Whew… I made it as I sat down with the 14 other people. The people that hitched had made it in good time and were there too.
Now the Thai people have an interesting custom… Before each movie they play a tribute to the King of Thailand. The King is very respected by all the people in the country. In fact most of the people have a gilded framed photo of the King and the Queen in their homes. So this tribute before the movie is usually a photo montage of the King set to music. Everyone must stand during this montage. This is one of the things I love about this land and people – It’s devotion to their leader and the leaders devotion to his people. I can’t help but wonder what things in the U.S. would be like if we held that respect for the President. I don’t mean anyone in particular – but the position of President. I also wonder if we will ever witness a time when respect and good intentions are the driving factors in the decision making of our people and not ulterior and selfish motives. If we elect people like that I think someday we will have a shot of putting another President on currency.
Sorry… I digress. Back to the theater!!! Seeing the green Lucas Film logo coming up and the fanfare at the big yellow “STAR WARS: Episode III” made me nervous, excited, anxious, eager, nostalgic and saddness all at once. This was it. This is the last one. 30 years down to one 2 hour movie and I already knew the ending… sorry to ruin it for those who haven’t yet seen it, but yes, Anakin Skywalker does become Darth Vader. I know it may be shocking to some.