  We prove a tubular neighborhood theorem for an embedded complex geodesic
surface in a complex hyperbolic 2-manifold where the width of the tube depends
only on the Euler characteristic of the embedded surface. We give an explicit
estimate for this width. We supply two applications of the tubular neighborhood
theorem, the first is a lower volume bound for such manifolds. The second is an
upper bound on the first eigenvalue of the Laplacian in terms of the geometry
of the manifold. Finally, we prove a geometric combination theorem for two
Fuchsian subgroups of PU(2,1). Using this combination theorem, we
asymptotically bound (from above and below) the optimal width size of a tube
about an embedded complex geodesic surface.
