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WHERE ELEPHANTS ENJOY AN ANCIENT RELATIONSHIP Flish-splasli,
lw*s
takin'a batlr*but it
PACK IT steelv looks
+construction Tow this on your next
trip:
a chic-and-compact carry-on that boasts
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@ ##f* minum in
the handle. Tough stuff.
This hard-sided case can take a serious beating. And it looks good. Glide (it has 360"-swivel wheels, of course) one of the new lightweight and super-stylish Tumi Tegra-Lite luggage pieces with you on your nextCME event/adventure. ]et-setting indeed. -B.9lixl tumi.com
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wa$n't on a $aturday nishl..{aSolsgies is Bobhy EarinI. It was mtually a wednes* day afternoon, and, as they do every day right after lunch at S}e Tltai fiephant esnsarlrati$fi Centre, the ffirahouts led their elephan*s d*urr lo the river for their daily bathlwater-tight. At lsast it sure lsokee* iike
water-fight And everyoneelepftants, mafiouts snd visitcrs*seemsd to he havi*$ a gcod, if s*mewl'la'i wet, tim*, Although Thais and ei*phants have a iong-standing relatia*ship dating baek ta thr aneient kings of Siam, for rnany cf &* crntre's elephants, life was net always so hunky-elory. At one point, most d*a
mesiic elephants in Thaila*d wsrked in the country's iegging indusky; howevar, when the Thai government pla*ed a camplete ban on all c*mmercial lcgging is tr989, the elephants and their mahouts (the individuals resFo$sihle lot training and working with the
etephantsi wer* essentially out oi work. ftather than seil tieffi all off tc private swners sr cull them, the government set up this certrs near the northrve$ter* *ity nf f;hiang Mai to kcep them wsrkins, happy attd
at the gifi sltops. As well as previdinU homes lsr the 50 ale$ilants thfft l;vâ‚Ź
heal{hy. I was amazed by their trunks' versatility; sne iliinute thry $sed strerlgth ts ha*l huEe logs around, the next rni*ut*, the limbs'dexterity camr inte play, painting a picture. PaintiqS is not their snly artistic skill; they play music an a series of hollour barnboc slslks" They also rnake wonde*uf sachyderm wat*r pistels, and gave us a quick prelude of
what to expeet after luneh. Atter the demos, a {eut remained behind, and we had a chance tu leed ihem treats. A t*w iimes, trw*sn't guick enough and I felt two or three srcall trunks grahbing my lingers for the same treat! Tha centre alse recycles elephant dung inta paper, helping censerve lorests. Products made frsm the paper are sold
For more info about lhe cente, visit thailandelephantorg, and lourism Thailand, go to