eTNGife
THAILAND
Their Wheels Offer Maximum Abrasion Resistance, High Load Bearing
Capacity And Energy Absorption Up To 30mph.
which locks up or down in a snap.
Going through an airport can often
make you feel as if you're
moving at 30mph. That's why
the Tumi Wheel-A-Ways® use
in-line skate wheels. They'll
And like all Tumi
products, we're so confident
in our Wheel-A-Ways, we
guarantee* them for life.
perform over hundreds of
miles for even the most
hurried travellers. Also
At Tumi, we're not
reinventing the wheel.
Just the luggage.
designed to go the
distance is our sturdy handle,
Ditto.
fait
!Bail
29815 Northwester'n Hwy. • Applegate Square • (248) 357-1800
'Guarantee details available in store.
FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Give Her or Him A Gift Certificate
From Mira Linder ..
gw
A
A
They Will Love Every Moment!
t Mira Linder, we helped create the
idea of the spa in the city.
Here, you may check in for anything from a
half hour to a full day, and enjoy everything
from an expert manicure to a luxurious "Day
at the spa-Plus"® (which consists of practically
every beauty experience known to women.)
And our Mira Linder Spa in the City Beauty,
Body Care and Make-Up Collections have
won rave notices from beauty authorities
and national magazines.
Call us for an appointment anytime.
TM
SPA IN THE CITY
29935 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, Michigan 48034
Phone: (248) 356-5810 or 1-800-321-8860
Fax: (248) 356-7650
from page 25
a serene oasis for trav-
elers fatigued by fren-
zied rounds of sight-
seeing and shopping.
But once back
home, it is the gra-
cious, even-tempered
nature of the Thai
people that most -trav-
elers remember, a spir-
it that was reflected
more than a century
ago by their offer to
send elephants to help
Riding elephants through the jungle is a favorite adventure President Lincoln dur-
ing the Civil War.
of travelers.
Summing up the
national character, Dr.
Suvit Yodmani, an environmental
sauna and various other luxury treat-
official, says Thais remain tolerant
ments at Bangkok's Oriental Hotel,
and polite even under today's
the storied retreat of such authors as
Joseph Conrad, Somerset Maugham,
mounting pressures.
"When we get stuck in traffic, we
Graham Greene, John LeCarre and
don't sound our horns," he observes.
James Michener. A short ferry shuttle
"We use our cellular phones." ❑
across the river, the hotel's Oriental
Spa, with private, teak-wood suites, is
TALKIN' THAI
Don't leave home without learning these three
words and their meaning.
66
ow," "wat" and "wai" are three key words to know when trav-
eling in Thailand.
Wat? Going to temple takes on new meaning in this color-
ful, California-sized nation where an estimated 95 percent of
the population is Buddhist. Chances are you'll visit at least one of the more
than 30,000 wats or temples — that grace the landscape and are an inte-
gral part of daily life in Bangkok and beyond.
With eye-popping golden domes, multi-tiered roofs and mosaic-encrusted
serpents in a rainbow of colors, these elaborate wat complexes gleam in the
tropical sunshine and are guaranteed to gobble film faster than you can say:
Wai: This palms-together, over-the-heart Thai greeting, offered with head
bowed and knees slightly bent, is graciously extended by a gentle, proud peo-
ple who have remained historically free of foreign rule. Nowhere else in the
world will you receive such accommodating service or see faces melt so easily
into radiant, thousand-watt smiles.
How!, said in a commanding, no-nonsense tone, comes in handy when
you're riding through a northern jungle, high atop an elephant -- especially
when your mahout, or trainer, scrambles down the animal's trunk and slips
away for a smoke.
There you are, pitching from side to side in the "driver's seat," a boxy
wooden chair called a howdah. Only a flimsy rope stretched across your ply-
wood perch separates you from the jungle floor 20 feet below.
Vines tickle your face and leaves rake your hair as the mammoth beast
lumbers along the muddy trail. When the elephant begins descending
toward the river, it's time to brace your dangling legs on his broad, hairy
shoulders and shout, "How!" — the Thai equivalent of "Stop!"