I have some sort of emotional/spiritual connection with elephants. I can't explain it but I've had it for years. The Thai Elephant Conservation Center (TECC) is an amazing place to be close to several Asian elephants.

I was there with other tourists from England, Australia, Spain, and Japan. We had a good time with each other and with our beloved pachyderms. The real mahouts didn't speak much English but Thai people are so fun and friendly that we all had a great time.

"My" elephant was a 27 year-old female named Pangkot. She has an independent spirit and a bit of a rebellious side in her. She is also a bad mother. She killed her first baby. Two years ago she gave birth to her second, AI, which was the first successful artificially inseminated birth in an Asian elephant (AI stands for artificial insemination, I guess it's like naming a naturally conceived baby "Copulation"). She rejected AI so her friend, Pumphuang, spent the last two years as surrogate mother.

I could go on and on and on about it. I really need to add captions to my photos but the internet connection here is so painfully slow. I visited the elephant hospital where I saw a 50 year-old female who was born with a malformed front left leg. I visited a 5 month old baby and watched her chase a kid around after trying to get bananas from her mom (who ate the whole bunch). I also met a male who was older, maybe one year but I don't know, who loved to play tug-of-war and try to pull people's arms into his mouth. He was quite the rambunctious little boy.

I have my mahout training certificate, some fun photos, and great memories. Maybe I'll go back someday for some more elephant love.