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Gastric sleeve surgery: before, during and after

Gastric sleeve surgery is the new kid on the block of weight loss surgery. Gastric sleeve surgery is normally done before a patient can receive gastric bypass surgery. This is done because the patient is not in good enough health to undergo gastric bypass surgery. This surgery is also for patients who have found that gastric banding is not an option for them.

Before surgery: Before surgery the patient will have had several evaluations. These evaluations will have been done by a variety of people ranging from a bariatric doctor to a bariatric nutritionist and a psychologist. The surgery is not reversible. Patients will have to alter their lifestyle before surgery as well, for example they should stop smoking.

During surgery: During surgery, a bariatric surgeon will remove more than half, about sixty percent of the patient’s stomach. The stomach then becomes more shaped like a tube or a sleeve, hence the name of the surgery. The stomach that is left is secured closed with staples.

After surgery: If a significant amount of weight is lost, the patient will then be eligible for gastric bypass surgery. This is called having a “staged” approach to weight loss surgery, and gastric sleeve surgery is just one of those stages. The next surgery can occur anywhere from six to 18 months after the initial gastric sleeve surgery.

Other facts:

This procedure is really meant for those who are morbidly obese, who have a BMI above 60 or who are not in proper health to receive gastric bypass surgery.

Costs:

Gastric sleeve cost can be around $10,000. The surgery is still considered experimental. It’s very likely it is not covered by insurance. But the costs are radically different in other countries, making an entire industry called medical tourism. Other weight loss surgeries like lap band surgery abroad and other weight loss surgeries are much cheaper there.

Tags: gastric sleeve cost, lap band surgery in mexico, medical tourism

Mumbai Victoria Station

The Mumbai hotels are excellent resources for various cultural aspects, in addition to providing the best in luxury accommodations. They provide excellent services in regards to information on ongoing events, festivals and general attractions. The city has a vibrant and thriving arts and entertainment scene, which draws numerous tourists every year. Previously known as Bombay, Mumbai has many historic architectural buildings that give it an overall sense of wonder and importance.

What began as a small fishing establishment, the metropolitan area now boasts a population of approximately 14 million people. This makes it one of the largest in the world. From the beaches to the culture and artistic representations, it has many interesting sites of attraction. Chowpatty Beach is just one of locations that provides fabulous views of the city, while offering great scenic vistas and plenty of relaxing and fun opportunities. It is the only beach in central Mumbai, which is why it has such incredible views. This also makes it a popular place for an afternoon break, and there are many people there at almost all hours. It’s a great place for a casual stroll, or to hold any celebration. Festivals also occur here.

One of the most spectacular building complexes is actual a railway station. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, also known as Victoria Station, provides some of the most ornate architectural designs in Mumbai and is considered to be one of the most beautiful stations in the world. The British built this railway station in 1888, and it contains a statue of Queen Victoria on its dome. It was also the queen that the station was named after. It is the headquarters of India’s Central Railways and one of the busiest in the country. The station took ten years to complete, and was worth the time and effort. It’s elaborately detailed ornate facades or only one of the structural elements that make it so prestigious.

Tags: Chowpatty beach, hotels, Mumbai, Queen Victoria, Victoria Station

Airport Hotels and Travel Writing

The airport hotel is certainly another step in the evolution of world travel.  Here, the savvy globetrotter can enjoy the same luxuries that come from other hotels that meet the high standards in the world of accommodations.  They are a breed apart, offering something exceptional for circumstances when staying deep in the heart of the city aren’t an option.  For those who have decided that they want to have the good life wherever they are, airport hotels are another piece to the puzzle, insuring that short trips don’t necessarily mean compromising quality.  This is another movement forward in the history of travel.

In this same history, travel writing is something that really came into its own after World War II, and in the recent decades has become a very specific kind of literature.  There were also other epochs when travel writing was a popular form.  In the 19th century, there were lots of accounts of strange adventures in strange lands that was an outgrowth of colonialism and colonial thinking.  Before that, and in similar fashion, navigators would write about their adventures on the high seas, and before that…it seems that there was always another “before that,” and there is evidence to suggest that travel writing begins at almost the exact moment that writing begins.  The questions, “Where did you go?  And what did you see?” are elemental.

To pinpoint the moment when travel writing began, then, is rather difficult, but for the first widely read accounts of travel, we should probably look at Herodotus.  Born in what is present-day Turkey in 484 B.C. Herodotus was a friend of Sophocles, and saw the Persian War.  He traveled in Africa, Europe, and Asia, and his writing, books of history taken from these travels, add up to nine volumes.  The great Polish historian and storyteller, Ryszard Kapuscinski, wrote Travels with Herodotus, as a nod to this classic writer, acknowledging the similarities in his own work.  It is interesting here to note that Herodotus called himself the father of history, and also the father of lies, because he, like most writers, understood that writing is as much an embellishment than it is a factual account.

Tags: Airport Hotels, Herodotus, Ryszard Kapuscinski, Travel Writing

Travelling to Udaipur

Dungarpur is a great place for birding. I was truly amazed at the number of different birds that could be seen and heard. I really wish I had a guide book which would’ve helped me identify all of the different types I saw. The Dungarpur palace itself had a huge bird sanctuary. It featured peacocks, ostriches and some other extremely exotic looking birds, which I still wish I could identify.

From Dungarpur, I hired a car to Udaipur. Known as the White City. Udaipur is small compared to other cities in India. There’s only about 500,00 people here. After I got settled in a Hotel in Udaipur, I went to see the City Place, which was a highlight for me. It’s built on the shores of Lake Pichola. It’s a massive piece of property that has 2 hotels, the private residence of the Maharajah of Mewar, some shops, museums and well preserved areas of the palace are open to the public.

Later that evening, I took a boat to Jag Mandir, an island palace in the middle of Lake Pichola. There was a grand courtyard with huge carved elephants. The restaurant, which seemed to be the original building from the 17th century was amazing. I drank some tea in the courtyard while I waited for a table to open up, when a group of Indian business men wanted some photos with me. It was so amusing, each man took turns standing next to me, while the rest snapped shots with their cell phones. But, I lost their attention when the Maharajah showed up!  We all rushed up to him to have our photo taken with the king. Now that was impressive.

The next day I traveled to Kumbhalgarh, which is this gigantic fort nestled in the lush mountains of Southern Rajasthan. I stayed in an old hunting lodge of the Maharajah, yes the same one I met the night before. My room was a little damp, well everything was really, due to the lusciousness of the mountains, but the place had a lot of character. I wish I would’ve had enough time to hang around to see the huge wildlife sanctuary and trek around for couple more days.

Tags: hotels, Kumbhalgarh, Lake Pichola, Travelling, Udaipur

Resourceful Birds of Thailand

I came to Thailand on business first, but secondly, to do some birding.  I stayed in one of the Hotels in Thailand for my business, which lasted a week, but then booked a birding tour which only lasted 2 days and one night, I wish I had more time, but at least for those 2 days, it was well worth it.

The birds of Thailand are numerous and are known to be very colorful, also quite resourceful. I noticed a lot of the bird life in Thailand adapts itself well to the ever encroaching presence of man and all the other animals. The birds are taking advantage of the different food sources sometimes inadvertently provided by the tourist, like me. In fact, this reminds me of one of my experiences I had with a Pond Heron who was a regular fisherman at my pond back home and how he adapted to the loss of his natural habitat by making due with what fish I had in my pond.

A good example of what I refer to as adapting is while on my birding tour I got to see the Cattle Egret working alongside cows in a field on a local farm. The bird was in breeding plumage and it was so amusing to watch it wait for the cows to disturb some juicy bits, like insects and frogs. At the same farm the were some Common Mynah birds hunting around the gutters and eaves of the farm house. These birds work as a team and seek to flush out small geckos to eat. I watched one adept enough to steal fruit which was placed on an eating area outside when the farm owner turned his back to retrieve something on the ground. The Myna was so quick to gulp down that piece of fruit and fly off right as the farmer turned back around. The farmer not knowing he was missing some fruit from his plate. That made my whole trip worth while. The birds of Thailand, being resourceful, definitely helped me pass a relaxing 2 days with their antics.

Tags: Cattle Egret, Common Mynah, hotels, Resourceful Birds, Thailand

Different Yoga in Dubai

I flew into Dubai to do a one on one interview with Dubai’s Prison warden about their new yoga training program. I managed to arrange the meeting in the lobby of one of the Luxury Hotels Dubai UAE has in order that the interview be comfortable and away from the Prison walls.

My interview was with the Managing Director of Central Jail. Apparently, Dubai Police are training prison inmates with yoga to help relieve the stress that build up from day to day and to aid them with a better outlook on their life and the world. Police authorities have organised several 10-day yoga training session for approximately 39 inmates on a volunteer basis. Most prisoners who have participated are drug addicts, inmates with chronic psychological disorders and some with insomnia were given special instructions and yoga techniques related to that disorder.

This project is the first of it’s kind being given to prison inmates in the Arab world. In India, most of the prisons there now have a 10-day Vipassana center where any inmate can volunteer to participate in. The studies show those inmates who have participated in a 10-day Vipassana do not have recidivism issues. I mention this to the Managing Director and he said that basically that is what their 10-day program is, it is Vipassana Meditation technique which is being taught. But, that the most interesting part about the program is that every prison guard, including himself had to first do the 10-day Vipassana. He then smiled and told me he was grateful to actually had the opportunity to participate, because he now knows what the true benefits are for all of his inmates. He told me it was a life-transforming experience and that he’s heard the same results from each prisoner who has gone through one 10-day session. Truly, this is whats needed in all prisons, not just in Dubai and in India.

Tags: Different Yoga, dubai, luxury hotels, UAE, Vipassana

Bangalore’s Ironic Ethnograher: Pushpamala

In the world of four-star hotels, Bangalore offers a sublime local charm and flavor along with the already exquisite accommodations that come with the four-star rating.  Featuring the luxurious lodgings that meet or exceed the industry standards, four-star hotels strive to keep their guests refreshed, catering to all their traveling needs.  With impeccable cuisine, design, and service, guests don’t have to worry about the essentials, and can focus instead on the details that make a vacation memorable.  In Bangalore, there are many distractions to help create excellent memories for the whole family.  With a lively urban center, excellent restaurants and night life, and all sorts of activities that the whole family can enjoy, Bangalore is a fascinating place.

It is one of the few places in the world right now where the residents who have left are starting to return, and in record numbers.  The economic opportunities promised elsewhere have either leveled off, or the economy here has improved so much that it’s impossible not to come back again.  Either way, it makes for an interesting state of cultural flux, where generations are filling in gaps in experience, knowledge, and expectations of India’s present and future that don’t necessarily match memories.  Pushpamala N. is a contemporary Bangalore artist who’s work interrogates the past and present in an incredibly evocative body of work.

The work of Pushpamala N. is very distinctive.  Blurring the boundaries between subject and object, she herself appears as the photographic subject in her work, often in guises that are performative, an often very funny.  The images are icons, stolen from Indian history and legend, and pop culture.  Some of her more incisive works, which have attracted a god deal of critical attention from the international art community, are the ethnographic series she worked on with Calre Arni.  In these, Pushampala N. as the subject from a distant past, presents herself as multiple versions of Indian village women, sometimes with groups, sometimes with a husband, and often alone.  Accompanying these are other images where her skull is being assessed, and other various scientific measurements are taken, in the tradition of early anthropology.  The underlying message here, that the exotic woman is still an object of display, and the barbarism of the past is not behind us, is a potent one in the contemporary art world, and its reiteration in her work has a raw power despite the glint in the subject’s eye.

Tags: Bangalore, four star hotels, Ironic Ethnograher, Pushpamala

Delhi’s Vijender Sharma

Travelers in India looking for four-star hotels in Delhi will find a world of splendor and luxury in our accommodations.  Set in one of the world’s most interesting cities, our hotels offer a fantastic combination of old-world hospitality and absolutely modern charms.  Featuring all the amenities and excellent service that meet or exceed the industry standards for four-star lodgings, there are many fine touches that make our hotels extremely distinctive, and offer an experience that will invigorate the body and soul.  There is an excellence in design that merges contemporary with traditional, and services that are top-rate, with a gracious and knowledgeable staff.  Restful nights and peaceful days here will keep guests relaxed as they set out to explore the city.

Delhi is an extremely diverse and fascinating place.  With the whole human comedy playing itself out, there are cultures and languages that mix freely in the streets.  There is a liveliness to the day-to-day activity that help make urban adventures extra-special.  For those interested in Delhi’s cultural worlds, there is an immense array of events to choose from, with live performance in theatre, dance, and music, to a stunning visual arts culture.  There are some magnificent artworks here that span centuries, but the contemporary art world is also very much alive.  One of the more interesting painters currently working in Delhi is the surrealist Vijender Sharma.

Born in 1962, and having received his master’s from New Delhi’s college of art, Sharma has been working furiously and with apparent great humor, throughout Delhi, India at large, and abroad.  His subject matter is distinctively Indian, taking on many figures and metaphorical icons from Hindu iconography.  He blends the images with details that are sometimes extremely contemporary, and always surprising, and creates works of art that are technically masterful, bold in color, and rather visionary.  In interviews, Vijender Sharma’s words are powerful and precise, and coupled with an infectious laughter.  It is as if he doesn’t always care that you get the joke, but he hopes you do, because to share it is even better than to hold it delightfully inside.  This same spirit informs his paintings.

Tags: Delhi, four star hotels, Vijender Sharma

Lanzarote’s Nobel Resident

For tourists looking for accommodations that rank in the category of 5-star, Lanzarote hotels will surely provide stunning answers.  The island, one of the Canaries, has a population of more than 170,000 people, which give this natural paradise a very lively urban scene as well.  Visitors are struck by the beauty of its sandy beaches almost as much as the surreal gorgeousness of its volcanic areas.  There, it is possible to stroll along the rocky edges of the water and find fantastic emerald green pieces of rock, take in the sheer magnitude of the strange natural formations, as well as enjoy a meal cooked by volcanic heat.  Add to this the sleepy fishing villages, and there is more than enough to keep a whole family enjoying a vacation that they will remember for some time to come.

Lanzarote also has its roll call of fascinating residents, and one of these is the illustrious Jose Saramago.  This nobel-prize winning author was born in Portugal in 1922.  He joined the Communist party in 1969, and has been active in a number of political causes, and has been an outspoken supporter of Chiapas’ Zapatista movement, all of which have made him both a controversial and popular figure in Europe and Latin America.  One of his novels, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, caused sufficient controversy that he left Portugal to live permanently in Lanzarote.  Author of over two dozen works, and over a dozen novels, most of which are translated into Spanish and English, he was finally awarded the Nobel in 1998.

In many interviews and public talks, Saramago maintains that, although now over 80 years old, it would be foolish to claim one knows anything about life.  This combination of absolute humility and conscience show themselves freely in his novels, and add a very hearty dose of the fantastic.  His brilliant work from 1997, Ensaio sobre a Cegueira, or Blindness, takes place in an unnamed city, where a faction of the population is taken over by a sudden and inexplicable blindness.  They are rounded up and placed into concentration camps, and the novel is told from the inside of these camps.  It is simultaneously a comment on oppression and power, and an incredibly bold and optimistic vision of human society organizing itself in the worst of circumstances.  His voice is profound and resounding, and it is no coincidence, perhaps, that he would live in a profound place.

Tags: five star hotels, Jose Saramago, Lanzarote, Nobel Resident

An Excursion from Melbourne, Australia

The city of Melbourne is quite artistic, quite urban, with a variety of art galleries, cafes, trendy clubs, funky boutiques and luxury hotels.  Melbourne, Australia is the place to visit for anyone wanting to immerse themselves in culture, incredible and diverse architecture, fine seafood cuisine…a city-life vacation filled with charm and history.  However, should one find themselves in this part of the world, one would be forever grateful if they found their way to Tasmania.  Tasmania is the only island state of Australia, sitting just one hundred and fifty miles of the South Eastern shore of the country.  For those loving their vacation in Melbourne, but perhaps wanting a little bit of the rugged, un-disturbed outdoors, Tasmania offers a different side of Australia, that is just a boat cruise away.  And there are many reasons why, when so close to the island from the mainland, one should not miss this little island.

Science has proven that the air surrounding the island of Tasmania is the cleanest air in the world, team that with soil that is fertile and rich, and not only does it feel good to be there, the fruits and vegetables, and the wines produced, and the seafood caught is some of the healthiest and most delicious in all the world.  The seasons, while there are four distinct, they are mild.  For those wanting to do a bit of climbing, there are more than one thousand peaks to scale in the mountain ranges.  Almost half of the island is protected, providing many parks and animal reserves wherein one may catch a glimpse of some of the rarest species in the world.  One of the best ways to experience the island, and perfect for those with penchant for photography, is to simple walk it, to hike it.  For those enthusiasts, there is the famous Overland Track walk, which takes six days through some of the most scenic spots on earth.  For those just spending a day or two away from their vacation in Melbourne, there are more than sixty walks to choose from which vary in times and levels of difficulty.  Tasmania has something for everyone.

Tags: Australia, Excursion, luxury hotels, Melbourne, Tasmania, wines