Photos by Kevin Pearce

It all seems slightly surreal. I’m being driven out of Bangkok. The traffic is surprisingly light, perhaps because it’s a February holiday weekend. We speed along a well maintained highway 304. I’m heading for a vineyard and a winery. A vineyard? A winery! I have to pinch myself. Can that be right? Was I sober when I accepted an invitation from some friends the previous evening to visit “Chateau Des Brumes” less than three hours drive from Bangkok? Surely I am being taken for a ride in more senses than one!

No, that’s absolutely right I’m heading for Chateau des Brumes. …. I remember my schoolboy French. “La Brume.” Mist…… The Chateau in the Mists, aka the Village Farm Winery; a Boutique winery in the cool mountain air of Wang Nam Keow, Nakhon Ratchasima, about 230 kms North East of Bangkok.

“Chateau des Brumes.” It suggests a Domaine in France: A Country House of some standing. Vineyards. An estate that has developed a natural beauty over the centuries, making and bottling its own wines. But we are in Thailand and about to be enthralled by an experience to remember. We are about to meet a remarkable man who is doing something very similar here with such a sensitivity for preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the countryside,  releasing some of its potential to improve the lives of those who live off it through sympathetic and very thoughtful environmental management.

Khun Viravat Cholvanich is a very successful businessman, an engineer of considerable ability and an architect. Patience is Khun Viravat’s virtue. Charming, friendly, unassuming even, but with a giant firmness of purpose in what he is doing. He is not looking for the immediate return or killings on the stock market.  He has a dream – a vision – and he is making it work. His lifelong love of wine, its enjoyment and its production, started as a young architectural student in Sweden where he was introduced to the pleasure of drinking it. And this architect’s vision and imagination allied to his respect for the countryside, has enabled him to ‘design’ an estate of benefit to him and the local farmers which has ‘evolved’ and will continue to grow, naturally and unhurriedly, into beautiful vineyards, orchards and plantations blending harmoniously into the natural habitat.

It is most definitely not a ‘development’ in any negative sense of that word.  The Village Farm along with its larger neighbour, The Village Cellar Estate, has matured quietly to create a uniquely beautiful landscape. It is a working winery, a farm, a resort and spa. Vineyards, orange orchards, olive groves, coffee and sweet corn plantations, all blend in with meadows, forests and lakes – a rural paradise to treasure, where the visitor will experience the tranquillity and diversity of Thai country life lost to many in today’s busy rush. In Khun Viravat’s vision it is, “Half way to Heaven,” and he proposes to expand that concept into the careful and sympathetically slow development of a beautiful hill on The Village Cellar estate into an area to be known as, “Les Fleurs,” (a name inspired by his flagship wine) affording both great vistas and pleasant seclusion.

It is February 13^th, Chinese New Year. We arrive at the Village Farm Winery on a small ridge directly overlooking Highway 340 at Wang Nam Keow in the early afternoon to be greeted by Khun Viravat with a delicious glass of chilled, pure grape juice. We have come to spend the weekend at the estate and to enjoy a dinner to celebrate, that very evening, the start of this year’s grape harvest at The Village Farm. The harvest of the main vineyard, some 18 kms away at the 1000 acre estate known as The Village Cellar, will commence and be celebrated with a grand dinner exactly a fortnight later on February 27^th.  Dinners, wine tastings and appreciations, presentations and lectures on viticulture and winemaking, classical musical evenings, are all part of a continuous programme throughout the year in celebration of the enjoyment of wine.

There is just time enough to have a very quick look at the attractive wooden buildings housing the cellar shop, restaurant and showpiece wine-tasting area of the Village Barn, the first major building nearest the entrance, beyond a parcel of land with bunches of teasingly ripe purple grapes on the vine. Then we take a short wander to The Cliff Cottage, another attractively designed wooden complex, guest rooms and country spa at one with its wooded surroundings, with relaxing views of the valley below. The small and inviting ‘infinity’ pool here proved too much of an attraction for one of our party who, on the spur of the moment, decided to go for it and have a quick, cooling dip before returning to the restaurant for a light lunch and driving on for a further half hour to The Village Cellar and our rustically simple, comfortable rooms. A perfect spot for an escape to nature. But first we must drive back to The Village Barn for the evening’s festivities.

The evening programme is meticulously planned to enhance the “wine experience.” It commenced at 5.30 with an introductory talk and wine tasting hosted by Khun Viravat who introduced a selection of the quality wines now produced on the estate. And this is seriously good wine by any standards. It’s the result of a unique mix: Terra Rosa soil rich in iron and other minerals, lying above porous volcanic rock, gentle slopes, cool tempering mountain breezes (a combination the French aptly term, “Terroir”); now maturing vines, night harvesting by hand, state of the art winemaking with modern equipment; overseen personally each year by the renowned French Corbieres, Chateau du Roc proprietor and expert winemaker, Jacques Bacou, whose expertise has helped make the prestige wines produced here into international award winners.

First to be sampled by some thirty plus enthusiasts is a Village Cellar Rosé, a pleasantly cool and fragrant syrah rosé. Lovely to quaff al fresco, at way past midnight listening to cicadas, as we did later that night! Next a Village Cellar crisp white Chenin Blanc with delicate citrus flavours. Good with food, or refreshing on its own. Two reds from the Estate followed: A Village Cellar red which would go well, slightly chilled, with Thai food. Fine to drink now but which will cellar well for several more years. And finally, Chateau des Brumes, an 85% Shiraz – 15% Cabernet Sauvignon combination, resulting in a medium bodied firmly structured red whose subtle tannins will ensure a harmoniously smooth drink over time.

The sun set gradually throughout the tasting. The evening dimmed to a lovely orange glow which at that hour owes nothing to the quantity of wine passing our lips. We sipped carefully, aware that there was much more to follow and the evening was still young. At 6.30 we moved onto the grass by The Barn to nibble a large selection of amuse- bouches to compliment several generous glasses of the wines we had just been sampling, and to listen to the trio entertaining us to familiar Austrian and Italian tunes. A great appetiser for the main courses to follow. The rosé syrah and white chenin blanc were particularly good partners for the canapés.

An hour or so of these very pleasant sundowners and we were ready for the call. Mrs. Cholvanich invited all to tuck into the main courses, served under the stars: a convivial feast to remember, fresh salads, soups, fried rice; brochettes of fish or lamb; barbequed beef, chicken and pork, or racks of lamb served with country vegetables, ensured an unforgettable experience – no matter how many glasses one downed! (And there was a lot on offer!) Here the red, Chateau des Brumes – Le Prestige 2005, and Chateau des Brumes Prestige 2004 drank very well with the meats off the grill.

It is soon 9 0’clock. Time to work! We follow the trio pied-piper like into the vineyard by the light of our “miner’s torches” worn on the forehead, armed with freshly distributed secateurs. We set to harvesting fat bunches of syrah grapes in the cool night air. We spread out along the rows, snipping happily, collecting the pickings in plastic baskets. Great fun. But important work for the winery, too. For this is the very first picking of the 2010 harvest, soon to be pressed and fermented into the 2010 vintage. 45 minutes or so denuded our little parcel of vines. The vineyard workers took over to harvest the rest of the plot. The fruits of this labour were 2.7 tonnes of grapes by dawn.

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Our minstrels lead us back tunefully to the treading vats where lovely young ladies are already treading the grapes we had harvested moments before. What a jolly melee! The girls obviously enjoying the fun of treading barefoot and everyone else milling around cameras clicking, laughing at the novelty of it all. Grapes are not tread this way on the estate but Kung Viravat is an enthusiast and is anxious that all should know how the ancient processes originated and compare that to what happens now. The point is well made.

But we are not done yet. There is one final pleasure to come before we head for bed, that last bottle of rosé and a wonderful dawn next morning where the mists in the valleys fittingly justify the label, “Chateau des Brumes.” Back seated at our tables with a selection of cheeses to clear the palate we are invited to take a glass of the estate’s flagship red: Chateau des Brumes – La Fleur 2004. A deep ruby red with an appealing bouquet of forest berries and spice. A lovely full bodied wine whose tannins will ensure continuing subtle complexity for many years, with careful cellaring.

A deeply satisfying taste to end a wonderful evening.

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Village Farm Winery

www.villagefarm.co.th

Tel: 044-228407-8

Fax: 044-228409

This article was originally published in Traversing The Orient Magazine. You want to make an online travel business? Please go to www.web.com.

Halfway to Heaven

The German philosopher Friedrich Haller’s latest philosophical work, “Science and State in the Western World as Late Forms of Theological Madness” (2008) is currently being translated into English and is due for publication later this year. In this article he outlines what prompts him to spend most of the year in Thailand and other Asian countries, in self-imposed exile from his native Germany.

In his book “It’s a Doggy-dog World” Douglas Michaels refers to the story, “Dogs”, by Steve Hands (TTO issue July 09), as follows:

“It’s about a Philippine fisherman who cooks his dogs in front of an idealistic foreigner when she tries to save them, and it ends with him telling her, ‘Back off bitch. These are my dogs. My dogs.’
What he really means is ‘It’s my country,’ which is exactly what my lawyer said to me when I got released from prison (in Cambodia) after he won my case in court. The American government had been involved in my investigation and set-up, and that pissed him off. He really didn’t believe America had any right to tell him or his people how they should conduct themselves in his country.

Which is cool.

But it also goes to show that the law in any country seems to just turn us into judicial dogs.
In Germany it is the genuine philosopher who is treated like a dog. Douglas Michaels complains about the US that “over here every time I serve someone a conversational ping pong ball, they just walk away with it or stomp on it or feed it to their fucking dog.” I’ve had the same experience – and probably worse – in Germany, where giving evidence of being alive is the greatest offence you can commit in the “Volk der Dichter and Denker”, followed by the capability to adequately judge reality. All ‘poets and thinkers’ have died from strangulation – the great Nietzsche is the most striking example. Even today the finest soul Germany has ever produced is not acknowledged as such – any German clerical buffoon gets a street named after him, yet you can scarcely find a Nietzsche Street bigger than an alley.

In Germany, with a total misunderstanding of man’s nature, ‘national laws’ are made on the basis of a perverse religion, which leads to the numbing of life and the annihilation of men. Plato’s doctrine of ideas despises men: no one can cope with the idea of man; thus the man we encounter is worthless; he is deficient; one cannot love him, one can only love the ideal. He who loves God must hate Men. The so-called philosopher despises men, and despises himself. He thinks it would be better to be dead – rather, never to have been born.

A state that deprives a father of his children, on the basis of a deeply man-despising religion like the Christian with its whorevenerating destructive purpose, establishes an anti-natural perversion in the human species. To take a father’s children away was the most infamous act that the ancients could conceive of. But this is common in Germany’s judicial system: it happened to me and to many hundreds of thousands of men, most of whom additionally become impoverished through monthly payments and live like slaves in complete sexual deprivation.
The Roman historian Tacitus in “De Germania” mentions a bizarre German tribe, which differs through the perversity “Quod femina dominator: in tantum non modo a libertate, sed etiam a servitude degerant”. (Tacitus, De Germania, Chapter 45. “that the woman has the power, so that they lose not only the sense for freedom, but also for slavery.”) – similar, by the way, to the Jews who oppose all other mortals (Tacitus, Historiae V, 4 and 5).

In Asia, on the contrary, a philosopher is recognized and honored: people are interested and listen – there is no fighting over imaginative “truth”, and a good-hearted man is taken care of by a natural woman unspoiled by crap Western ideas.

And Thailand is better off than the other countries of the East because it still manages to preserve some Buddhist culture – it hasn’t been uprooted by Americanization or from having some weird religion forced upon it. It’s an excellent place to study human nature – you encounter many unusual people who have fled Western countries they could no longer stand, and who are acquainted with the ultimate boredom of their fatal homeland.
Nature – the philosopher’s best friend – and climate are generous here year-round, with a huge variety of food and fruit. It is a Tusculanum for those who wish to age in good health while living in peace among friendly people – not aging while ailing in a climate of mutual hatred, as is typical of the West. Dialogue is welcomed, not rejected, and not only the opinion of the herd is admitted in discussion, but also the views of experienced and advanced individuals who have the right to teach the unaware and misled not for their own but for society’s sake.
Traversing the Orient, new suns may reach the Western heart of darkness!

This article was originally published in Traversing The Orient Magazine. You want to make an online travel business? Please go to www.web.com.

The Philosopher as Dog

The magic of Bagan is so present, so tangible you could be forgiven thinking that in order to reach such a mystical destination a ride on a broomstick, a passage through a secret door or a step into the back of a wardrobe is required. Yet Bagan is both far more and far less accessible than any fictional land of equally immeasurable beauty. Located in the central west plains of  Burma it can be reached with a good sense of adventure and, like any mythic destination a willingness to ‘believe’.

Arriving by boat from Mandalay provides a gentle entry; hours spent on the broad reaches of the Irrawaddy lull the senses and can empty the mind for what lies ahead, although conveniently there is also air travel. Flights that leave Mandalay, Yangon and Heho arrive daily making it a brisk 45-minute journey from normality into the surreal.

The forty-two kilometer square area of the Bagan Plain is scattered with 3,000 temples – some with spires of gold, reaching heavenward. And although it inspires echoes of the poetry of Coleridge – “In Xanadu did Kublai Khan” – it was the Mongols of Kublai Khan who over ran the place in 1287, some two hundred years after its inception at the close of the rule of Thaton.

After centuries of neglect, and a creepy reputation as a place of ghosts and bandits, the British occupation of the area, that they called Pagan, opened it again as a place for the living rather than the dead.

Today the plains of Bagan are tranquil. Seen at dawn, dusk, high noon or midnight under a full moon they are a wonder to behold. They challenge for sheer beauty the Pyramids of Gaza, their whispering homage to spirituality a far cry from the clamor of Vatican City. They rival Angkor and in majesty are only surpassed by the natural highs of Himalayan peaks and the deep river gorges of Africa. The experience of Bagan is nothing short of intoxicating.

It is easy to spend days amongst the temples, the stupors and the spires, emerging only when hunger and sleep demands. On bicycle, on foot, by horse and cart the ways around the plain are open, easy and seemingly endless.

Intricate architecture, crumbling ruins, plain brick constructions and frosted white pagodas literally litter the paths. Entry to the temples is possible; climbing them is possible, even picnicking is possible in this garden of devotion.

Nooks and crannies are there to be discovered in the thousands of abandoned temples, and at the larger ones, like the Ananda Phato you can immerse yourself in one of the many temple festivals that takes place during the year. These gatherings involve people coming into Old Bagan from the surrounding areas to participate in colorful celebrations, markets and rituals, not unlike those of the camel fairs in India.

Adding a further sense of surreal to a Bagan visit has to be taking in the temples at dawn on a Balloons Over Bagan adventure. There was nothing that could have prepared us for this experience, apart from, maybe, some words from an opium influenced poet who could have explained to us that flying in balloons, rather than something to be feared, is to realize the true sense of flying.

With no resistance in the mind or body the imagination is set free upon the gentle winds that carry the balloons over the waking earth. Mists lift to reveal sights you feel are being seen for the very first time. At once explorer and adventurer, intrepid and brave you set sail under a billowing cloud of air to bear witness to the work of the ancestors, and as the sun crests over the curve of the earth the revelations that flood the mind are at once thrilling and sobering.

Around the temple plains the small towns of New and Old Bagan and Nyaung U are delightful, the cafes serve wonderful Bermese tea, make amazing guacamole and serve fresh food in many styles. The Moon in Old Bagan is friendly to animals as well as people and serves a full vegetarian menu. It’s hard to beat a chilled Mandalay Beer in The Sunset Garden, New Bagan as the setting sun shoots flames of gold from the nearby spires across the surface of the Irrawaddy, and for the evening’s entertainment The Typical Food House in New Bagan cannot be missed. The traditional performances from one of Burma’s most revered Nat dancers are as magical and strange as the surrounding plains.

Bagan provides an unforgettable destination for adventure during the months of October to March before the searing heat and the monsoons rains, it can be cool during December with night time temperatures around 10C.

As with most destinations in Burma it is not overly touristy, and although there are some very upmarket  ‘resorts’ along the river at Old Bagan, much of the accommodation is in friendly family style guest houses and locally run small hotels.

SPOTLIGHT ON BURMA

STATISTICS

Capital: Rangoon

Population: Around 50 million

Languages: There are 111 languages spoken. 80% of the populations speak in the country’s official language – Burmese.

Time: GMT + 6:30

Tourist visa: A valid Passport with Entry Visa is required of all visitors. A Tourist Visa allows a stay of 28 days, extendible for an additional 14 days.

Money: Kyat (MMK; symbol K) = 100 pyas. Notes are in denominations of K1,000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1. Kyat is pronounced like the English word ‘chat’. To combat the black market and limit the financial power of dissident groups, currency denominations are occasionally declared invalid without prior notice. Limited refunds are usually allowed for certain sectors of the population.

Credit/Debit Cards and ATMs

It is unlikely that credit or debit cards will be accepted; it is best to check with your card company prior to travel. There are no ATMs.

Traveler’s Cheques

Not currently accepted, although this may change. Check with your tour agency prior to travel, and bring plenty of US Dollars in cash.

Banking Hours

Mon-Fri 1000-1400.

Exchange Rate Indicators

WHEN TO GO:

The best time to visit Myanmar is from November to February. This is the time when both the rains and the heat are at their lowest, making it pleasant to explore the country with ease. March to May bring intense heat while June hails in the rainy season.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Dangers & annoyances

Considering all the bad news that trickles out of Myanmar, it may sound like a rather unsafe country to visit. For the vast majority of visitors, the truth is quite the opposite.

Creepy crawlies

Mosquitoes, if allowed, can have a field day with you. Bring repellent from home, as the good stuff (other than mosquito coils) is hard to come by here. Also, some guesthouses and hotels don’t have mosquito nets.

Myanmar has one of the highest incidences of death from snakebite in the world. Watch your step in brush, forest and grasses.

Crime

Most travelers’ memories of locals grabbing their money are of someone chasing them down to return a K500 note they dropped. If someone grabs your bag at a bus station, it’s almost certainly just a trishaw driver hoping for a fare.

There are, however, occasional reports of street crime, particularly in Yangon, which include burglaries of some expats’ homes.

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

You have to decide. We all know the military junta of Burma are a bunch of assholes so if you do decide to go make sure your money goes into the hands of the locals. Stay at independently run guest houses and hotels. Eat at local restaurants and at all times try to avoid trips and tours that might benefit the regime. Burma is an impoverished country. Your money can help a few of the people.

Contacts:

Balloons Over Bagan

balloons@myanmar.com.mm

www.balloonsoverbagan.com

Typical Food House

Pagoda View, New Bagan

06165348

The Moon

North of Ananda Temple

Old Bagan

This article was originally published in Traversing The Orient Magazine. You want to make an online travel business? Please go to www.web.com.

Bagan – A Land Lost in Time

“I became seriously interested in photography about 12 years ago. In my previous career I was an international banker. I would travel a lot with the bank that I was working for and always took a small camera with me and basically snapped what I saw on my trips. Much of this was in Egypt, Beirut and Pakistan where the majority of my work was. When I essentially switched careers I decided that travel photography was the right fit for me.”

Tewfic El-Sawy now leads two-week travel photography tours throughout the year, with a focus on Asia, Latin America and Africa, making his living from doing what many dream of…travel photography. Accompanied by photographers who are invited or referred by past participants, Tewfic’s photography tours allow participants to make contact with the people he meets and live the detail of remote cultures and surviving traditions.

“It started out when a friend asked me to accompany him on a photography workshop in Morocco, we were all semi-professional or serious amateur photographers. Because I love travel and photography and I’m good at organizing things I found myself moaning all the time about how inefficient and chaotic the workshop was. The creative element of unpredictability juxtaposed with my meticulous international banker character, and having all that bundled up in a new country just didn’t work with the precision I was used to. So my friend challenged me to do a better job of it.”

Less than a year later, Tewfic was on the road leading avid travelers and photographers through Asia. Crafting his way into the niche of organizing travel photography tours rose out of that challenge, and in hindsight, on his first tour Tewfic admits his confidence exuded his experience at the time.

“My first tour was in 2000 and it was a wake-up call, big time, and complete madness when I look back on it. We did three countries in one trip; India, Bhutan and Nepal, some of them were my first visit there too. It was insane and since then I never do more than one country at a time, it was just too much to take in, focus on and absorb. We had a great time, don’t get me wrong, and because of my people and organizational skills everyone enjoyed it and got a lot out of it, but it was a sharp learning curve for me.”

Since then, Tewfic concentrates on unique cultural festivals that become the core of his trips, often traditions that are dying out and when capturing these, he is always applying his people skills acquired through his banking days. “I am no good at landscape photography. People are my thing and when they are participating in rituals, they are so engrossed in those particular acts that I tend to find I experience human nature at its best then.

“I can quickly connect with strangers, develop a level of trust and friendship, which is what you really need to establish in a short space of time if you want to capture the essence of a culture in people and their behaviour.”

Through his images and multi-media website, Tewfic highlights a series of events that open our eyes to the sheer diversity and intrigue of the world we live in, and how it is so very different from our homes. “I love coming to Asia, and I am really enjoying becoming more familiar with Bhutan, though I doubt it will top India as my favorite country. I always say that anybody can take an excellent picture in India because of the colors, the people are so photogenic and willing to be photographed and the light there is magnificent. Whether it’s because of rituals, the different religions, the sects – their whole culture is so unbelievably rich, it has so many layers and I still consider myself on the outer layer.”

Capturing all of these facets in one image is a challenge few can achieve, but with the advancement of technology, Tewfic has become known for his multi-media reports and training. A slide show set to ambient sounds recorded simultaneously is what ensues.

“If I left the recorder on while taking a picture, there’d be a lot of noise from the shutter. The first thing I do when I enter somewhere is I go in and I check things out and I begin shooting. That’s my first priority – to get the pictures, to capture the images. Then I go around again and record. No shooting, no camera. Just a recorder. I turn it on and I record the ambient sound – people talking, walking, and the surrounding sounds. Then I will go back to the people I took photographs of and ask them to give me a few words. Sort of a mini interview – usually these things go for a minute or two. I don’t stay too long doing recordings because I’m more interested visually.”

A typical day as a travel photographer will see Tewfic out on the streets just before dawn and exploring the location just to catch the best light possible. “I’ve got three hours or so to use. Otherwise it gets very sunny. So I get up very, very early and I’m out there at the break of sunlight and in the afternoon I go out again maybe at about 4pm and catch the last three hours or more of light – the final hours of the day. To me, the worst hours are between 9 and 3 every day – unless there are rituals, a performance, a festival. Then there’s nothing you can do so you try to make the most of what you can.”

On one of his trips, a group can expect to shoot, shoot, shoot for a solid 12 hours, breaking only for lunch. “We go out at about 6 in the morning and come back at 6 in the evening. It’s pretty intensive. It’s all photography except for the travel days, then I have to download my images when I return from the shoots. So it’s a very long 15 days.”

When sharing advice he still recalls the best advice he received from a very famous photographer that he took a course with – Constantine “Costa” Manos, who works for Magnum. “He looked at my pictures and said, ‘well your photographs are technically good. However, they are too simple.’ He meant that I needed to tell more of the story with my photographs. To be more complex, to tell a story to the viewer rather than just showing a picture of a face, even if it’s in a travel environment. Even if I see a woman who’s very interesting in terms of clothes or whatever. He saw that this was really my sort of affinity when I started out, so he said ‘No, you have to become more complex.’

To tell a story, to tell people the relationship between the subject and the background. It’s what we call now environmental portraiture. I can’t say this advice was a life changer but it was certainly a vision changer.”

This series of images were taken on his most recent trip to Bhutan in September 2009. To view more of his work and find out about trips planned for 2010, visit www.telsawy.com.

This article was originally published in Traversing The Orient Magazine. You want to make an online travel business? Please go to www.web.com.

The Travel Photographer

Andrew Routh, Chief Veterinary Officer of the Zoological Society of London is part of an international effort to reverse the dramatic decline of the griffon vultures in the Indian sub-continent. Here he explains to TTO readers what led to their decline and the measures being taken to reverse it

There was a time when vultures ranged across large areas of Asia, playing a vital role in both the ecosystem and in culture. As scavengers they had moved on. With changes in the environment and a growing human population, they became clearers of carcases of domestic animals and, indeed, of people. Carl Bock, in his book from 1884 “Temples and Elephants”, describes vultures attending funerals at Wat Saket, Bangkok. However, a century later in “Birds of Thailand”, Boonsong and Round described the oriental white-backed vulture (OWBV) and long-billed vultures (LBV) as essentially locally extinct. Changes in agricultural practices, loss of habitat and persecution had all contributed to their disappearance.

Elsewhere in Asia three of the griffon vulture species continued to be seen in large numbers. The OWBV was the most numerous large bird of prey on the planet. Division of the LBV into two species gave a numerically small population of slender-billed vultures (SBV) from Assam eastward, with gaps in distribution, to Cambodia. The LBV had a much larger population but was confined primarily to India.

The loss of vultures from key sites in India was first noted in the late 1990’s. Dr Vibhu Prakash, then a researcher and now project leader of the programme in India, documented the loss of a large colony of OWBV from the internationally-renowned wetland known to ornithologists worldwide as Bharatpur. Surveys were undertaken, in particular in India by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). These confirmed that populations of all three species were falling at an unprecedented level, probably in excess of a rolling 50% per year.

Perhaps of greater concern was that the cause of the decline was unknown. The habitat was still there, with nesting sites now vacant and uneaten carcases now being scavenged by stray dogs (whose burgeoning population was soon leading to concerns about a parallel increase in risk of rabies). The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) was one organisation involved in the initial investigation of the mortalities. Birds were found dead, often in good condition but with evidence of kidney failure. This included deposits in the internal organs of the naturally-produced avian waste-product uric acid. Vultures found alive would recover following fluid therapy.

One study of vulture carcases, led by researcher Lindsay Oaks from the Peregrine Fund, produced a result. There was an absolute correlation between the finding of uric acid deposits in the carcases of vultures and tissue levels of a drug called diclofenac. Birds that had died of other causes, e.g. hitting power-cables, had neither the uric acid crystals nor the diclofenac.

With vultures now visibly vanishing from their previous strongholds and facing extinction and with an identified cause of the decline, the conservation world set about a rescue plan. In parallel with the need to remove and replace veterinary diclofenac there would have to be captive breeding centres set up, so that disappearance from the wild would not lead to the extinction of the three species.

The result has been a collaborative, international, effort under-pinned by the national and state governments in the range countries. Local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) include the BNHS in India and the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) in Nepal. From the UK, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) have been key supporters of the programme in both countries, with ZSL extending its support to include provision of expertise and training at the captive breeding centres. The International Centre for Birds of Prey (ICBP) has been involved in aviary design and vulture care with, more latterly, training on egg incubation.

Diclofenac is a drug known as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID. It is used in humans for a range of conditions. (I was prescribed it for a bad back due to disc problems). Coincidental with the drug coming off patent was its production in Asia (though not Europe or the USA) for the veterinary market. The drug is used for the treatment of a number of conditions in domestic species including cattle, sheep and goats. For these it is both efficacious and safe. It is eliminated from these target species within several days of treatment, providing the patient lives. A proportion of them do not.

Its toxicity, at levels found in treated animal carcases, to a related vulture species in Africa has been demonstrated. And could this one drug have caused the decline? Computer-modelling proposes that it would take just one carcase in 250 to be contaminated to cause the decline. Surveys showed the actual figure to be one in 90 carcases.

Ongoing surveys of populations of vultures in the wild show both a continued decline and diclofenac residues in carcases. This fundamental scientific backing means the project must be divided into two prime areas of action.

Firstly, diclofenac needed to be removed from the veterinary and agricultural environment.  The governments in the range countries have reacted very positively to lobbying and advocacy. Diclofenac has been banned as a veterinary product in both India and Nepal. A replacement needed to be found. An informal survey of zoological collections around the world identified the NSAID meloxicam as one that had been used without fatalities to therapeutically treat vultures. Its safety was confirmed. The drug is now promoted as an alternative to diclofenac for domestic animals.

However, carcase surveys show that diclofenac continues to be used. Why might this be? Certainly there has been great faith in diclofenac. It has been difficult to encourage change, in particular when the alternative is more expensive. Thus, in the absence of veterinary diclofenac, the identical medical preparation is being used. It is hoped that with refinement and with greater volumes of production the price of meloxicam will fall to a level equivalent to that of diclofenac, leading to its greater use.

Secondly, captive-breeding centres needed to be established. Early on it was determined that the major conservation effort would remain in the vulture range countries. In India, three centres have been set up. They are in Haryana, West Bengal and Assam. The one centre in Nepal is on the edge of the national park at Chitwan.

There is a basic similarity to their function and design, having aviaries and support facilities. All are dedicated solely to vulture breeding and none are open to the public. Management of so many large vultures, (an adult can weigh in excess of five kilograms and have a wing-span in excess of two metres), presents a number of often costly challenges.  One is the feeding of the birds. All food animals have to be kept for seven days in case of recent medication with diclofenac.

Religious constraints mean that only goats can be fed at some of the centres and, in part related to the basic economics of supply and demand, goat meat can be expensive. Another challenge is the veterinary care of so many birds. My role within the project is to advise, either in situ or via email, on veterinary issues. I have run a total of three workshops for the local veterinary colleagues employed on the projects. One of our biggest worries is the risk of transmission of avian influenza to the birds at any of the centres.

During my recent visit to Nepal I was able to see an additional facility aimed at supporting vultures in the wild. A “vulture restaurant” has been set up in an agricultural community west of Chitwan. Aged cattle are held on a farm. When they die they are taken to a designated area and fed. At one end of the field is a bird hide.

The entrance fee for visitors goes back into the local community who are now strongly supportive of vulture conservation. Since the programme was initiated by Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) the number of vultures in the area has increased, both through birds being drawn to a supply of food and through a number of birds nesting and breeding in the immediate area. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) runs a similar project in Cambodia. Though these restaurants make a valuable contribution to vulture conservation there is always the risk that, as the birds are not confined, they could eat, with fatal consequences, a contaminated carcase away from the controlled environment of the restaurants.

This is a long-term project. Vultures do not breed until they are several years old and, unless the egg is taken for artificial incubation, a pair produces only one egg a year. When considering future genetic management, total numbers of vultures forming the founder captive population are low. Sourcing additional birds from a wild population now depleted by more than 99.99% is becoming increasingly difficult.

The good news is that already there have been birds bred at the centres in India, including the first ever SBV bred in captivity in the world. We also know that, through work on the Californian condor and the more closely-related European griffon vulture, scavenging raptors can be bred in captivity and successfully reintroduced to the wild. Previous work like this that leads us to believe that we, and the Thai workers who hope to breed the rare red-headed vulture, can be successful in reintroducing vultures back to a diclofenac-free wild. We hope the legacy of our work will be future generations being able to marvel again at these magnificent birds flying free.

To discover more go to –

Web-links – ZSL – www.zsl.org and try www.vulturerescue.org

This article was originally published in Traversing The Orient Magazine. You want to make an online travel business? Please go to www.web.com.

Vultures

Brief history of the clinic

In 2003, while on a trek through the Everest region, blissfully unaware of the conflict in the “hilly areas” and ignorant of the dire situation the inhabitants faced there, I accidentally walked into one of its most impoverished and troubled regions.  My trekking partner had fallen ill and decided to take the direct route back to the closest trailhead while I chose a seldom travelled route which passes through the Hongu river valley, homeland of the Kiranti Kulung Rai people.  Simple enough, I thought, to follow a river south, however I soon found myself off my map, in territory seemingly without trekking facilities.

A chance meeting with a young porter led to me staying a week at his family’s house in a small village where I shortly became aware of their economic, social and health problems.  One night, after urinating in the family garden, I realized that I had just desecrated the grave of one of my host’s dead children, an innocent mistake, but one which made me think deeply about how great the divide was between my privileged Canadian lifestyle and the reality that these villagers survive in.

Upon leaving the village, I asked my hosts what I could give them to compensate for their hospitality.  They simply requested that I send them some “Cetemol”, considered locally to be a panacea for all afflictions and perhaps some form of snakebite treatment.  However, I suspected that a simple pain reliever like Paracetemol would not even begin to address their needs and that I knew nothing of snakebite treatments.

On leaving the village, I gave my word that I would do something to help them and promised to meet Kirti, the young porter, at a different trailhead in two weeks time.  When I arrived safely back in the urban chaos of Kathmandu, I soon realized that I was almost completely ignorant of medicine, having not even had occasion to visit a doctor in the past 20 years.  I needed to educate myself… fast.

I discovered that Kathmandu bookstores had a wealth of books about wilderness medicine and that it would require only a modest amount of money to set up a rural health post; this encouraged me.  However, being at the end of my travels, I was hopelessly short of cash.  Another chance meeting with a wealthy young Chinese entrepreneur playgirl and notoriously bad gambler enabled me to work for a week as her translator.  My pay and a lucky bet at a local casino enabled me to buy enough health training manuals, equipment and medicine to start up a health post.

I hopped  a bus and, despite three days of window-smashing riots, roadside firefights, landmines planted on the highway and our driver’s insane night-time driving because of a curfew and road closure protests in the areas we passed through, along with the usual  mechanical breakdowns, somehow made it back just in time to meet Kirti.

I told him that, being the only person in his village to have a school leaving certificate and the ability to read Nepali, it was up to him to use the materials to teach himself and others medicine and start taking care of the health problems of his village and, by extension, the rest of the Hongu valley.  Yes – one medical worker for a valley of 10,000 tribal people, most of who had lifelong chronic illnesses and had not had access to medical care in over 10 years!

What other alternatives did they have?  It seemed to be that or nothing.   However, although they were used to having no medical treatment, my personal opinion is that it is a tragedy when a child does not at least grow up healthy and have a chance to lead a happy and fulfilling life and celebrate his culture.

Kulung Rai Culture and Community Development

The Kiranti Kulung Rai, an ancient wandering Mongolian tribe who speak a number of mutually unintelligible Sino-Tibetan dialects, migrated north from the Terai area of southern Nepal to settle in the Hongu river valley thousands of years ago.  Their geographic, political, cultural, linguistic and religious isolation has resulted in them remaining cut off from the country at large and also from accessing aid initiatives available to other, more integrated, Buddhist and Hindu tribes.

In the six years since we initiated this project I have come to realize through trial and error some of what works and what doesn’t and the reasons why, which are often economic or cultural.

To begin with, high altitude sedentary subsistence farmers are cash poor; they often prefer to barter their nutrient-poor high altitude millet and maize with the lowland Rai for supplemental foods such as rice and fruit.  This system has worked well for thousands of years.  The only way to obtain money to buy anything that they do not grow or manufacture locally or to amass enough money to pay for their children’s schooling and medical treatment is for men to go out of the valley to work as trekking porters or construction workers, leaving women to deal with raising children and farming.

Because of this trend, husbands, wives and children are separated for long periods of time which leads to serious social problems in the community.  Exposure to the wealth, materialism, consumerism and morals of urban society and trekking groups also has a negative effect on their culture.

Community development initiatives, even the most well-intentioned, if not carefully thought out, can have devastating results.  For example, high child mortality rates, though tragic, are the established norm. If even minimal health care is provided, more children survive, which means more mouths to feed, which necessitates growing more food, which means using more firewood, which requires clearing more land, which results in deforestation, which leads to landslides, which can destroy the village.

One solution is birth control, but men refuse to wear condoms or submit to sterilization, so it is the women who must be proactive.  Depo-Provera shots and birth control pills are expensive and need to be taken regularly and IUDs, contraceptive sponges, cervical caps and diaphragms, impractical because of a lack of basic hygiene, can lead to serious infections or death.  The only real alternatives are natural methods such as rhythm or standard-days which have failure rates of 25%, but require education and strict discipline as well as the cooperation of men.

Traditionally, the Kulung people have relied on local “dhami and jhakri” (shamans) to provide health and counselling services.  Initially, I was hopeful that they could act as outreach workers and that their traditional healing methods and knowledge of herbal treatments could be incorporated into our services.  However, this idea was rejected by both the shamans themselves and the villagers who, while still having faith in the fabled weather-changing, shape-shifting, spirit possession and anti-landslide powers of shamans, as well as their ability to recount the oral histories of the tribe, no longer believe in the effectiveness of their traditional ceremonies to heal critically ill children.

As well, there are few shamanist apprentices, these days, as the shamans, by and large, have fallen into disrepute due to an image of chronic alcoholism and a dominant and pervasive belief in the seemingly more powerful “magic” of western medicine.  However, their ceremonies and chanting do provide   psychological comfort and familiarity to frightened and critically ill patients which I believe is very beneficial to them in their healing process.

Shamanistic séances involve drumming and drinking herb-infused alcohol.  A shaman will invite the spirit of an animal to enter his body and begin rhythmically chanting and shaking.  When he enters a trance state he begins dancing around an altar of freshly cut bamboo and flowers.  Then the animal spirit sings and speaks to the audience to recount the history and legends of their ancestors.

Respiratory diseases are endemic in Kulung Rai areas because their houses have a centrally located, open fire pit without a chimney to direct the smoke and gases outside.  The fire serves a number of purposes in the home besides keeping it warm.  It dries out firewood placed on a platform just above the fire and the smoke dries and preserves food hanging from the rafters and the greasy soot serves to seal and protect the thatched roof from rain as well as drive out insects and vermin.

Even though villagers try to minimize exposure to smoke by sitting on floor mats just below the smoke level, because windows are closed against the dust, wind and cold, there is little ventilation and the smoke stays inside, causing eye and lung damage which significantly reduces quality of life and life expectancy.  And these are just a few examples of a myriad of problems.

Currently, we are receiving and treating 20 – 30 patients per day.  On village market days that number can rise to 100 or more.  We are seeing more and more patients arriving from outside the valley.  This is the inevitable consequence of offering cheap medical treatment in an area which has none. We have outgrown the small, simple house that was donated to us and have begun construction on a more modern, hygienic facility where we can keep seriously ill people for short-term observation and treatment.  We are installing a solar panel for lighting during night-time emergencies, but without an open pit fire or thatched roof, we have still not worked out how to keep our patients warm in the winter.

Without donations of money, equipment and medicine to keep things going, we no longer know how we will improve and expand on our services here, let alone continue to offer the barely adequate levels of service we have provided for the last six years in this remote and impoverished area of the Himalayas.  It seems that now we must concentrate efforts on two new income-generating projects – establishing women’s weaving co-operatives around the valley and marketing their traditional clothing in Kathmandu and abroad and encouraging the development of Bung Valley’s tourist infrastructure and use as an alternative trekking route to Everest/Sagarmatha National Park area.

This would include reviving and preserving Kulung Rai song and dance and other forms of their culture which have already began to disappear due to the cultural influence of more dominant Nepalese ethnic groups. With a little effort, luck and outside help, I believe that we will accomplish this in the next few years.

Kulung Rai people, despite their pristine natural environment, suffer from a wide range of the same maladies city people suffer from – migraines, brain cancer, ulcers, stomach cancer, pneumonia, eye and ear infections, deep cuts, crushed fingers and toes, dislocations, broken necks, snakebite, respiratory diseases, animal bites, rabies, skin rashes, insect bites, virulent warts, tooth abscesses, and lately SARS, H1N1 and STDs.  They often die if untreated.

The Shit Pig

In Kulung culture, nothing goes to waste, not even one’s own excrement.  My first night in the village, I asked where the toilet was.  I was given a flashlight and directed to the back of the house.  I found a rickety outhouse perched on stilts above a rock enclosure.  As soon as I sat down I began to hear a strange grunting noise from nearby.  They became louder and closer.  I shone the flashlight between my legs and to my horror I saw the huge jaws of an animal with a long protruding tongue and tusks, its hot breath steaming up through the hole.

I yelled in fright and ran back to the house where I excitedly mimed that there was a terrible monster under the outhouse.  The family laughed for an hour about it, making grunting noises.

So, embarrassed and not wanting to appear cowardly, I went back out and defecated directly into the monster’s mouth, allowing it to lick my ass clean as it squealed with delight.  The next morning they took me back to show me the biggest wild boar that I had ever seen.  Later, they killed it the traditional way by stabbing it in the heart with bamboo skewers so that its blood, which they consider to be sacred, did not touch the ground.  The boar slowly stopped moving and turned white.

The whole village came to share the meat.  It was the best-tasting pork that I have ever eaten.

A Wild Bear Attack

Bung Valley is right on the edge of Sagarmatha National Park, a protected refuge for many wild Himalayan animals.  As I came over a mountain pass and entered Bung Valley for the first time, I noticed a group of men walking fast up the trail toward us.  One of them was carrying a large basket.  As we came upon them I saw that there was coagulated blood dripping from the bottom of the basket.  I assumed that they had been hunting, but when Kirti asked them what was in the basket, they lifted the lid to expose a man covered in blood, smelling horribly and bleeding profusely from many deep gashes on his arms, legs and body.

He was a woodsman and had been chopping firewood for his family, illegally, in the park at night when a Himalayan bear had come up behind him and attacked.  These bears are small, but intensely territorial and will viciously attack any other animal on sight.  The bear clamped its jaws around the man’s head and began mauling him to death with its long claws.  The man took his kukri (machete) and slashed at the bear’s head, finally managing to fight it off.  He staggered back to his village and collapsed.  When his neighbours found him the next morning they decided to carry him to the nearest hospital – a five-day walk away.

They asked me what to do.  Seeing how serious his condition was and how much blood he was losing from his wounds, I told them that he would probably not make it to the hospital because of heavy blood loss and infection.  We took him back to his house and cleaned his wounds as best we could with a clean handkerchief and some disinfectant.  The man was unconscious.  I suggested they get a shaman to come and perform a healing ceremony and that they should all pray for him to survive.

I thought that if he died at least it would be with his family at his side comforting him.  One week later, as I was leaving the valley, I saw him again.  He was striding up the trail toward the forest to chop more wood, his wounds having healed completely.   That’s how resilient these people are with only minimal medical treatment.

Nepal’s political background

In 2008, the Nepalese Maoist People’s Army, a diverse group composed of intellectuals, university students, trade unions, urban radicals and Indian advisors commanding an army of forcibly conscripted rural soldiers, many of them teenage girls, finally won an ugly ten-year guerrilla war and bombing campaign against the King and ruling Congress Party for the ironic honour of both proclaiming the world’s newest republic and forming the government of the world’s latest failed state.

Despite the obvious drawbacks of fiscal bankruptcy, lack and withdrawal of outside investment money and the generally sorry state of the country’s infrastructure, the new-found political stability has allowed some teachers and health workers among the approximately150,000 internally displaced refugees to return to their jobs in rural areas, allowing local populations some limited access to government and NGO education and health programs.

However, many of the more isolated mountainous tribal areas still remain almost completely without education and medical services because of continuing school and health post closures where, even before the war, services were tragically inadequate.  Nepal has a higher prevalence of disease, malnutrition and infant mortality than any other South Asian country, coming in at 140 out of 177 countries monitored by the UN.  To lend some perspective, this figure represents quite an improvement on their former position.

This article was originally published in Traversing The Orient Magazine. You want to make an online travel business? Please go to www.web.com.

A Himalayan Venture

Beverly Hills 6750’s range of aesthetic services includes: aesthetic plastic/ cosmetic surgery, skin care and rejuvenation, cosmetic dentistry, cosmetic gynecology, weight loss management and surgery and endovenous laser varicose veins treatment.

It showcases the fusion of high technology and facilities with high-caliber medical professionals and staff who deliver quality service and results. Beyond the technology and staff, however, is the prevailing culture of excellence, unity, interdependence and independence – characterizing the “esprit de corps” of the Beverly Hills 6750 team – which is the indelible trademark of its success.

Another key highlight of the Beverly Hills 6750 brand is its strategic partnership and affiliations with major stakeholders in the medical tourism business, both locally and internationally. These affiliations provide Beverly Hills 6750 with a platform for exchange of information, experiences and cross-referral of clients.

Inception and Corporate Philosophy

Beverly Hills 6750 was conceptualized in early 2005 as an insight to the foreseen bright prospects of the ”aesthetics” business and tying it up with the Philippine government’s push for medical tourism promotion. The concept was to build a high-technology facility, put together a team of professionals who represented “the best of the best” and link up with strategic international partners to bring the first premier institute of its kind to the Philippines.

Despite the proliferation of facilities that offer aesthetic services and the relentless challenges to this industry, Beverly Hills 6750 is striving to benchmark this standard not only in the Philippines, but in Asia as well.

Beverly Hills 6750 has been architecturally set up and engineered to hospital grade standards. Their core group of surgeons, dentists, dermatologists and anesthesiologists have been carefully selected, bringing with them impeccable credentials, respected standing in their individual professional societies and many years of experience and expertise. They build healing partnerships with clients based on trust, communication, cooperation and ethical conduct. Their ancillary service and support staff are well trained and have been oriented to treat clients with dignity, kindness and understanding.

Medical Tourism Trend

With improvements in healthcare infrastructure, technology and trained professional staff in many Asian countries coupled with the soaring cost of health care, Americans and, to some extent, the British, Canadians, Germans and Australians are beginning to look for ways to reduce health care costs by looking outside their own countries, and towards Asia. The lure of combining affordable, high-quality medical care with attentive room service and a vacation get-away has now become an attractive proposition for packing a suitcase and boarding a plane to the East.

In January 2006, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo formally launched a Medical Tourism campaign to promote the country as “islands of wellness.” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the program, participated in by government agencies, private clinics and hospitals, aims to make the Philippines the “new hub of wellness and medical care in Asia”. The components of the program include medical, surgical and dental care, traditional and alternative health care, health and wellness, long-term tourism and the establishment of international retirement and medical zones.

For the Philippines, as has been the experience in other countries, the field in medicine which holds the brightest prospect for medical tourism success would be “aesthetics” – including cosmetic surgery, aesthetic dermatology and cosmetic dentistry. At the forefront of this thrust in the Philippines is the Beverly Hills 6750 Multi-Specialty Aesthetic Institute.

Unique Propositions

Dr. Eduardo Santos, Managing Director of Beverly Hills 6750 states, “This is a premiere center dedicated to excellence in aesthetic plastic surgery, aesthetic dermatology, cosmetic dentistry, cosmetic gynecology, medically-supervised weight loss programs and weight loss surgery (bariatric) and state-of-the-art treatment of varicose veins.” He adds, “It showcases the fusion of world-class technology and facilities with high-caliber medical professionals and staff who focus on delivery of quality results, patient safety, personalized service and innovation. We are striving to benchmark the standard and level of advanced aesthetic services in the Philippines.”

Beverly Hills 6750’s Hot Offerings

Oftentimes, when we speak of high technology in this business, we think of lasers and other energy producing machines that provide bloodless and relatively pain-free treatments. Beverly Hills 6750 is promoting “The Ultimate Face Tightening Procedure”. This is a combination of Thermage treatment, followed two weeks later by Syneron E-Max’s ST-Refirme (radio-frequency with diode laser technology) skin tightening protocol. This combination of two technologies, has shown superior results compared to when the treatments are done individually, resulting in a non-surgical facelift!

Among the other hot offerings of Beverly Hills 6750 are:

·       The Fraxel Re:Store Laser (Reliant) procedure for skin re-surfacing – a safe, time-efficient procedure used for uneven pigmentation, melasma, age and sun spots, skin re-surfacing and wrinkle reduction, acne scars and striae;

·       The Comet Laser (Syneron) for hair reduction — using elos technology, the combination of radio-frequency and diode laser in the Comet Laser (Syneron) provides optimal hair reduction of all hair colors on all skin types, including tanned skin

·       The Hydroxygen Jet Peel Facial Rejuvenation wherein a stream of pure oxygen in a continuous supersonic flow delivery with simultaneous delivery of high velocity micro-droplets of saline solution that contains Vitamin C and proprietary serum is used, resulting in skin exfoliation moisturization and an overall radiant skin.

Innovation

The plastic surgeons at Beverly Hills 6750, while capable of doing a wide range of cosmetic surgery, have become known for their innovation in certain procedures. Take for example, Hybrid Rhinoplasty. This is an “open technique” – wherein the nasal tip is cartilage (that is usually taken from an ear cartilage) and the bridge implant (if needed) is made of medical grade silicone or Gore-tex material.

They also offer the All Natural Rhinoplasty, wherein all graft materials – for both the tip and the nasal bridge are taken from ear cartilage, thus making it “all natural”. These techniques are in contrast to the usual “closed technique” wherein an L-shaped implant is inserted through an intra-nasal incision creating both the bridge and the tip. This is a 15-20 minute procedure, whereas the Hybrid Rhinoplasty and the All Natural Rhinoplasty are 2-3 hour procedures. Plastic surgeon Dr. Rene Valerio says, “About 90% of our clients prefer the Hybrid Rhinoplasty or the All Natural Rhinoplasty. They are extremely pleased with the natural look that is created.”

SEPARATE SECTION

The Individuals behind the Success

Fundamental to the success of Beverly Hills 6750 is the team of highly qualified and experienced managers and medical specialists.

Eduardo A. Santos, M.D.

Dr. Eduardo A. Santos sits as Beverly Hills 6750’s Managing Director. His 15 years of experience in general and cancer surgery and his involvement in various businesses make him an experienced and astute manager. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and is also a Fellow of the Philippine College of Surgeons. He is a Diplomate of the Philippine Board of Surgery. He is currently the Chairman of the Section of Surgical Nutrition and Metabolic Support, Department of Surgery at the St. Luke’s Medical Center and has a strong sub-specialty interest in surgical nutrition, weight loss management, bariatric medicine and bariatric surgery. Dr. Santos developed the Meta Morph Medical Weight Management Program at Beverly Hills 6750. He is also a member of the Core Faculty for Surgery at the St. Luke’s – William H. Quasha Memorial College of Medicine, where he carries an academic rank of Assistant Professor I. Dr. Santos sits on the Board of Directors of the Philippine Society for Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition (PHILSPEN) and several private companies with a range of business concerns including pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, real estate development, investment trusts and banking.

Our Weight Loss Specialist

Eduardo A. Santos, M.D.

The BH Meta Morph Medical Weight Management Program was developed by Dr. Eduardo Santos — BH 6750’s  Managing Director and concurrent Chairman of the Section of Surgical Nutrition and Metabolic Support at the St. Luke’s Medical Center’s Department of Surgery — and takes a completely different approach to weight loss management. The program is a comprehensive assessment, prescription and implementation of weight loss therapies that provide an end-to-end solution to weight loss. The Meta Morph Program not only involves the usual dietary and exercise strategies, but also focuses strongly on behavioral modification, mental discipline, endocrine evaluation  and metabolic support. The use of radiofrequency technology (Accent™) to jump-start the process of weight loss and imprint motivation is also an offered strategy, although optional. The use of pharmacologic agents, such as appetite suppressants, is limited and selectively prescribed for patients who meet strict criteria as recommended by the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. Further to all of these, is the option for BH Weight Loss Surgery — minimally invasive surgical techniques, usually either a sleeve gastrectomy or a gastric banding procedure — that allows for an average weight loss of 30% of baseline weight.

Our Cosmetic Gynecologist/ Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation Specialist

Bernabe R. Marinduque, M.D.

Dr. Bernabe Marinduque, a cosmetic gynecologist who trained and practiced in the United States for more than 20 years is the first Filipino to be accredited by the Laser Vaginal Institute of Los Angeles, having trained under the tutelage of FIN Dr. Marinduque has pioneered the BH Gynesthetics procedures in the Philippines.

BH Gynesthetics, a revolutionary concept of combining gynecology and aesthetics, refers to a menu of services and procedures that enhances the sexual experience primarily for women and indirectly for men as well. The menu of services includes laser vaginal rejuvenation, designer laser vaginoplasty, hymenoplasty, the G-shot (G-spot enhancement) and laser reduction labioplasty.
Dr. Abe mentions that his advocacy is family planning and tubal ligation for women. He contacts owners of bars in Makati to encourage women to have cervical cancer ligation.

He also practices at the St. Luke, Global City and teaches  Obstetrics and Gynecology in the UP College of Medicine.

_______________________________________________________

Finally, it would be incomplete not to mention our indispensable team of managers, plastic surgeons, dermatologists, varicose veins specialists and dentists. Without whom none of the success at Beverly Hills 6750 would be possible.

Mia Cruz-Ong who has been tasked with spearheading BH 6750’s sales efforts.

Cherie Del Rosario who holds the position of General Service Supervisor for Beverly Hills 6750 and handles the sales, service and HR operations.  

Maria Rosario B. Soriano, a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, serves as the Marketing Supervisor at Beverly Hills 6750. 

Our Team of Plastic Surgeons

Rene C. Valerio, M.D.

Dr. René C. Valerio who is recognized as one of the best in his field, with over 20 years of experience in plastic surgery.

Dr. Joel Reginald Carlos Unson, a surgeon at the forefront of a dynamic new era of Aesthetic and Reconstructive surgery in the Philippines and a published author of scientific research papers on surgical subspecialties.

Our Team of Dermatologists

Maria Angela Tomacruz – Cumagun, M.D. who has over ten years of experience in both clinical and aesthetic dermatology.

Patricia Ty – Tinio, M.D., a young dermatologist with a distinguished dermatology training background. Her research papers have been published internationally in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology and the Skin Medicine Journal.

Camille Berenguer – Angeles, M.D. a consummate professional who completed a Dermatology Residency at the University of the East – Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center.

Our Varicose Veins Specialist

Martin Anthony A. Villa, M.D. completed his training in Vascular Surgery at

The University of Texas – Houston Health Science Center in the United States.

Our Team of Dentists

Don Apolonio B. Magadia, D.D.M., an experienced professional who has been in dental practice for the past 17 years and has had a focused practice on cosmetic and laser dentistry.

And finally, the indispensable, Edgar T. Dungo, D.D.M.

who has been in dental practice for the past 18 years.

VITAL INFORMATION

Duly registered corporation with SEC Registration No. CS2005519127 (November 17, 2005) and Department of Health/ Bureau of Health Facilities and Services LTO No. ASC-13-115-1007.

LOCATION

11^th Floor, 6750 Ayala Building, Ayala Avenue, Makati City, Philippines.

Located within the Central Business District and on the main thoroughfare of Makati City, the 6750 Ayala Building is home to retail brands like Kerastase, Linea Italia and corporate giants Caltex, Proctor and Gamble and American Express Private Banking. Literally a few steps away, are 5-star hotels, restaurants and world-class malls.

This article was originally published in Traversing The Orient Magazine. You want to make an online travel business? Please go to www.web.com.

From Beverly Hills to Manila Beauty by Design

My legs buckle, my jaw aches and as a weight slips from my shoulders I’m freed from the gloom that has consumed me since having my wallet nabbed from a cheap joint in Mumbai.

“Laughter is the best medicine, my friend” bellows a corpulent phlegm sprayer to my rear. “Welcome to the Cowpatty Beach Laughter Club.” With that he wallops me on the back and yeehaws like a donkey.

Every morning of the year around 60 ‘Mumbaikars’ gather for an hour of communal games that includes impersonations of  donkeys and tractors, kicking imaginary footballs, group back patting and the occasional burst of the hockey-cokey. All of the activities are designed to produce as much laughter as possible – a huge spiritual and medical benefit for anyone who participates, claim the organizers.

“We believe laughter is the best way to cure medical diseases” says Kumar, a veteran of the club. “Since I began laughing I have stopped fighting with my neighbor and even my wife has become my friend” he explains with a look of disbelief.

The club began eight years ago after Dr. Madan Kataria held a dawn speech to a small crowd gathered on Mumbai’s Chowpatty Beach. The speech addressed the benefits of positive thinking in the pursuit of happiness. “Perhaps Dr. Madan Kataria should have been a comedian” says Kumar. “By the end of the speech everyone was laughing like crazy.”

So what did he talk about? “I have no idea” splutters Kumar between slurps of tea, “I just remember laughing.”

The practice has since mushroomed. Hundreds of laughter clubs across India have established themselves as mirthful morning rituals. Age, sex, religion and nationality are no barrier though the majority of attendees at the Mumbai gathering are elderly. “The clubs are free” says Kumar “and we want the young to enjoy the benefits of laughter yoga, but they don’t come, perhaps they’re crazy, just look at the people here, their faces are glowing.”

He’s not wrong. Howling mirth at the morning sun amongst a melee of elderly Indians is a great way to start the day. Wrinkled brows rise to reveal the wizened eyes of a generation who still have plenty to laugh about. Forget the dour economic predictions and terrorist threats, joy is something that comes from within. There have been a few commentators who’ve dismiss the practice as contrived, but as my good friend Kumar remarked, what kind of person questions the benefits of laughter?

Recently, however, a schism has developed between Dr Madan Kataria and some of the other groups. Members of Kumar’s clan claim that Dr Kataria has been making profit from the practice. “He goes out now, charging money for his speeches and making videos about the virtues of a morning giggle” Kumar complains.

“I recruit people from all walks of life for no money – prostitutes, prisoners, policemen – people with terrible jobs who need to laugh. Now when I’m in an argument with my family I learn to smile and refrain from beating my children. It could be a huge instrument for world pace.”

Benjamin Nentenjahu and Hamas officials behaving like donkeys and cracking up on the Golan Heights may be a bit far fetched but lofty ideals aside – the practical benefits of communal laughter are without doubt.

Before arriving I was down in the dumps but within minutes my inhibitions have slipped from my shoulders and I’m in stitches. Which is just as well – seeing as my next port of call will be to file a report on my stolen wallet!

Indian moments (info@indianmoments.com) offers tailor made trips top India, which can include visits to laughter clubs.

For more information on laughter clubs in Mumbai go to www.essenceoflaughter.com.

This article was originally published in Traversing The Orient Magazine. You want to make an online travel business? Please go to www.web.com.

Laughter is the Medicine

Eddie Marsan’s character Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard is a great foil to Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes, but you’re more than likely to have seen Marsan in any of the dozens of movies he’s appeared in over the past decade without even realizing it was him.

Marsan’s magnificent performance as Reg in Mike Leigh’s Vera Drake (2004) had critics claiming, “Imelda Staunton may be the headliner here, but Marsan is the buried treasure.” Since then, he has won over audiences in roles such as the bank robber in Will Smith’s Hancock and as a neurotic driving instructor in Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky. Audiences at the Toronto Film Festival last year enjoyed his performance as a kidnapper in The Disappearance of Alice Creed, which will be released in March this year, along with his performances in Heartless and Moby Dick.

Although he has played a lot of strange characters, both villains and supporting ones, Marsan has always been a character actor. Born and raised in London’s East End, his background proves fitting that he should also play the keeper of the city, Inspecter Lestrade, in Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, but within minutes of speaking with Marsan, its very clear why he is a face the big screens will be showing much more of in ever-diversifying characters.

Off screen, modesty, more than acting is his natural role.

Liz Smailes: What inspired you to go into acting in the first place?

Eddie Marsan: Growing up in working class family in the East End of London, theatre and drama never really touched upon my childhood, however, I do remember being about five or six years old and sat on my father’s knee listening to him admire actors such as Gene Hackman and Rob Steiger. I guess that instilled in me a kind of awe and idolization for such figures, and I was always a bit of a show-off as a kid too [laughs].

But the real spark came by chance, when my dad and I were asked to be extras in a film being produced in London. It was called Empire State, and I’ve never actually seen it, but I watched the actors working and thought “I could do that,” so I took it from there. I left the printing industry, which I had just started out in, and since then I’ve always felt it was the right vocation for me.

LS: How did you train to become a character actor?

EM: I learnt my most valuable lessons from my Russian drama teacher who taught me the classical tradition of technique, appreciation, characterization, delivery, etc. Living in London and from a working class background, it was a bit of a frivolous move to leave the printing industry after just finishing my apprenticeship, but it was a motive where I knew even then that it was what I was meant to do, and be good at it.

After Drama school I spent almost seven years acting above every pub in London. When paid jobs eventually started to roll in, from the National and the Bush theatre, I thought: “I’ve cracked it now. I’m earning a living as an actor, and it’s never going to end!”

What I didn’t realize until a few years into the profession is that there is an ethical approach to being an actor – you don’t show off. It sounds weird, because you are in the spotlight, its all “lights, camera, action”…but no one ever tells you that. It’s an actor’s responsibility not to indulge in self-importance. Actor John Gielgud summarized it best when he said, “It’s about being the centre of attention without being the centre of attention.” It’s our job to create something or someone off the page, not to project our self into a role or overshadow that character in any way.

I always keep that in the forefront of my mind and I think actors have to be very careful. It’s a discipline, because as an actor, you have to be self-aware, you have to realize that certain qualities that you have are not conducive to period pieces, so you have to work to change them, and that can take days or years to perfect. Some actors don’t get that. You watch period pieces and there’s something strangely modern about them, it doesn’t work.

The character I played in Hancock, Happy-Go-Lucky and Sherlock Holmes are quite belligerent characters. I think being a character actor, no one employs me to be me, because I don’t really exist on film. You get a certain star who has a star quality, then you pay for that star quality. Somebody like me, they don’t pay for me to do that. They pay me to create the characters, not to be myself. Working as a character actor, invariably there will be diversity, because that’s how I earn a living and that’s what’s asked of me.

LS: What kind of research do you do for your roles?

EM: I use a lot of photographs and music. I find period music, music of the time and photographs. Whenever I start a film, I go to the make-up department and I go to the production design to ask for any of their source material. In Sherlock Holmes, for example, I got some great photographs of old police stations and people. Just people I have no affinity with and I begin to create relationships with them. From there I create a whole family and social network for my character, none of which appear on the screen in person, but they are there with the character in his mind – his wife, his children, his colleagues, who he likes, his mother – I create a whole world for him off screen so that to me, that character is very, very real.

Music is also an invaluable source for me, you don’t realize how much we live in the 21st Century until you have to step out of it, and period music has a certain tempo and rhythm that helps get you into the tempo and rhythm of the period really. So again, for Sherlock Holmes, I would often walk around on set listening to very patriotic Victorian music to help get me in the mood and character.

I am not someone who has to be in character all the while I am filming, the more experienced you become the easier it is to slip in and out of character, but I believe a vital part of that is to have a solid and intimate history and background built up for each character in your mind.

What is it like to work with directors such as Leigh, Ritchie, Scorcese etc?

EM: They all have different approaches and methods, but they expect the same standards, so each director’s way of working pushes and draws on strengths and weaknesses in different ways. With each experience I grow more in my profession, even working with the same director several times, as I have done with Mike Leigh. His approach is to pay actors for a year to do research and preparation before even setting foot on the set, during that time we are in dialogue with Leigh and it’s an amazing and fulfilling experience from start to finish.

Other directors work differently, I was once given a script 20 minutes before rolling the scene out. Basically, as a character actor I am no different to a mechanic – I am paid to do a job and am expected to turn up whatever the weather and conditions. That is what is expected of me and what I have to deliver to the highest standards possible so that all the pieces work together.

One thing they do have in common, they expect me to come to the table with something. That’s what producers and directors employ actors for, you come in, bring ideas and create something. No matter who the director is, my job is to disappear really, so no one goes to see an “Eddie Marsan movie”, they should be going to see the character I help to create.

What do you feel has been the pivotal moments in your career so far?

EM: That would have to be two things in the same year, 2004. Playing the role of Reg in Vera Drake with Mike Leigh, because not only did it establish my working relationship with him, and he is one of my favorite directors to work with, but it also established me as a character actor in the film industry at large rather than just with TV drama and theatre. Then also my role in 21 Grams, as that took my career to America and thereby introduced me to an even broader range of directors and producers, who then introduce you to their circle of friends and the ball really began to pick up speed then.

LS: What does it take to become a successful actor?

EM: This might sound silly or just blatantly obvious; it’s about learning to act and the ethics of acting, but that isn’t so easily done as it is said. I spent seven years as an unsuccessful actor in front of an audience of three people in a room above a pub. During that time I learnt the mistakes and how to deal with them or turn them around, but I learnt to act in anonymity, nobody knew me, so the mistakes didn’t publicly damage me or my self-confidence. I didn’t know it at the time, but in hindsight I am so grateful for that anonymity I had while gaining what I consider invaluable experience.

I really feel for some of the young stars who are seen as “the next big thing” and are put on a big screen at an early age, because the pressure is intense when you get in the public eye, and if you are still learning to find your feet in it all, I can’t imagine what that is like.

You need staying power, perseverance and to remain in control of your own career. When you have mastered those, opportunities are always presenting themselves, as are rejections and in this game we have to deal more with rejections than successes. No one sat in an office or in a marketing department can tell you how to handle that, it comes through experience and I really do believe that you are the cause of effect of your own career, not the agents or marketing guys. Malcom Gladwell wrote that you have to put in 10,000 hours to your profession before you can claim any expertise or success…I think I am at that point, or at least close to clocking up that figure.

LS: What did it feel like to be asked to play Lestrade?

EM: Oh it was just great! Fantastic, really. I think it’s the best part in the film, at least for me. I don’t have the charm and charisma that Robert does, that’s why he is Sherlock [laughs]. Lestrade is like an old-fashioned copper. Holmes will use deduction to work things out. Lestrade will pull them in, he’s an old Victorian policeman. If you’re rude to him, he’ll probably handcuff you for a couple hours to teach you a lesson.

I love Robert’s interpretation of Holmes. He brings to the character a genius quality that is almost akin to autism…and maybe audiences today can relate to that better than much earlier interpretations of this role, because we are more aware and educated about conditions such as autism. With Robert’s interpretation, Sherlock’s mind is constantly working, complete fanatic and genius, which Lestrade isn’t, so there’s kind of a feeling of inferiority on Lestrade’s part, but there’s a mutual respect between Lestrade and Holmes, although Holmes teases Lestrade all the time and infuriates him. Holmes sees things and put things together; Lestrade hasn’t got a clue. Quite often, he’s the man who turns up late. I love him!

Were you a Sherlock Holmes fan as a boy?

No, the books didn’t feature at all in my childhood and I don’t remember ever seeing anyone play Lestrade, so what I did was I read… there are some books on Lestrade, short stories that I read, and I read a couple of Sherlock Holmes books, and I decided to then look at the script as a point of reference and judge it in that way. I also read a lot of social and political essays as part of the preparation to get a solid feel for living in that time.

LS: What was your favorite part of the film to be in?

EM: There are so many great parts to his film and it’s a rollercoaster ride all the way, that’s definitely something I love about it; it keeps you on the edge of your seat right up to the end. Perhaps most appealing for me though, is the depiction of Victorian London, the detail that has gone into it and the effects that Ritchie brings out are amazing. There are some blockbuster films that are lazy in that way, and this certainly isn’t one of those. I think it’s worth going to see just for that, in fact.

How do you think the Asian audiences will receive Sherlock Holmes?

They will probably have an easier time becoming familiar with Robert’s interpretation of the character than some western audiences, as they might not have fixed ideas to some of the iconic references – such as the deerstalker and pipe. Those are aspects that the actors back then brought to the character themselves, Doyle never wrote that anywhere in his books as a description of Holmes.

In this interpretation, I think the character of Sherlock Holmes is on the cusp of the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century, so what you have is a 20th Century Man at the end of the 19th Century. That’s how I look at it, and when I look at Holmes, that’s what I see. When I look at Holmes in contrast to Lestrade, Lestrade is a man of the 19th Century and Holmes is a man of the 20th Century, and that’s the dynamics of the two characters. It’s very easy for us to work out what Lestrade thinks of Holmes. He thinks he’s Bohemian, he’s into Buddhism and martial arts, a bit posh and arrogant, but secretly Lestrade respects Holmes, he would just never tell him so. (Laughs).

What do you have in the pipeline at the moment and can we expect a Sherlock Holmes sequel?

EM: Honestly, the whole time we were filming there were never rumors or mentions of a sequel, though I can see why people might think that and it certainly lends itself for more…and that would be fantastic, but no, there is no discussion at all on that front for the moment.

I have, however, just confirmed a role in a thriller called Sleepyhead with David Morrisey and Ian Hart so that is something I am very excited about this year. There are a few other roles in the pipeline, which will see a first for me to work with some directors and actors. That’s almost always a rewarding experience in itself, so yes, I am really looking forward to what this year has in store for me.

This article was originally published in Traversing The Orient Magazine. You want to make an online travel business? Please go to www.web.com.

The Arresting Eddie Marsan

TTO: So what kind of magazine is Lizard?

Foot: You should know, you write for it. [awkward silence] Ok, it’s a satirical literary magazine. Which means it’s supposed to bamboozle people.

TTO: You have a low opinion of your readership?

Foot: No, I have a low opinion of the people who aren’t the readership. As Karl Kraus says, most people are the sorry consequences of uncommitted abortions.

TTO: Is Karl Kraus a contributor?

Foot: That’s exactly the kind of stupidity Lizard is fighting against. Karl Kraus was an Austrian aphorist of the pre-Nazi era.

TTO: Why Lizard?

Foot: I know someone who got so drunk he woke up the next morning on the beach and a huge monitor had him by the arm and was trying to drag him into the bushes. But actually Lizard is because in Thai it’s called Hiia, which is pretty much the worst thing you can call someone in Thai, especially if you say ai-hiia. Try it in a bar some time and you’ll see.

TTO: You mean it’s like calling it F**k magazine? You think that’s clever?

Foot: It is clever if people don’t realize. Or only realize after it’s too late.

TTO: Too late?

Foot: We have a no refunds policy.

TTO: So what kind of content do you run?

Foot: Anything as long as it’s good. We have short stories, poetry, critical essays, translations, aphorisms and lots of art work. The focus is on Asia: in Taiwan they have a mag but it’s put out by MFA graduates writing stories about America, the kind of crap their mums would be proud of. Lizard is supposed to make them cry.

TTO: Some of your stuff appears to be about pedophiles, is that what you mean?

Foot: That’s below the belt. [awkward silence] But that case was thrown out of court.

TTO: But Lizard has caused a scandal, hasn’t it?

Foot: A storm in a teacup. Our most famous contributor, Ron Tavel, this old guy that wrote the scripts on all the early Warhol movies, Chelsea Girls and stuff like that, he wrote a piece about the local denizens of Soi Sri Bum Phen. The Table of Terminal Boredom, about the ex-pat lowlife. It was grossly offensive, and the ex-pats wanted to lynch him.

TTO: But you printed it.

Foot: I had to.

TTO: Publish and be damned, right?

Foot: It was absolutely hilarious, and Ron’s far and away our most famous contributor. He recently had a big obituary in the New York Times.

TTO: He’s dead?

Foot: The New York Post claimed he died because he was involved in Satanic rituals. I knew Ron really well – maybe they heard about our all-night drinking sessions.

TTO: And that kind of thing went on?

Foot: We used to watch Maria Montez movies from the 1940s. Pretty racy stuff.

TTO: So do you worry about getting banned?

Foot: We worry about not getting banned. Getting banned means you have mass appeal, and that means sales. Getting banned is every publisher’s dream.

TTO: Any other famous contributors?

Foot: Not NYT obituary material. We have Brian Lucas, a Californian artist and long-time Bangkokian, and Friedrich Haller, a German philosopher and Egyptologist. Most of the big name stuff is translations. We’ve published pieces translated from Thai, Chinese and Japanese, and all manner of European languages. But some of our other contributors will be famous one day, you can be sure of that.

TTO: You mean they’ll get arrested, too?

Foot: That’s not what I meant.

TTO: Are there some subjects you avoid?

Foot: This is Thailand, everyone’s avoiding the same subject. Generally we steer clear of anything Thai, though last issue we did have “Dogshit Sayings”, a Thai proverb quiz. Don’t shit on your own doorstep, as they say.

TTO: Any areas you’d like to strengthen?

Foot: We’d like to get more local talent. We’ve even had a couple of Burmese writers, but it would be great to get more young Thai and Filipino writers on board – especially as a lot of Filipinos write in English. And some stuff by ladyboys.

TTO: Ladyboys?

Foot: I enjoy doing the interviews. You know what they say about ladyboys giving the best…

TTO: Interviews? Hey, this is a family magazine we’re doing this for. So what does the future hold?

Foot: Speak to my lawyer.

Interview conducted by Steve Hands, for Traversing The Orient.

This article was originally published in Traversing The Orient Magazine. You want to make an online travel business? Please go to www.web.com.

Interview with a Lizard