Day Twelve - Hello Bangkok ! We can't wait to see Sarah & Ian ! ! !
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Day Eleven - Cruisin'through Kathmandu Cate on Thamel Street Kathmandu is an incredibly diverse historic city with breathtaking Newari architecture , centuries old Hindu and Buddhist religious sites, and serves as a traveler's off beat intersection . Stepping into Kathmandu is like stepping into another world that everybody should experience at least once in their lifetime. Cate on the roof top of a Buddhist Monastery overlooking the Boudhanath Stupa Cate on the Boudhanath Stupa . The prayer flags The five colors are arranged from left to right in a specific order: blue, white, red, green, and yellow. The five colors represent the five elements and the Five Pure Lights . Different elements are associated with different colors for specific traditions, purposes and sadhana . Blue symbolizes the sky and space, white symbolizes the air and wind, red symbolizes fire, green symbolizes water, and yellow symbolizes earth. According to Traditional T
Day Nine - Post Op & Hospital Visits Blindness is an underlying cause of poverty and hunger in developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that of the world’s 39 million blind people : 90% live in developing countries 80% of the cases are avoidable or treatable 48% are blind because of cataracts SEE International is restoring sight and transforming lives.
Day Eight - Second Day of Surgery The second day started out with post operative (post op) examinations of the surgeries performed the previous day. The patients are lined up, as shown in the attached picture, waiting for reexamination of the results. Their family members are waiting with anticipation of the results in the hallway. All results were beautiful! Dr. Janal Shah examines the eye of a previously blind woman. The simple 20 minute surgery has restored her sight. Immediately following post op, the surgical team suited up for a second round of surgery. Today, the team conducted 32 cataract surgeries and one pterygium. Cate was busy helping the pros all day. Dr. Preeti Shah and her husband Dr. Janak Shah along with Dr. Olivia Dam made it look simple. Cate delivers antibiotics to the patient. Cate patches the eye of a patient after completion of the surgery.
Day Seven - Goodbye Mumbai, Hello Siliguri Surgery Begins ! On our way from Mumbai to Siliguri Tuk Tuk (pronounced took took) trip to the clinic Cate arrives in a Tuk Tuk at the clinic with Dr. Olivia Dam (SEE International Ophthalmologist from Canada in black), Dr. Preeti Shah (SEE International Ophthalmologist from Mumbai, India next to Dr. Dam) and an anesthesiologist from India. The Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International team didn't waste any time getting surgery underway. The first day involved 25 manual small incision cataract surgeries (MSICS) and one pterygium . The SEE team started surgery at 3:30pm and finished at 10:30pm. At the invitation of eye surgeons in developing countries, and with the approval of local health and civic authorities, SEE International recruits, organizes, and deploys numerous small surgical teams worldwide to restore sight to underserved populations. Since being founded in 1974, SEE’s eye surgeons have ex
Day Six - Dance Class in Mumbai for Cate Cate attended a private dance class with Arpita Step Up Dance Acadmey in Mumbai. Over two hours the amazing instructors taught her a traditional Indian dance and a Bollywood dance. Dance videos to come at a later date. The drive to and from the dance lessons were a chance to see the local area. I've included a short video of a standard street scene. We catch a flight tomorrow to Siliguri, India to get down to work. The real reason we are on this trip is to help people with correctable blindness.
Day Three in London Buckingham Palace, the British Museum, Harrod's & Bond Street We started the grey and rainy day with a visit to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. It was rainy and very crowded so the view was limited. Cate at Buckingham palace We stopped into a pub for a quick lunch and then jumped back on the Underground . The next stop was the British Museum to take a look at priceless antiquities. My highlight was the Rosetta Stone . I think Cate's favorite were the mummies. Cate inside of the British Museum Cate with the Rosetta Stone Cate with Mummies Cate with a bust of Ramses II We decided to leave history behind and move on to some shopping. Harrod's department store. It was decorated for holidays and packed with Christmas Shoppers. We talked to one of the senior sales associates who gave us some amazing stories of shoppers spending tens of millions of British Pounds in less than an hour at Har
Day Two . . . the Tower of London & Greenwich Cate and Brian at the Tower of London Cate at the entrance to the Crown Jewels Exhibit We headed directly to the Crown Jewels exhibit. The Crown Jewels, part of the Royal Collection, are the most powerful symbols of the British Monarchy. Included are over 23, 578 gem stones and the Cullinan I, or the 'Great Star of Africa', diamond weighing in at over 530 carats. Cate with the Guard staring watch over the entrance to the Crown Jewels Next, we went to the Line of Kings which provides a display of historic armor on life-like wooden figures. The exhibit includes armor, sword, shields, pikes and guns. King Henry the VIII's Armor Lastly we spent some time at hearing about some of the famous prisoners and the short and bloody time they spent at the Tower of London. We said goodbye to the Tower of London and headed to the Royal Naval Observatory at Greenwich . We stood on t
