lørdag den 30. april 2016

Earthquake in Ecuador, part 2

Dear fellow human beings,
Ecuador needs your help. The 16th of April the worst earthquake since 1979 hit Ecuador. More than 600 people died in the magnitude 7.8 earthquake and many thousands were injured. Some people have lost their lives, others their family, their friends and many people are now homeless.

The Ecuadorian people did a great job at helping each other after the earthquake. Immediately, there came help to the affected areas from all over Ecuador. People have done everything from searching for living people in the rubble to setting up temporary shelters to collecting donations. In every part of Quito, in every suburb and every town they have set up centers to collect donations of food, water, personal hygiene products and medicine to send to the affected cities. In the meantime, international news sites quickly forgot about the earthquake again. However, Ecuador still needs help.

What Ecuador needs now is long-term relief effort. VASE/ICYE Ecuador, the organization with whom I am volunteering in Ecuador, is making a collaboration with TECHO, a South American organization, to provide transitional housing for poor families, who lost their homes in the earthquake.
As the average price for one house is $2700, the number of houses we will be able to build is entirely dependent on donations. However small an amount you can do without, please consider donating to this project. The more funds we raise, the more families we can help! Volunteers will build the houses, when the fundraising process is finished, and the funds raised will go entirely towards building materials.

TECHO is surveying who needs transitional housing and what their needs are in a house, as to make the money donated as useful as possible.

Thank you so much for all your donations. Every dollar counts.

If you would like to support the project economically, money can be donated on the following website:
www.betterplace.org/p42808 → „Notbehausung für Manabí“
Again, it is important for us that you know, that all funds raised will go entirely towards building materials.

If you are interested in following the project, please consider liking Wiederaufbau inEcuador


Kære medmennesker,
Ecuador har brug for hjælp. Den 16. april blev Ecuador ramt af det værste jordskælv i landet siden 1979. Mere end 600 mennesker mistede livet i jordskælvet, der havde en styrke på 7,8, og flere tusinde er kommet til skade. Nogle har mistet deres liv, andre deres familie og venner og mange mennesker er nu hjemløse.

I tiden efter jordskælvet kunne man opleve hvordan ecuadorianerne fra dag ét arbejdede sammen om at hjælpe de ramte områder. Folk hjalp med alt fra at lede efter overlevende i ruinerne til at opsætte midlertidige husly til at indsamle donationer. I hver del af Quito, i hver eneste forstad og hver eneste by er der blevet indsamlet mad, vand, personlige hygiejneartikler og medicin, der senere er blevet sendt til de berørte områder. Imens glemte de danske medier hurtigt jordskælvet igen. Men der er stadigvæk hårdt brug for hjælp i Ecuador.

Hvad, der er brug for nu, er at hjælpe Ecuador med genopbygningen efter jordskælvet. VASE/ICYE Ecuador, den organisation jeg arbejder som volontør i Ecuador med, har derfor lavet et samarbejde med TECHO, en Sydamerikansk organisation, om at opføre midlertidige boliger til genhusning af de familier, der mistede deres bolig under jordskælvet i Ecuador.
Da prisen for en bolig i gennemsnit er $2.700 afhænger mængden af boliger vi kan opføre af donationer. Vi beder jer overveje at donere et beløb til dette projekt, uanset hvor lidt I kan undvære. Jo flere midler der bliver doneret, desto flere familier kan hjælpes. Når fundraisingen er overstået, vil frivillige opføre boligerne. De midler der bliver rejst, vil udelukkende blive brugt til at betale byggematerialer.

TECHO undersøger i øjeblikket, hvem der har brug for genhusning og hvilke behov familierne vil have i en bolig. Dette gøres for at sikre, at de indsamlede midler bliver brugt mest effektivt.
Tak til alle der donerer! Hver dollar(krone) tæller.

Hvis I ønsker at støtte projektet økonomisk, modtages donationer på det følgende website:
www.betterplace.org/p42808 → „Notbehausung für Manabí“

Igen er det vigtigt for os at gøre opmærksom på, at alle rejste midler udelukkende går til betaling af byggematerialer.
Hvis I er interesserede i at følge projektet, kan I synes godt om Wiederaufbau in Ecuador.

søndag den 17. april 2016

Earthquake in Ecuador

Yesterday evening the worst earthquake since 1979 with a magnitude of 7.8 hit Ecuador. The reports so far say that 233 have lost their lives. This morning we finally received news from the last volunteers, who had spent the weekend on the coast, and they are all alright.
The earthquake was worst at the coast near to the epicenter.

My thoughts go out to all the affected families.

I går aftes ramte det værste jordskælv siden 1979 Ecuador. Jordskælvet havde en styrke på 7,8 og indtil videre siger rapporterne at 233 er omkommet.
Her til morgen fik vi endelig kontakt til volontørerne på kysten og de har det alle godt.
Jordskælvet var værst ved kysten i nærheden af epicentret.

Mine tanker går ud til alle de berørte familier.

onsdag den 13. april 2016

Colombia: Diving in Taganga

We had planned on spending 2 days diving in Taganga, but due to my travel mate getting sick and diving being really cheap, I ended up kicking in 7 dives in 4 days - one of them a very exciting night dive!
I thank the dive shop Reef Shepherd/Dive Taganga for the photographs.

Diving in Taganga
Dykning i Taganga
Diving in Taganga
Dykning i Taganga
Diving in Taganga
Dykning i Taganga
Diving in Taganga
Dykning i Taganga
A sea horse!
Søhest!
Diving in Taganga
Dykning i Taganga
Diving in Taganga
Dykning i Taganga
Diving in Taganga
Dykning i Taganga
Diving in Taganga
Dykning i Taganga
Diving in Taganga
Dykning i Taganga
Diving in Taganga
Dykning i Taganga
The classical dive signal
Det klassiske dykkersignal
Sea turtle!
Søskildpadde!
Diving om Taganga
Dykning i Taganga
Annika and me in the water
Annika og mig i vandet
Vi havde planlagt at bruge 2 dage på at dykke i Taganga, men grundet sygdom fra min rejsepartners side og fordi dykning var virkeligt billigt, endte jeg op med at logge 7 dyk på 4 dage - et af dem et virkeligt spændende natdyk.
Jeg takker dykkershoppen Reef Shepherd/Dive Taganga for billederne.

lørdag den 9. april 2016

Colombia: Taganga beach

The beach of Taganga was quite crowded because of Semana Santa (Easter) and we really didn't go swimming there. But we used the beach as a base for hanging out, our daily juice drinking and for eating arepas (a sort of potato tortilla filled with cheese, chicken and different salsas).

Taganga Beach
Taganga strand
Fregate bird
Frigatfugl
Birdie
Sunset in Taganga
Arepas
Juice stand
Juicestand
Tagangas strand var overfyldt grundet Semana Santa (påske) og vi brugte ikke rigtig stranden til at gå i vandet. I stedet brugte vi stranden som vores base til at hænge ud ved, den daglige juice drikning og til at indtage arepas (en kartoffeltortilla, fyldt med ost, kylling og forskellige salsaer).

tirsdag den 5. april 2016

Colombia: Airbnb-ing in Taganga

After Cartagena we went to Taganga, a fisher village just outside of Santa Marta.
Here we stayed at a guy from Germany living in Colombia. This was a very cool place to stay, as it felt like a more homely version of a hostel!
The German guy named Helmut is pretty much living on beer and we were surrounded by his seven cats, 3 dogs and a huge number of chickens and ducks!

Furthermore staying with Helmut gave us the experience of spending an evening hanging out with other travelers and Colombians.

And we also ended up plucking a chicken - fun experiences.
Kitty!
Killing!
Pluck, pluck, pluck that chicken
Pluk, pluk, pluk den høne
Efter Cartagena tog vi til Taganga, en lille fiskerby lige uden for Santa Marta. Her boede vi hos en tysker, der bor i Colombia. Dette var et virkeligt fedt sted at bo, da det føltes som en mere hjemlig version af et hostel.
Helmut, vores vært, lever af øl og vi var omringet af hans 7 katte, 3 hunde og et ubestemt antal høns og ænder.

At bo hos Helmut gav os også muligheden for at tilbringe en aften sammen med andre rejsende og colombianere.

Og derudover plukkede vi også en høne. Sjove oplevelser!

lørdag den 2. april 2016

Colombia: Cartagena

I got some time off work (which was needed because work is hard right now and I am working a lot of hours!) so I ended up taking a small detour to the north of Colombia with Annika, one of the other volunteers. We started out in Cartagena, where we spend the time getting used to the climate (hot and humid all day and all night - Quite a change from Quito.)

In Cartagena we visited the castle of San Felipe, we walked around the city and in the afternoon took a free walking tour.
Cartagena seemed like a really nice city and had a nice Caribbean and somehow more exotic feel than what I am used to from Ecuador. Safe to say that I will be hoping to come back to Colombia some day!

The Caribbean feel
Carabiske vibarationer
Cartagena
City wall
Bymuren
Houses
Bygninger
Streets - this is so different from Ecuador
Gader - dette er så forskelligt fra Ecuador!
Street art
Gadekunst
View from San Felipe's castel
Udsigten fra San Felipes slot
San Felipe's Castle
San Felipes slot
Colombian flag
Det colombianske flag
San Felipe's Castle
San Felipes slot
I am too tall to walk here
Jeg var for høj til at gå der.
Catalina - a Colombian symbol
Catalina - et colombiansk symbol
Free walking tour!
Gratis byrundtur.
We don't have WiFi, talk to each other
Vi har ikke WiFi, snak med hinanden
I loved the feel of the city!
Jeg elskede byens vibe.
Sunset in Cartagena
Solnedgang i Cartagena
Jeg fik 1½ uge fri fra mit projekt (hvilket jeg havde brug for, da mit arbejde er lidt hårdt for tiden og med lange arbejdsdage!) og derfor endte jeg op i den nordlige del af Colombia sammen med Annika, en af de andre volontører. Vi startede i Cartagena, hvor vi forsøgte at vende os til det varme og fugtige klima.

I Cartagena besøgte vi San Felipes slot, gik rundt i byen og tog på en gratis guided rundtur i byen.
Cartagena var en rigtig dejlig by og havde en mere caribisk og eksotisk vibe end jeg er vant til fra Ecuador. Jeg håber bestemt, at jeg kommer tilbage til Colombia en dag!