SMILE-Laser for begyndere

Opfølgning for klarsynede: 

Sådan foregår en SMILE laser-operation.

Det er nu godt 14 dage siden min operation og tid til en lille blog-update.

Selve operationen fortjener nogle ord med på vejen. Det er ikke meningen, at denne blog skal blive en reklamesøjle for en speciel øjenkirurg, men jeg stiller mig i rækken af meget tilfredse patienter hos Peter Brincker, der er en af landets mest erfarne udi laserkirurgi. SMILE-teknikken tilbydes i øvrigt, så vidt jeg ved, kun 2 steder i landet, og jeg har kun hørt rosende ord om begge. 

Alternativet 'Øjenlægernes Center' ligger i Århus, og her opererer blandt andet Svend Asp, der har verdensrekord i antallet af den nye type SMILE-operation. Mit valg af Peter Brincker skyldes 2 ting: Primært en personlig anbefaling af Peters arbejde, og sekundært det faktum, at Peter Brincker opererer begge øjne til 19.000, mens de skal have godt 25.000 hos Øjenlægernes Center. Der er links i slutningen af indlægget. Endnu engang er det værd at fremhæve, at de hos Memira skal have hele 30.000 for at operere med en ældre teknik med flere bivirkninger på billigere udstyr.... Tja....

Tilbage til forløbet omkring operationen. Jeg var blevet grundigt briefet forud på såvel mail som telefon af Peter Brincker selv samt af det meget venlige og professionelle personale på klinikken. Efter en indledende undersøgelse, der havde bekræftet min egnethed til operation, blev det så tid til at komme under 'kniven'. Det er ganske fantastisk, men der laves en 3D-scanning af øjet, og derefter simuleres en operation på computeren, som øjenkirurgen derefter optimerer, hvis det er muligt. Computeren kan lave et væld af beregninger på forskellige scenarier for operationen, der igen giver mulighed for at optimere de forskellige parametre for syn og nattesyn for at opnå et så optimalt resultat som muligt. Først når øjenlægen er tilfreds med resultatet af 'operationen' kommer man fysisk ind og ligge under laseren. Udover, at selve maskinen ligner noget fra en Star Trek-film, forøges det futuristiske indtryk ligeledes af, at kommunikationen mellem læge og computer foregår ved tale - altså, maskinen 'taler' til øjenlægen i løbet af forløbet, således at denne ikke på noget tidspunkt behøver at tage sine øjne fra operationen. Som inkarneret gadget-nørd kan jeg kun sige: übercool!

Forud for operationen dryppes man i øjenene med diverse remedier - heriblandt en lokalbedøvelse, ligesom man gives en muskelafslappende pille. Herefter hopper man på briksen og køres ind under laseren. 

Der monteres en klemme til at holde øjenlåget åbent, og dernæst kører selve laseren ned til øjet. Det fungerer som en art sugekop, der låser sig fast på øjet, hvorefter operationen går igang. Min oplevelse var, at det var en smule ubehageligt på det ene øje, imens jeg slet ikke kunne mærke noget på det andet. Under alle omstændigheder varer selve laser-delen af operationen ikke mere end 5-10 sekunder pr. øje, så et eventuelt ubehag er meget kortvarigt. Det er derimod en anelse mere skræmmende, at synet på øjet bliver helt mælkehvidt, hvorefter lægen uden pause går igang på det andet øje: det er lidt af en tillidserklæring, man der viser øjensmeden, tænker jeg. Laseren skærer faktisk en lille slids fri inde i øjet, og når den fjernes, får lyset den rette brydning gennem hornhinden. 

Herefter svinges briksen rundt, og man kommer under et habilt forstørrelsesglas, og lægen trækker nu den lille skive af hornhinden, som laseren har skåret (inde i hornhinden) ud gennem den meget lille 'kikkert-åbning', som operationen blev udført igennem. Det tager nogle ganske få sekunder/øje, og allerede nu kan man begynde at se lidt igen. Herefter placeres man i en god stol med et glas vand i nogle minutter, og derefter kan man tage hjem. Allerede i løbet af nogle få timer forbedres synes betragteligt, og allerede 6-8 timer efter operationen er synet allerede helt fint. Herefter følges operationen op med et check af operationsresultat og syn (som regel dagen efter operationen), hvorefter forløbet som sådan er afsluttet. Peter Brincker giver sit personlige mobilnummer til alle patienterne, så man kan ringe ved eventuelle komplikationer/usikkerheder, men for langt hovedparten af patienterne skulle dette ikke være tilfældet. 

Selv har jeg haft et par opfølgende spørgsmål, som Peter har været hurtig og venlig til at besvare, og mit syn var 'normalt' allerede fra morgenen efter operationen. Nattesynet var - så godt som jeg rent subjektivt kan vurdere dette - tilbage på normal allerede efter få dage, og jeg har ingen problemer haft med de såkaldte 'halo'-effekter rundt om blændende lyskilder (billygter mv - iøvrigt en relativt almindelig bivirkning ved LASIK-operationer). Ved en SMILE-operation er der heller ikke behov for at sove med særlige briller eller holde lang pause fra sport/svømning mv. Det anbefales ikke at svømme en uge efter operationen, mens man kan arbejde dagen efter og træne allerede i løbet af den første uge efter operationen. 

Faktisk var det en ret 'rørende' oplevelse at kunne konstatere, at jeg morgenen efter operationen var stået op og gået igang med morgenbarberingen uden overhovedet at have tænkt på, at jeg faktisk ikke havde hverken briller på eller linser i - for første gang i mange, mange år. 

Håber, at ovenstående giver et indblik i, hvorledes en operation forløber. Jeg var meget imponeret af såvel øjenlægenmen ikke mindst hans fantastisk søde personale, og samlet følte man sig såvel professionelt som menneskeligt i rigtigt gode hænder. 

Hvis du går i 'laser-tanker' har jeg kun én anbefaling: se at komme afsted!

Venligst,

Per, Skarptsynet neger

Links:

Peter Brincker, Charlottenlund, http://peterbrincker.dk/

Øjenlægernes Center, Århus, http://www.olce.dk/dk/hvem-er-vi/oejenkirurg,-dr-med-sven-asp.aspx

A New vision!

A new vision!

SMILE! Hvis du kun skal hæfte dig ved et ord i dette indlæg, så må det være ordet SMILE eller - som acronymet dækker over - Small Incision Lenticle Extraction.

Det er efterhånden alt for længe siden, jeg har tilføjet noget som helst til denne ellers så aktive blog. 'Rejseneger'-titlen har ligesom krævet af mig, at der skulle være tale om noget Afrika-relateret indhold - eller - det er vel dybest set blot den undskyldning, jeg har brugt for ikke at skulle skrive mere herinde. Trods en fantastisk tur til Sydafrika her i foråret (billeder kan ses her: https://plus.google.com/photos/109145685143392629530/albums/5886283628243167905) har intet kunnet drive mig til tasterne - sikkert fordi, jeg bruger så meget tid på det væld af opgaver, min igangværende uddannelse fordrer, jeg udarbejder. 

Nu har jeg imidlertid oplevet noget ganske andet, der i bogstaveligste forstand har ændret mit syn på verden, hvilket jeg jeg har mod på at dele ud af. 

Siden jeg trådte mine barnesko i det absolutte grænseland for Udkantsdanmark har jeg brugt briller. Eftersom mit eneste refugium fra de morsingboske fritidssysler som knallertbrydning og kokastning var bøgerne, lykkedes det relativt hurtigt at få opbygget et gedigent nærsyn. Hinkesten og sygekassebriller med 'moderigtige' blå kanter har gjort ethvert barnebillede på den anden side af pinligt, og jeg kan stadig huske den enorme frihed, jeg følte, den første dag, jeg forlod en optiker med kontaktlinser. Siden da har jeg i over 20 år haft linser af mange forskellige slags - alle med relativt stor succes og få gener. 

For nyligt hændte der imidlertid det, at jeg udviklede linseallergi. Det manifesterede sig ved en stor irritation på indersiden af mine øjenlåg, og med meget få dages varsel udviklede det sig så hurtigt, at jeg til min meget store frustration ikke længere kunne bruge linser overhovedet. Trods panikindkøb af hele 2 (tak Louis Nielsen) par briller, der ikke tilnærmelsesvist lignede ungdommens ansigtsbespændinger, kunne jeg simpelthen ikke leve med tanken om, at det formentlig skulle være med briller, jeg skulle gå resten af livet i møde. Svømning, boksetræning, regnvejr, jagt, find selv på flere årsager til, at et liv med briller er noget hø.

Jeg gik således igang med at kigge efter mulige kirurgiske løsninger på min nærsynede udfordring. Det indledende valg faldt på at tage en forundersøgelse hos Memira i Århus. Deres hjemmeside lover, at de både er landets og 'Nordens førende indenfor synskirurgi', ligesom de også lover følgende:
"Førende teknik
Hos Memira anser vi udelukkende den bedste teknik som god nok for dig og dine øjne. Som kunde hos Memira kan du derfor altid føle dig tryg ved, at du bliver behandlet med den eneste afprøvede teknik" - ligesom de også påstår, at de tilbyder alle former for moderne laserbehandling for synskorrektioner. 

Problemet er så bare at dette er usandt - og ganske forkert. Jeg fik ellers et supergodt indtryk af de ansatte hos Memira, da jeg var til forundersøgelse. De virkede meget professionelle og gav masser af god og saglig rådgivning. Hvad var så problemet? Først og fremmest vel det, at jeg gentagne gange gjorde opmærksom på, at særligt risikoen for et forringet nattesyn var særligt udfordrende for mit valg af operation. Jeg er bidt af en gal jæger, og en jæger, der ikke kan se et vildsvin i skumringen på en mørk baggrund, kan ligeså godt lade riflen blive hjemme og begynde på stramaj-syning. Den meget kompetente dame hos Memira fortalte mig ærligt og redeligt, at der helt sikkert ville blive en forringelse af mit nattesyn, men at det formentlig ikke ville blive særligt meget. Hvad hun 'glemte' at fortælle mig om var, at den af Memira anvendte teknologi til behandling af en nærsynethed som min - såkaldt F-LASIK ikke længere er hverken den sikreste, den bedste eller den behandlingsmåde, der har færrest bivirkninger - men de har nok en LASIK-maskine eller tre, der endnu ikke er færdigafskrevne... 

Det er istedet behandlingsformen SMILE (udført med en såkaldt Femtolaser fra Zeiss), som nævnt i indledningen, der er den klart mindst indgribende form for kirurgi, når der skal behandles for nærsynethed. Samtidig betyder den behandling også, at der normalt slet ikke sker nogen negativ påvirkning på patientens nattesyn. Jeg havde efter besøget hos Memira booket tid til operation hos dem, uden at ane, at der overhovedet fandtes alternativer - idet jeg blindt (pun intended) havde troet på, at 'Nordens førende' naturligvis gav mig fyldestgørende vejledning omkring, hvilke muligheder jeg havde. Jeg kontaktede imidlertid en meget, meget dygtig øjenlæge, der har været i mine forældres vennekreds gennem mange år. Han skrev mig venligt og hurtigt en lille mail omkring alternativerne - og et uddrag af den, har jeg klippet ind her: 

"Jeg forstår at du er nærsynet ca -4 på begge øjne uden særlig bygningsfejl. Du er blevet foreslået LASIK-operation, hvor en skive af hornhinden skæres med speciel kniv eller med laser, det sidste mere nøjagtigt. Skiven er hængslet til siden eller opadtil.

Skiven lægges til siden og hornhinden udhules med en excimer-laser. Skiven lægges på plads, men kan ved et uheld forskubbe sig a la et løst tæppe og kan faktisk løsnes igen efter mange måneder. Det går oftest godt, men ikke altid.

Femtolaseren har muliggjort en ny teknik, og her er zeiss klart førende. Teknikken hedder SMILE (small incision lenticule extraction). Laseren har en arbejdsdybdenøjagtighed på 0.001 mm. På få sekunder skærer den en lille åbning i hornhindeoverfladen og vejledt af de forudgående øjenparametermålinger udskæres en lille skive øverst i hornhinden. Skiven (lenticulus) extraheres gennem den lille åbning til overfladen, når laserbehandlingen er færdig. Dertil anvendes en lille speciel pincet. Og vupti er operationen færdig, og vel at mærke uden excimerlaser. Og risikoen for de ubehagelige flapproblemer ved LASIK elimineret. Teknikken breder sig hurtigt, men kræver noget dyrt og topvedligeholdt udstyr. "
For at gøre den lange historie kort: SMILE-kirurgien giver langt færre (under halvt så mange) komplikationer end LASIK, giver langt færre gener lige efter operationen (jeg skriver dette indlæg mindre end 36 timer efter min egen veloverståede operation, og jeg har været fuldt 'funktionsdygtig' siden ca. 6 timer efter operationen), giver langt mindre/ingen påvirkning på nattesynet ligesom øvrige kendte bivirkninger (såsom corona-effekt ved blændende modlys) ved laser er langt mindre ved SMILE end ved en LASIK-operation.

....glemte jeg så lige at nævne, at selvom SMILE-udstyret er 3 gange så dyrt i såvel indkøb som vedligeholdelse som LASIK-grejet er, så kostede min operation knapt 40 % MINDRE end hos Memira?

Jeg skal nok komme med flere updates på sitet omkring selve operationen og mine oplevelser i timerne/tiden derefter løbende - men for nu vil jeg bare sige: Går du og overvejer at blive opereret som jeg, er det bare at komme afsted. Det er nærmest en rørende oplevelse at kunne se 'rigtigt' igen - men tænk nøje over, hvor du lægger dig under 'laserkniven'.

Synligt forbedrede hilsner,
Per

Something for my ex-colleagues in WAF?

Last day...

Dear Reader,

It's a time for change in my life right now.

I'm very busy with my business degree, I am seriously contemplating buying a house with my girlfriend and on top of this, today is my last day at work for AAK.

It's of course kind of sad - and boy, did I have some wacko dreams last night about it - but on the other hand, I feel like it's time to move on. AAK has been a great place to work with lots of benefits and great adventures in Africa to show for it - but one has a tendency of getting 'stuck' in here as well. I am now looking very much forward to my new job, where I will continue to work with raw materials, but now in a smaller office for a Dutch company with a representation in Denmark.

I have been happy to serve you - dear reader - on this webblog, and I am still contemplating what to do with it in the future - but time will tell.

Take care out there - where ever you are!

/Rejsenegeren

P.S.: With all these big decisions to come, I find it a good idea to go to take time to relax in mind and spirit - thus, I'm going fishing this weekend and the below photo (from my mobile) can maybe illustrate why I so enjoy the wonders of the Danish wildlife as well...

Snaps from a boat trip on the Niger river, around Segou

During my last trip to WAF I had the pleasure of taking a trip on the Niger river from one of my favorite places in Mali; Segou.

The pictures below shows some impressions from the trip.

Enjoy!

Thoughts at an end...

Hello to everyone at home!

During this trip – my last, for now – I thought it would be a good idea to add a few thoughts and impressions from a trip through Mali and Burkina. The trip began in Mali’s capital, Bamako and finds its closure next week in Ouagadougou, BF with a flight back to Europe. In between lies a couple of thousand kilometres through the bush and bunch of meetings with partners, suppliers and friends. The otherwise innerving solitude of my West African travels is replaced this time with a car full of great colleagues and friends, so I guess I could not have dreamed about better company for this my last drive through the bush as an AAK-employee.

As I have already informed you, dear reader, my ‘African Era’ is at an end after this trip, and ahead looms uncertainty about my future career and my life in general. This of course adds greatly to the somewhat sad sentiment one can’t help feeling inside after so long down here. It seems like everything I am doing brings along a sentimental mood – be that last meetings with trusted suppliers and friends or be it farewells to staff at the various hotels and restaurants, I’ve frequented numerous times. It’s a bit strange to almost feel a lump in my throat when an old waiter gives me a spontaneous hug – but at the same time it’s great to feel that one has had an impact on the people one has spent so much time with and around. Such a gesture is very unusual, so I guess the lump in the throat is well earned.

So many impressions, so many thoughts. Africa is like a constant ‘stream-of-consciousness’ wanting to fill up your brain. The wonderful mix with the terrible thus creating a mix of great joy and tremendous sadness all at once.

Gestures of great kindness intermingle with acts of unspeakable cruelty both in the overall development (or lack of such) in Africa, but also on the streets day by day – every day. The optimism is incredible also but I guess there is no other mindset that will let you survive in a world like this. People with nothing whatsoever still give you the biggest smile and a wave when you pass - before they get back to their task of looking through a big pile of trash or wherever they hope to find that little something, which will get them through another day.

This may sound somewhat bleak, but after a few days in Bamako, the most lasting impression is always the incredible poverty of the people living on the streets or in makeshift huts built out of the leftovers of others. Open sewers provide both a terrible smell as well as an excellent ‘breeding ground’ for millions upon millions of mosquitoes. Malaria is rampant and terrible since no one can afford the otherwise inexpensive protective nets to sleep under, which otherwise would have kept both the bugs and the illness away. The city itself is filled with crowded, tiny streets that in no way is capable of handling the excessive amount of cars, mopeds, carts, bikes, beggars, donkeys and other livestock that roam the streets from early morning until late at night. It feels like being in the middle of an ant hive, and I must admit that the feeling of being safe otherwise so abundant in Burkina seems to have taken leave of absence in Mali.

Peddlers are everywhere and a white tourist-looking oaf like me is apparently like a red cloth in front of the nose of the bull. Amazing optimism is also seen in the different choices for a career one sees walking about the streets. Yesterday morning a guy walked past me with a sewing machine and about 50 zippers in his hand. He spends his day walking about looking at the crotches of every man wearing pants around him in the hope that someone will just hand him their trousers in the middle of the street for mending. Needless to say, the guy’s attire didn’t indicate that the business venture was yielding great financial results…

As I have described before on this blog, in spite of all its abundant cultural and geographical riches I find Mali to be a very difficult place to like. It’s dirty and extremely poor and a lot of people can seem very inhospitable, even hostile, when you approach them. Thankfully, however, the generally very negative mood changes as you leave the region of the capital. In and around Segou I get a completely different ‘vibe’, but Mali is still a place to approach with a certain amount of reprehension and caution, if I may say so.

We have just passed my favourite spot in Segou along the Niger, but thankfully the sentimental feelings couldn’t break through my joy in seeing the wonderful river again. We took a quick boat trip up and down a bit of the coast and I promise to add some photos of the people working, living and existing here.

Today we’re on the way “home” to Bobo in Burkina Faso, so I hope to get back with more updates from what used to be my home at a later stage during this trip.

For now, I must admit that whilst I of course look forward to seeing Bobo again, I fear that it is also the place, where my decision to leave Africa will be challenged the hardest by that little voice inside shouting to me how much Africa has entered my blood and how much I will miss it…

Sentimental greetings from Mali (with 43 degrees Celsius in the shade)

Rejsenegeren

An end is at hand - hopefully followed by a new beginning...

Dear All,

As it may have come to your attention, the blog has been very dormant for the past 2 months.
Alright, alright, I know that time spans like that without updates is not uncommon on my blog, but still - this normally isn't the case during the shea season.

The reason is that I have decided to leave our African operations - which unfortunately also means leaving AAK as such. I really like the company and the mentality, but to my dismay there are no job openings in Aarhus within the AAK-organization. I have had wonderful and terrible experiences alike in Africa, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. Nevertheless, I think it time to return to my roots and get a bit more settled. I'm tired of being away from family and friends for such extended periods, and I hope to find a job where there is plenty of traveling to do - but for shorter periods of time - at a time.

Of what's going to happen on/to this blog in the future, I'm not too certain as of now. We will see.

If nothing else, dear reader, it has been a pleasure to serve you - and a very big thanks to all of you who have sent/given me positive comments over the years of the blog's existence.

If this blog is discontinued, I hope to be able to invite you to another, soon.

Until then - Bon courage!

Rejsenegeren...

And I thought I might finish with a picture showing that Denmark isn't half bad either ;)


The photo is from late December 2007 - taken in Skagen.

Merry Chistmas!

A heartfelt and sincere greeting to all readers of my blog - whoever you are!

I hope the holidays will bring you piece and happiness with the ones you love.

Thought this smiling face was good to enhance the Christmas spirit in us all :)

All the best from
Rejsenegeren!

Perspektiv...

Perspektiv... Det eneste jeg ser, hernede. Alt skal ses i perspektiv.

Jeg ser Moussa – tjeneren på mit yndlingsværtshus. Stedet, hvor man drikker sine pilsnere, forudsat man har kassen i orden. Stedet, hvor de rige, de udbyttende, de beregnende – men også de venlige, de behagelige og de positive mennesker - slutter deres dag i Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

Moussa... En fin fyr, der klarer sig rigtig godt i baren.

Der er lige en håndfuld procent mere initiativ i ham end i nogen anden, bar-ejeren har haft til at arbejde for sig. Han er førstemand – og opfører sig som sådan. Utroligt, hvor meget vi fokuserer på politisk korrekthed hos os. Selv hans egne kolleger bliver – hans venlige væsen til trods – fra tid til anden overfuset i en grad, der i Europa ville medføre mindst 4 forskellige søgsmål.

Hernede i det ’mørke’ Afrika er der ikke begrænsninger for, hvorledes man har lov til at være overfor hinanden, hvis eens ’station’ i livet tillader det. Utildækket rascisme er blandt dagligdagens mange udfordringer – men hernede er det ikke et så meget et spørgsmål om farve som det drejer sig om klaner, stammer, familier eller ’slags’... Der gøres nar af folks tilhørsforhold i en tone, der ville få selv Morten Messerschmith til at lyde som en børnehavepædagog...

Oki, nu er der sikkert mange beriddere af den moralske korretheds fløjhingst, der allerede har logget af/slukket/klikket videre i teksten...

Ikke desto mindre er det realiteten i den verden, så utroligt få danskere egentlig ser.

Vi lever i et af de mest priviligerede samfund, verden nogensinde har set. Selvom Ekstra-Bladet nyder at fange især net-læsernes øjne med den ene mere brutale overskrift efter den anden, er risikoen for at dø en utidig død i Danmark ’next-to-nothing’, hvis vi sammenligner med Vestafrika.

Derfor håber jeg, at det giver mening, når jeg korser mig over, at det tilsyneladende udelukkende er problemer med 50-øres gebyrer på det forjættede Dankort eller dræbersnegle i de danske villahaver, der kan hidse os op...

Min pointe er simpel:
Næste gang du bruger en kvittering fra en hæveautomat som bogmærke – så vær glad for, at du har et hævekort...og en bog at bruge bogmærket i.
Næste gang du bestemmer dig for at prøve noget nyt, så nyd at du har den mulighed overhovedet. Nyd at der er valg – og at du har dem.
Nyd, at er et alternativ, noget en utroligt masse mennesker er villige til at forsøge at krydse Middelhavet i et skåret badekar uden bundprop for at opleve...

Afrika er et godt sted, hvis man trænger til at få sat tingene i perspektiv.

WOW isn't always World of Warcraft...

I thought I'd upload a few snaps of the women of West Africa (hence the heading...)

To me, these faces displays a lot of the hardships that women have to endure in Africa - but they also display an incredible strenght... Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

An ode to the seasons of the bush...

”Ouch!”, I had to utter.
A nerve-breaking rattle goes through the car, as my driver crosses a big bump on the dusty bush-road in western Burkina Faso. As we are blazing through the bush, I thought I would try and give you, my dear reader, a bit of an insight into the changes of the seasons and as a result of that also the changes in living conditions for man and beast alike here in West Africa.

The rainy season has come and gone, so one can once again observe amazing changes in the landscape. From a bleak, extremely dry and reddish brown savannah with scattered trees with small and pale leaves the entire scenery changes in a matter of weeks if not days when the rain comes, and as soon as the rains cease the transformation to a desolate moon-like world begins again.

Down here it’s completely dry from late October until May/June where the big rains begin in earnest. April/May/June is also the worst period to be down here – so I’m quite thankful that the shea season is peaking in the period from mid-July until late January. The month of May is marked by huge dust storms, daily temperatures in the vicinity of 53-54 degrees Celsius and a complete lack of humidity that dries out your sinuses in a matter of minutes. When one gets out of the car, the brain ceases to work after about 2 minutes under those conditions…

Then, when the rains finally arrive, the entire landscape seems to come to life simultaneously. Everything grows, sprouts and blossoms and the open, barren view changes to a green wall of 8 feet tall grasses and plants enclosing the road completely. The bush is nothing short of beautiful when it is literally bursting with life and growth. The month of August presents any visitor with spectacular green views and pleasant day-time temperatures in the high twenties/low thirties with frequent rains to keep the dust down.

August represents the perfect climate if it hadn’t been for the numerous mosquitoes being hatched everywhere in this period. The deaths and illnesses that are brought on by these malaria-carriers defies belief – and during the months of September to November companies and hotels etc. struggle to keep their staff at work because of the many malaria attacks their employees have to stomach. A good friend of mine working at the hotel I normally stay at in Bobo-Dioulasso lost his sister-in-law the day before yesterday. In the morning she was fine – in the late evening she died leaving her husband and 3 small children… Malaria is not a thing to be taken lightly – although so very little is being done to control it compared to what we do to find a cure against AIDS… - but, as we all now – its only AIDS that white people have to worry about so why bother with the malaria?!? To be fair, quite a few efforts are now underway – focusing especially on handing out inexpensive nets to sleep under – and these efforts have been tremendously successful. What bothers me is that it has taken us so long to do this…

Now, in late October, the climate now changes once again. The last rains are short and infrequent and slowly all of the green colours of the bush grow pale, brown and grey. The locals start to burn the bush during the coming weeks and months – for hunting and farming purposes, I guess. A lot of effort is being put in to educate the local farmers not to do this, but as it is with all change down here a change of mentality is slow if not impossible to facilitate. Now, over the coming months, the landscape will slowly turn to the characteristic brownish-red, and all the lakes and quite a few of the smaller rivers dries up. In a few months time there are only a very few watering holes available for both livestock and wild animals, so one can get lucky and see herds of elephants drinking in one of the permanent lakes close by the roadside in the dry season where they cannot find water anywhere else.

As the grasses disappear so does the nutrition for the livestock, so cattle, sheep and goats start to loose weight. When the rains finally come, there is not much left except walking skeletons – and the same goes for a lot of the farmers and their families. People loose a lot of weigh when the food supply is nearly depleted. Particularly in July where the farmers await the maturing of the newly planted crops of especially corn and millet, life is hard. This period is normally called the ‘month of hunger’ by the Africans. The local variations of cattle have even developed a camel-like hump on their backs, which they use to build up a fat reserve during the time where the food is plentiful. At the end of June, that hump is completely deflated and it hangs down on the side of the animals like an empty balloon.

So - even though this time of year is good for the Burkinabé – the climate is pleasant, the food is plentiful – it also marks the beginning of a very long period of drought and dwindling food supplies. Once can understand why a lot of the local festivals, dances and masks are performed and made in the honour of the coming of the rains. The coming of the rain is essential to everyone here, and mere variations in the timing of the arrival of the first rains can mean the difference between life and death in West Africa.

“PANG!” A great bang once again shakes the car as we return to the main tarmac road and the driver speeds up to his standard leisurely pace of 120-140 km/h on our way to the Burkinabé capital, Ouagadougou, where my flight awaits me tonight. I ponder a bit about how lucky I am, having the possibility to return in a matter of hours to a Danish winter climate and our super-modern and equally rich country. If nothing else, travels in Africa offers one perspectives and appreciation for what we have in Scandinavia…

A few shots from a recent trip to Banfora...again... :)

Hi!

I thought I should add a few photos too - more pics from yet another trip to the waterfalls of Banfora, but the best ones are taken from the car. The girls are street vendors, who always tend to lay siege to the car, when we are waiting at the toll gate...

Enjoy :)

A brilliant view on travelling...

Dear All,

Well, it seems that I'm to lazy or busy to keep the webblog updated - something quite a few people have objected against (thanks for that :)). Thus, I have had to find another way to keep you entertained, my dear reader.

A dear friend of mine called Emma has written the following text about travelling - and being a tourist. I hope you will enjoy it - I know I did!

Thanks for letting me post this, Emma!



The 10 advantages of being a tourist on holiday.



The first advantage of being a tourist; You are free to go and see whatever you wish. Sure, you’ve made plans, but you can change them. (This will also be listed under ‘The 10 advantages of being a human being’.)



The second is that you are allowed to be silly and ignorant. Let’s face it, we all know a tourist when we see one. They are to be recognized by maps of the city they’re in, camera’s and even more plainly in sight; the universal backpack. The male and female variety of the tourist are very much alike and only differ in the amount of luggage they carry. Now when a tourist accidentally does something wrong or stupid in a foreign country they never feel silly. You’re a tourist… how are you supposed to know? You can ask where the toilet is when standing right in front of it, it doesn’t matter. You can use the keycard in the hotel in exactly the wrong way, complain about it at the reception, get a new card, have the same difficulties, be accompanied by the receptionist leaving other clients to wait while she patiently shows you how it ís to be used and not feel silly at all, why on earth should you? After all you are a tourist who is unfamiliar with the ways and habits of the country you are in. You cannot help being ignorant and maybe a little stupid now and then. It is, of course, up to the inhabitants of the country you are visiting to make everything crystal clear.

In your own country you don’t want to look silly and therefore feel silly after making even the tiniest cock up; like not knowing that the escalator starts automatically when you step on it and therefore walking up the stairs when, almost reaching the top and not moving faster than the average octogenarian, you are being overtaken by tourists who are loitering about on the escalator.



Some people don’t cherish warm feelings for tourists. Tourists make the cities people live in commercial and expensive places. And sometimes you can see just that in the way they look at you, while you stand in the subway after you’ve ran over just about everybody’s toes with your suitcase trying to find a seat only to find one just before realizing that you have to get out at the next stop. However, when you ask for help you will meet with friendly smiles and ready explanations. People are proud of their cities and will help you to show you where you’re going. Obviously the sentence most often employed is ‘Excuse me, do you speak English?’, closely followed by ‘could you show me where I am on this map, please?’ and ‘How much?!?’. Now for the second and third question the answers are easily given, a simple pointing at the map and repeating the price will suffice, the first question however is of a more difficult nature. The answer can never be a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. After a ‘yes’, the native will have to exhibit his knowledge of the language by understanding the next question and also answering it. Just saying ‘no’ and avoiding all that may sound like an easy way out, but it implies that they did understand the first question, which was in English, and also that they know the English word for ‘no’, a little knowledge of the language must therefore be suspected and so you can try to ask the next question by making strange gestures and using odd sentences, which are not in fact proper English at all. And now for the third advantage of the tourist after this introduction for it; there is no third advantage; it’s difficult to move yourself about in a country where you don’t know the language and the only thing you can hope for is people who will try their best at explaining that the few columns right behind you are in fact the temple of Zeus and you should not try to find another, more complete temple

.

The fourth advantage is seeing things you’ve never seen before. To give but one of a thousand examples; You’ve seen the Sistine chapel in books and on tv. You know the most famous part; the pointing of God towards Adam… that is what you will look for and upon finding it you will leave the chapel to find more recognizable items of interest.



The fifth advantage is that you get to spend money on things you don’t normally wish to spend your money on. This is your holiday after all. Examples are ice creams that cost 8 euros per scoop, postcards that are 5 euros each and peaces of string made to look like bracelets that are varying in price between 10 and 15 euros. Of course you get the more expensive one because you wouldn’t want an inferior quality.



The sixth advantage is procuring a tan. Unless of course you’re an albino or visiting The Netherlands in the summer. In most other cases tans are unavoidable as you’re bound to be outside more than during the bustle of your daily life.



The eighth advantage is tasting food you’ve never had before. Apart from acquiring a more varied taste it also, in many cases, gives you renewed appreciation of the use of a toilet within 100 meters from where you are at all times of the day.



The ninth advantage is the sheer invisibility you are cloaked with while visiting main attractions. There are only tourists where you are going. Everyone is going to look at whatever it is everyone has come to look at. No one will be looking at you. While staring in full awe of whatever is the attraction, you will hear faint sounds of admiration around you. The American ‘oh, my Gods’, the Chinese and Japanese clicking and zooming of camera’s, and the silent admiration of people who are not at leisure to give way to their utter amazement to anyone or the silence of people who do not know what everyone else is so impressed with. You do not have time to look about you at the people who are so struck, because you have also come to be struck and are far too busy showing everyone who is not watching you that you are likewise confounded by such a sight. The advantage of invisibility only can be trusted upon when you’re actually at the place of the attraction, for getting their by way of public transportation or having a drink in a café afterwards means that yòu will now be an attraction to your fellow tourists, and they to you, as there is nothing much else to look at.



And for the tenth and last advantage of this list of obvious advantages of being a tourist, I can only mention the joy of coming home again. The joy of telling everybody where you’ve been and what you’ve seen. The joy of making calls on people for whole evenings just to show them your wonderfully taken pictures of which you are sure they’ve never seen the like of in their lives. The joy of that first morning back at work, when the colleague who has been taking over for you hardly has composure enough to tell you what has to be done urgently, because that very afternoon it will be his turn to go on holiday to a far and as yet unknown place full of eminent pleasures. And, of course, the joy of visiting your own, normal supermarket again where you won’t be bothered with having to say ‘bonjour’ or ‘bon giorno’ or ‘buenas dias’ in a particularly cheerful manner, but where you can just go about your business and be as snappy to the check out girl as she was to the customer before you or ignore her altogether as she does you.



And there I conclude the advantages of being a tourist on holiday. I hope it has not been a tedious read. I realize these advantages are widely known already but I felt obliged to make them yet clearer and even more widely known to induce more people to venture from their comfortable homes into unknown worlds which are no doubt beyond their understanding but never beyond their reach.

Thought it was about time for a few shots of children, too :)

 

The normal mode of transportation for kids. Very handy for the mum, who has both hands free to work. The kids seem to love it, and they are always relaxed when they are that close to the body-heat of their mum.

 

This little guy showed some dancing skills - I had to restrain myself from kidnapping him and bringing him home to DK :)

A few snaps from a trip to Gaoua

This may look like something you have seen before, but the 2 snaps are from a region, I have never visited before in Burkina Faso called Gaoua. I have seen this type of wierd lake before, but I still have to stop, get out of the car and start taking picures whenever I pass them.

Bureaucractic & boisterous!

I was ready to blow up, yesterday evening, after yet another troublesome run-in with the wonders of Burkinabe bureaucracy - ever wonder why the last bit of that word spells -CRAZY??
Well, down here, the little "desk-popes" (wonderful, direct translation from Danish, that one) who makes it to a "proper" job at a public administration office or - even worse - a lawyers or a notaires office really excel in waisting the time of everyone else.
For about 4 months now, I have been trying to open up a local company down here, and it just takes for fxxxxin EVER to get through to these thick-headed officials. They seem to enjoy it, when some completly non-important document can be discarded, because it "only" arrived in 5 and not the proper 6 copies. You have no idea as to the amount of legal mumbo-jumbo dating back to the old colonial systems of France and the UK one has to put up with down here. Everything is red tape - and plenty of it. Yesterday, I had to give in my penal records. These had of course been aquired from the Danish police (no, I still hold a clean bill, thank you!), but when they got that, they suddenly changed their minds. Now they wanted one from the BURKINABE Police - even though I do not live in Burkina, nor am I registered with them, of course. Simply plain ridiculous.

In fact, this is a big part of the problems in Africa. They REALLY need some legal reforms here. No-one bothers to open up a company in a proper way before doing business, because it simply takes too long and costs an arm and a leg. Example: To open a company, one of the docs needed is a contract of hire for the place you want to do your business. This contract has to come in 6 signed, originals (for God's sake no copies), and these then has to be "legalised" - meaning they have to have a stamp costing about 1 usd sticked on to EACH PAGE of the 6 docs... Then you have to register the contract of hire - which costs you a "fee" of 10% of the annual rent!!!!! I'm telling you - it is simply madness!

A few pics from the latest trip...(as always: click to enlarge)

 

I think it's the sad expression in this boys face, that caught me. I know its not a good photo (taken through a car window), but his expression just sums up so much.

 

This one practially shot itself. Again - the little girls face just appealed to me.

 

Lastly, a couple of photos from Banfora - the bush is beautiful, when it's the rainy season!

 

...a snap from desolation centre...

 

Dodging malaria for a living! How does that relate to beauty?

Dear all,

I am really trying to get this blog updated more regularly when I'm travelling, I mean it must be possible to find 10 minutes every other day or so!?! So I really will try to up the number of posts, when theres good things to write about.
But, like all other self-reform-plans I've tried in my life, I am sure this is only a short-lived try, so enjoy it whilst it last!

The headline is meant as a comment to the 233553343 mosquito bites, which I have been "blessed" with since I got here. It seems like every single bug in Burkina wanted to wish me welcome "home" with a bite or two. I hope I'll be able to avoid the ever present malaria - (knock on wood) - but it really doesn't improve my physical status, that my favorite bars and restaurants all have outdoor serving only...

Anyhoot - one of the reasons why I'm so covered in bug bites is, that I was invited to the local "Miss Vacances" (miss holiday) here in Bobo yesterday. I couldn't resist such an offer - and I had a blast. The beer was ridiculously cheap (and the whisky too), and all of the lebaneese friends I have got down here were there too. We had a funny night, I promise you ! Beautiful women and cheap beer - as good as life can be ;). It was great fun to see how a beauty contest is held here - and quite impressive to see the local traditional dresses worn at a "catwalk", (actually, the catwalk was an improvised pavilion in a back alley doubling for a restaurant, but they had done an impressive bit of work with the lights and the incredibly loud music. Of course the power went about 3 times during the show, but hey, what can you expect?).

So I thought I'd better share this with you - and post a pic or two from the event - sorry about the quality, but I wasnt too close to the action, and I only had my cellphone...:




I'd better mention one more thing as an appendix to this story. I ordered a whisky (sorry, but it was less than 1 euro for a double), and the lady asked me, if I wanted ice with it. Not being too afraid for my health (one should normally be very careful with ice when travelling) and hoping the whisky would kill most of the bugs, I accepted. The lady then took out an icebag (a plastic bag filled with water and then stuck in the freezer), took a used, empty beer bottle to smash it, grabbed a few pieces of ice which she then used TO WASH HER HANDS OVER THE REMAINING ICE and finally she grabbed another bit of ice and stuck it in my glass... ENJOY!

...a snap from December...

 

Probably as close as I will ever get to a wild elephant without a car or any other protection!

Sunset at Mopti!

...even the goats can't take their eyes of a sunset like this...

A new look!

After having wasted 2 hours this Saturday morning trying to access my bloody corporate server without success, I decided that a new look for the webblog would be a worthy way of spending the rest of the office hours!

Thus, I hereby present the new and improved look for the blog - a new look for a new season!

Latest update in my life is, that I will have to postpone my homecoming and thus shorten my vacation afterwards!!! Though break, but I have a huge amount of preparations to handle down here, ahead of the coming season. I'm quite the optimist, though, we will do our best to give our competitors a run for their money :)

BIB - not MIB...

Dear all,

BIB - 'finally' back in West Africa for a time. Landed in Burkina Faso the day before yesterday, and I'm now Back In Bobo.
3 months is not a long time in WAF, and everything is as unchanged as usual - except the fact that my hotel now have draught beer!! What a fantastic piece of news for my liver.

Anyhoot, I have agreed to take on the African setup for yet another shea season, which is already approaching all too rapidly. During the coming year, I do not plan to live down here as much as the last one though, so I will spend some more time in Denmark and a lot more time on planes, I expect.

Otherwise, very little news in my life - except of course the big 3 - 0 approaching all too fast. I think the panic is already starting to spread in my system. I have been pleasantly surprised in this respect though. My sister and one of my best friends, Nis, have apparently planned and prepared the party for me! I think that is one of the kindest things, I have ever experienced, and I'm very much looking forward to this 'surprise'-party. I have to add though, that they have also done all the invitations, so if you are not invited, dont blame me! In stead, send an email to me if you feel left out :D

Take care back home - or wherever you are!
/rejsenegeren

P.S.: I just had to add an all time favorite photo...:

The Danish Connection!

Dear All,

This is just a short message to let you all know that I have safely returned to Denmark, where I now try to get my old life back. It has been great to return to 'civilisation' as we so arrogantly put it, but mainly it has been great to see and spend time with the family and my friends. Fortunately, I also have a bundle of holidays coming up, so I hope I'll be able to spend it visiting a bundle of my friends - abroad as well as in Denmark.

My return-date to Africa is still uncertain, but I will keep you all posted in here (probably with a slight delay of about 3 weeks as always...).

Until then, be safe and enjoy life - a lot of people in Africa don't have that luxury!

/rejsenegeren