Title – Men’s House
Date – September 1998
Location - Yap - Micronesia
Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia is one of the most traditional countries of the South Pacific. The men’s house found in every village is a meeting place for the elders and a rest place for visitors from other villages. Exclusively the domain of men; women are not welcome in the house, unless specifically invited to take part in an important discussion on village matters.
The islands traditions remain very important and many people still use the grass skirt as normal day-to-day dress. With a people as friendly as anywhere in the pacific, this quiet little island is a jewel in a very blue sea.
Beyond The Blue offers individuals the opportunity to attend our workshops that help them prepare for travel anywhere in the world. For candidates taking part in our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we provide them with Destination Advice and Cultural Awareness information for the countries they plan to visit.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Big Guns
Date – September 1998
Location - Chuck - Micronesia
The conflict in the Pacific ocean during WWII is sometimes the forgotten war in much of Europe, but the conflict here was equally as devastating and cost millions of lives throughout the region. But in the pacific the monuments to the war are less ceremonial and more real.
The Japanese occupied many of the islands in the region and had in places dug tunnels literally running for hundreds of kilometres through the hills to enable them to be defended from every side without ever needing to leave the safety of these bunkers. They stand to this day as a monument to those souls lost during the conflict and a memory to the time when the peace and tranquillity of this part of the world was destroyed by many alien nations fighting for control of this region of such strategic importance.
Beyond The Blue offers workshops to allow individuals to develop the skills they will need to avoid conflict and reduce the risk to their personal safety, while undertaking a trip to any part of the world. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop teaches basic low-impact personal safety techniques to help candidates create space and time when their personal safety is threatened, without the need to use excessive physical force. The techniques are designed to be appropriate no matter how much physical strength you may have, they are easy to learn, easy to remember and easy to master.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Monitor Lizard
Date – August 1998
Location - Kakadu National Park - Northern Territories - Australia
When you hear a rustle in the grass in the UK you can be excused for not jumping aside as a squirrel pops its head out. But remember, when you travel, the rest of the world has slightly different fauna and flora.
This monitor lizard is a ‘Jurassic Park’ version of the UK’s humble little lizards, but it is not a life threatening killer. Having said that a healthy respect for native fauna is certainly advisable, as if you corner or try and catch one of these monitors, their claws and jaws will certainly leave you with scars for life.
The Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop run by Beyond The Blue helps prepare candidates for their travel to unfamiliar parts of the world, we can’t teach you to fight a monitor lizard, but we can train you to avoid conflict in all its shapes and forms.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Aboriginal Paintings
Date – August 1998
Location - Kakadu National Park - Northern Territories - Australia
This long necked terrapin Aborigine Painting in the Northern Territories of Australia is just one example of many ancient rock paintings found throughout the region. No visit to Australia is complete without learning a little bit about the history of the country and what it was like just a few hundred years ago, before Captain Cook dropped anchor in Botany Bay.
Australia is proud of its heritage and the tours run by aborigines themselves really bring the subject of the ‘Dream Time’ to life.
At Beyond The Blue, we realises the importance of cultural awareness and we examine the subject in our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop, run to allow those attending to prepare for their travels.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Barramundi Fishing
Date – August 1998
Location - Northern Territories - Australia
Fishing is seen by many as boring and dull, sitting by the side of a river or lake for hours on end with nothing happening.
Others will say that there is nothing more relaxing then enjoying your environment and that it’s the only way to see all the wildlife that surrounds you.
Barramundi fishing in the Northern Territories is an experience that makes those people who think fishing is dull sit up and take note. Known for jumping as soon as you hook them and thrashing out of the water in the classic ‘blue marlin’ fashion, the barramundi reach serious sizes of over 60kg (130lb). That’s not the only challenge, when fishing from the bank you have to pay particular attention to logs that can turn into crocodiles; and having hooked a ‘Barra’ you have to get them in before the crocs catch up and enjoy a free dinner at your expense. You wouldn’t be the first person to suddenly loose the tension in your line, only to find nothing but the barramundi’s head on the line and a contented ‘big tooth’ chewing and diving in the background.
Beyond The Blue was set up with the following principle in mind, we wanted to help individuals predict the unexpected and act before it effected them in an adverse manner. To eliminate the phrase ‘it came out of the blue’ and see ‘Beyond The Blue’.
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop helps people to prepare themselves for the unexpected.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Northern Territories Sunset
Date – August 1998
Location - Northern Territories - Australia
Sunset over the Mary river system in the Northern Territories of Australia is a glorious time, with the waders flying across the sunset you can be in no doubt of the grandeur of Australia and the vast nature of this beautiful country. With no substantial urban areas within hundreds of miles, this part of the Australian outback is not the barren red soil we are familiar with, but it is just as dangerous for the inexperienced traveller. Getting lost is as easy as stepping off the ‘yellow brick road’ and the crocodiles just under the surface of every body of water, make it a place to visit only with someone who knows it well.
Australia is indeed a vast country and planning is vitally important when considering a trip. Getting from one town to the next can take a lot longer then you had first imagined when looking at the map. Taking advice from locals as well as fellow travellers is a resource that should be used at every opportunity. Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop that give you a head-start by providing Destination Advice to those attending.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Blue Mountains
Date – August 1998
Location - New South Wales - Australia
The Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia are a great day trip or weekend away from the heart of Sydney. With a spectacular train ride to the edge of the plateau before it drops off into the valley, this is a perfect way of escaping the city and within a short period of time being in an area of seemingly complete wilderness. With monuments and rock pillars as tall as any in Arizona’s National Parks, it is truly a fascinating landscape.
Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop for those embarking on a trip anywhere in the world. These courses provide personal safety advice and techniques to allow individuals to travel with confidence and the knowledge to defend themselves should the need ever arise.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
