Title – Kennedy Island
Date – September 1999
Location – Solomon Islands
The modern history of the USA and the world was played out in the pacific ocean only 50 years ago during the second world war. Kennedy’s boat was sunk in the Solomon Islands and he eventually swam to this tiny sand bar in the Solomon (subsequently named Kennedy Island). From here he and the 10 survivors of his crew were rescued by some friendly local scouts who helped them to regroup and be rescued by their own forces.
The friendship many of these islanders showed to outsiders at that time is well documented in history and despite effective invasions taking place in many parts of the region before and since WWII, they remain some of the friendliest people in the world today. There are few places in the pacific where you will not receive the warmest of welcomes and where ‘respect’ is still a word that refers to being aware of your impact on others.
Understanding and respect are key words used throughout our workshop at Beyond The Blue We believe that by understanding the culture and history of countries, we can more easily accommodate changes to our own behaviour when visiting them. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop allow individuals to gain a better understanding of how to communicate positively with local people and how to behave in countries that often have very different values to our own.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Inside the Beach Hut
Date – September 1999
Location - Marovo Lagoon – Solomon Islands
Rapita Lodge on a tiny island in the middle of the Marovo Lagoon in the Solomon Islands is paradise and to get here is in itself is an epic journey. But to achieve the ambition of visiting these fascinating places you have to accept the burden of living on the slightly sparser side of life, there are no five star hotels to be had here.
However when you find these places, you realise the meaning behind the fresh flowers that appeared on your bed each morning, is so much more genuine then those that you might find in your room of the five star hotels. This is mainly because you could see where they were collected in the village and you got to know the friendliest people who go to the extra trouble of placing them there for you. If to top it off you can open the back-door of your hut onto a little balcony on stilts over the iridescent blue lagoon, then you really can’t ask for more.
Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop for individuals who want to explore the world for themselves, those who want to discover both the remotest islands as well as the most populated metropolises. We offer safety advice for all extremes and information based on your destinations that are specific to you.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Seghe Airport
Date – September 1999
Location - Marovo Lagoon – Solomon Islands
Seghe Airport in the Solomon Islands isn’t exactly a bustling airport, but it acts as a vital supply and transport route to this spectacular part of the South Pacific. When planes arrive on a very infrequent basis they have to circle the airport twice before landing. Circling over the Marovo lagoon is a sight that will impress even the most hardened traveller, but the reason they circle is not to show off the beauty of their islands, but rather as a warning to all those local people that it’s time to turn the local football pitch and market place into an airport again for an hour. On hearing the engines the locals pack up their belongings in a hurry and move the goal posts before the whole village turn out to find out how many and who might be arriving.
Within 25 minutes of disembarking you find the plane has left and the villagers have returned to their homes and you are left alone outside the terminal building, not quite knowing what is going on and not being able to enter the terminal building; as inside it seems to be the ideal place to store the lawn mower….
Beyond The Blue provides individuals planning independent travel with training which will help them plan and execute their trips in a safe and effective manner. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop will not only will it help you enjoy your trip, but it will also give those family and friends you leave behind, peace of mind and the confidence to know that you have the basic skills to travel safely throughout your trip.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Fishmonger
Date – September 1999
Location - Ghizo Island – Solomon Islands
Although they are pushing hard globally, Tesco have yet to reach the Solomon Islands and the fresh fish counter is still some way off. However few retail chains in the world can hope to compete with the freshness of the fish available from local fishermen in the Solomon Islands. They catch their fish and clean them within hours, before selling them to the highest bidder on the shore where they land. To us it may not seem like the cleanest way of preparing the fish you are about to buy and eat, but remember this is the way the world worked for tens of thousands of years and we are still here today to talk about it.
Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop designed to prepare individuals for the perils and pitfalls they will encounter along the way when they travel. These include preparing people for the changes that they will come across in the far flung parts of the world so that the experience remains fresh, but the culture shock is less pronounced.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Rain Storm
Date – September 1999
Location - Ghizo Island – Solomon Islands
As much as the weather is unpredictable it is also ‘predictable’. Rain in the tropics is an experience to behold. For most of us very heavy rain storms are beasts that we see only rarely in our own country, but go to the tropics and rain is always that way, the gentle drizzle that UK is famous for doesn’t seem to happen here. In the Solomon Islands an afternoon rain storm was not unusual and you had to be prepared for the fact that if you got caught out in it, then you got wet; not damp, wet!
Beyond The Blue as part of its Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop examines the equipment requirements for your forthcoming trip. We examine the countries you will be visiting and the all important climatic information. Taking the right level of equipment and clothing as well as the right type, will make a big difference to how comfortable an experience you have.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Family Outing
Date – September 1999
Location - Ghizo Island – Solomon Islands
Families in the Solomon Islands have no SUV’s to take them from one place to the next, the dugout canoe is still if not the preferred choice of transport, then at least one of the most ecologically sound ones.
Family outings normally have a purpose; going to market to sell produce or collecting / delivering relatives to school, hospitals or religious ceremonies.
When we are travelling we should remember the privileged position we are in at all times and control the impact we have on others. Most people still live in a world where the next town is an unimaginable distance away; image how difficult it is for them to comprehend that we have flown round the world just to find a beach with no people on it when there are plenty closer to home. Treat people with respect and they will respond and as much as you can’t always understand their way of life, yours is equally alien to them.
Beyond The Blue’s Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop is designed amongst many other things to help you to improve your communication skills and understand what communication involves. We examine the benefits of Cultural Awareness, so that the impact you have on countries you visit is purely positive.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Henderson Airport
Date – September 1999
Location - Honiara – Guadalcanal – Solomon Islands
Henderson Airport is the Solomon Islands major International Airport, located on the island of Guadalcanal. It’s no Heathrow and where you have the advantage of not needing to know which terminal you are at, you also must be aware that a lack of flights landing here means that for most of the day it is closed down and locked up. If you happen to be flying into the domestic terminal the same day to transfer onto a later international flight, it means a long wait outside with only the toads for company.
The country advice given by the FCO for the Solomon Islands at the time I travelled was that there was civil conflict on the island and the worst of the fighting was near Henderson International Airport, needless to say this meant nerves played a part in the anticipated wait. However further investigation in the planning of this trip involved calling the Australian Ambassador (the only real embassy on the ground in the Solomon Islands), who effectively said that the fighting was sporadic and taking place in the villages at night, with almost no weapons being used except old second world war guns that had been rusting for 50 years; this gave me a little more confidence.
Beyond The Blue runs Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops in which we review destination countries and the current political situations within them, as just one area of vital importance in the planning process. We highly recommend other sources of information to those attending including the FCO web site, that offers exceptional information to potential travellers and whose advice should always be followed.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
