Title – Spinner Dolphins
Date – September 2002
Location - Christmas Island - Kiribati
I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love Dolphins. They epitomise intelligence, fun and happiness and sometimes with all the myths that surround them, we paint them as being almost human in some of their emotions. No where is this impression more potent than in the spinner dolphin, like those found here in the waters around Christmas Island in the South Pacific.
The Spinner Dolphin is named for its habit of jumping out of the water and spinning several times in the air with a cheekiness that would make even flipper smile. It seems sometimes that no matter how many you have seen and no matter how familiar you are with the sight of them, they can still break a smile out on even the hardest of faces every time they pop their beaks out of the water. Excitement is a normal reaction to a sighting and excitement an emotion in them that they seem capable of transferring on to us.
At Beyond The Blue we know how exciting the prospect of travel can be, we still get ‘that feeling’ every time we have the opportunity to travel or have to research countries and destinations for presentation on our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops. We believe that the excitement is something to be harnessed and held on to throughout your trip and for this reason we are not into scare mongering; we know that the majority of travel experiences are positive and without incident. But we also understand that a little preparation can go a long way and know that our workshop allows you to enjoy the excitement rather then fear it.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Village Sing Sing
Date – September 2002
Location - Christmas Island - Kiribati
A ‘sing-sing’ is a Pidgin word for a dance show or party; and in the pacific they know all about putting on a party. Traditional singing and dancing is an important part of the culture and truly living art. If you have the opportunity to visit almost any of the pacific islands you may well find yourself invited to attend one of these performances and I have yet to come across anyone who has not found the experience fascinating, fun and a great honour.
Pidgin is a common language in many parts of the world, but specifically in the old British Colonies. It’s a combination of basic English and native languages that is often the only way for tribes from island nations previously isolated from each other to communicate. On the island of Papua for example over 820 languages are spoken by different tribes. The languages from this island alone account for almost 12% of all the languages spoken on the planet. Pidgin sometimes seems relatively easy to pick up, superficially it may seem simply to be English words being repeated to have a related meaning, as in the case of sing-sing; but get into a destination where nothing else is spoken and you will struggle to understand it.
Beyond The Blue run workshops to assist people planning to travel to any part of the world to prepare for their trip. Through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we advise you on appropriate destinations and inform you on what to expect when you get there. Effective preparation for your trip will allow you the luxury of feeling confident and relaxed when you are far away from home.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – One Long Beach
Date – September 2002
Location - Christmas Island - Kiribati
This is a sight that most beach lovers dream about when they close their eyes; a long isolated white sand beach sloping gently down into bright light blue shallows and a fringing reef keeping the waves at bay. To find the best locations in the world where you can be undisturbed for days can involve an extensive journey, but the rewards are certainly worth the effort.
But with isolation comes a threat. Here on Christmas Island in the South Pacific the threat is minimal because the culture, isolation and size of the island would make it relatively easy to identify any assailant, but in many other parts of the world travelling to somewhere so remote can place you at some risk.
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop helps individuals develop their skills to enable them to act in a responsible and safe manner during their travel experience. Beyond The Blue specialises in low-impact personal safety techniques that are easy to learn, easy to remember and effective.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Wahoo
Date – September 2002
Location - Christmas Island - Kiribati
Christmas Island in the South Pacific nation of Kiribati (pronounced Kiribass) is so far away from anywhere, the UK used it as their nuclear testing ground in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, getting there is in itself is an adventure. But the fish reach this size naturally and it has nothing to do with nuclear fallout. Twenty four hours after this fish had been caught we enjoyed sashimi and Wahoo steaks for dinner.
If you make friends in countries you visit your experiences will be twice as rewarding. This was a diving trip and between dives we would trawl fish on two lines to pass the time. Considering the not unsubstantial cost of both these activities, effectively getting two for the price of one made a great difference to the budget.
Beyond The Blue’s Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop takes place over two days. The cost is about the same as our competitors, but we run two day workshop, most of our competitors run a one day course. We cover a much wider range of subjects and are unique in our personal safety and low impact training techniques.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
