Title – No Room Service
Date – August 2003
Location – Madagascar
The room service was some what lacking at this beach side lodge, in fact the services in the room were some what lacking. The toilet area was a treacherous walk across coral rocks and the shower (or should I say buckets) was rudimentary to say the least. The bed only had alternate slats underneath, so that the 2 inch mattress really didn’t ruin the pleasure of you being able to feel each slat grinding against your spine. But at least the room was private and I had it to myself, except for the usual bugs, spiders and crabs.
But there is an upside, open the door and you are looking straight onto the Indian Ocean. Get lucky and you can watch the Humpback whales cruise by (having completed their migration from Antarctica to this region in order to breed) while you sit on your doorstep.
Dreams normally come at a price and most of the time it’s one worth paying, as the rewards tend to outnumber the hardships considerably. Beyond The Blue has set up a Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop to help individuals prepare for their planed travels in a manner that the reduces the risks and hardships along the way.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Leaf Tailed Gecko
Date – August 2003
Location - Nosy Mangabe - Madagascar
The Leaf -tailed Gecko of Madagascar is incredibly difficult to spot against the background of a tree trunk and you will walk past ten times before you see it. But when you do and you get a little too close, be prepared for a shock. It will flare its jaws displaying the remarkably red interior to warn off potential predators.
Beyond The Blue trains individuals in personal safety techniques to protect themselves from possible attack. All our techniques are low impact and do not require the use of force. But more importantly we also cover the aspects of managing conflict and aggression and resolving it. On our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop, we look at the different in body language and in aggressive behaviour patterns, as well as emphasising the benefits of good communication.
Warning sign are there for a purpose, in what ever form they may appear. Reading them, will go a long way to making your journey a safe one.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Coffin Cave
Date – August 2003
Location - Madagascar
The Madagascan reburial ceremonies are, to say the least, unusual. But those that partake in these ceremonies believe that even after death their family members who died remain behind to play an active role in the family and they are regularly consulted in important family decisions. For a number of different reasons they sometimes perform reburial ceremonies moving the remains (which are washed and placed in a new shroud) from one location to another. During this time family may choose to come and speak, sing to or even dance with the remains, in order to ingratiate themselves with these higher bodies.
Beyond The Blue understands the need to have an open mind about the traditions and culture of countries you visit, but we emphasise throughout our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop the importance of respect. Even if you think that the local culture is a little extreme, understand that it has a place in the society where YOU are the visitor and appreciate the positive effect you can have on your host, by simply respecting what they believe.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Hansel & Gretel House
Date – August 2003
Location - Ile Sainte Marie - Madagascar
A spacious and well maintained detached bungalow (with converted loft space) situated in a very attractive and popular village location on the Ile (Island) Sainte Marie. Only 15 minutes drive to the capital of the island Ambodifotatra. The accommodation comprises of lounge and dining kitchen, two bedrooms (one also called lounge), fire central heating system, double glazing (One glaze mesh, second glaze shutter), detached bathroom, side driveway with ample grazing, attractive front and rear gardens. NO CHAIN.
£150 O.N.O.
Sometimes you just come across these houses and wonder where they got the idea from.
Beyond The Blue is a training company that offers Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop to help individuals to plan and undertake travel safely and with confidence.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Gaol
Date – August 2003
Location - Ile Sainte Marie - Madagascar
Worst case scenario, you get yourself in trouble (for any number of reasons) and find yourself locked up. What do you do?
You don’t have to be an international drug dealer to find yourself falling foal of the law, there are any number of reasons why you might end up behind bars, as far away from home as you have ever been. It may simply be that you were taking part in an act that is perfectly normal in your home country.
Recently the Malaysian parliament was discussing a new law to make it illegal to kiss in public. With sentences threatened of up to a year in gaol for anyone convicted, this innocuous activity could really land you in hot water. No doubt the Malaysians will be reasonably lenient with westerners, but it can still be the most frightening experience of your life.
The Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop run by Beyond The Blue, looks at what to do if you find yourself caught up in a nightmare like this. More importantly we also examine ways of avoiding it in the first place.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Off to Market
Date – August 2003
Location - Canal des Pangalanes – Toamasina - Madagascar
This is a typical scene in so many parts of the world, be it a bicycle, rickshaw or tuk-tuk you will simply not believe the amount of produce they can carry. I have seen bicycles with literally hundreds of live chickens hanging upside down, rickshaws effectively being used to move house and tuk-tuks filled with all the family members attending a wedding. There is no maximum weight limit in much of the world.
The Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop covers many aspects of your travel planning and experiences you will encounter along the way. At Beyond The Blue we believe one of the most common mistakes made by the first time traveller is in what they pack for their trip. The savings we can help you achieve with the equipment you buy and over-pack, can often cover the cost of the workshop itself. Some will send the excess they pack home, some people will dump it; either way it can put a dent in your budget you can do without. We examine as part of our workshop what equipment you will need and what might be a little excessive, we also consider the effect that a heavy pack can have on your travel plans and your health over a long period of time.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Fishing Town
Date – August 2003
Location - Tamatave - Madagascar
Tourism is not a past time restricted to westerners although generally it is restricted to the rich. Tamatave is the Madagascan equivalent to Brighton and people flock from Antanarivo to escape the madness of that city. The long beach is by no means world class compared with others round the country, but watching locals being tourists in their own country is certainly an interesting angle to experience.
Here the local tourists watch the local locals fishing; getting your vantage point is something you have to fight for.
Beyond The Blue runs Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops to help you prepare for the adventures you are planning in any part of the world. We strictly limit the numbers attending the course in order to ensure that the course is productive and all those attending achieve a positive learning experience.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Bright Eyes
Date – August 2003
Location - Ile Sainte Marie - Madagascar
Some places that you find yourself in can really make you sad about the state of the country and the world, which allows misery to exist in so many places. But behind every dark cloud there are the bright eyes of a new generation that have yet to be dragged down by the world in which they were born. The world can seem hopeless, but it deserves to have hope and here in these children, there is always the hope that there is a bright future that belongs to them.
This has long been one of my favourite photographs; it fills me with hope in a country where sometimes you feel there is very little for most people to look forward to. Photographs are very personal and introspective by their very nature, they always mean more to the photographer then anyone else and you will return from a trip with your own set of memories that you will spend the rest of your life trying to communicate to others and probably failing.
Beyond The Blue believes that there is an appropriate location for almost everyone who has even the smallest desire to travel, we can help you decide where would be best suited for you, a place where you will be comfortable, safe and where your dreams can be realised. We will through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop give even those people that don’t have the confidence to go, a helping hand to achieve their goals. ‘Being prepared’ is not copyrighted by the scouts.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Maronseterra High Street
Date – August 2003
Location - Maronseterra - Madagascar
High Streets in many western countries are starting to become cloned; you’ll find the same shop, bars and restaurants standing on either side of the strip. Some have been pedestrianised and some have been turned into a market place, but here in Maronseterra the town planning has gone slightly wrong and the ducks have taken over and now claim it as home. Get too close and you’ll be warned off with a shrill hiss, as they only seem to respect the sound of a truck approaching in the distance and waddle out of the way before reclaiming their terrain.
The Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop, like all courses run by Beyond The Blue are designed not to be generic but rather specific to those attending. Each group we teach has unique requirements and the workshops are tailored for them. The most obvious changes will be in where people are planning to travel, but also the make up of the group will determine what personal safety techniques we teach and what advice we give. Groups can be very varied and this does not mean that one or the other will miss out, with over 193 countries in the world (Source; The UN recognises 192, as the Vatican remains independent of the UN charter. This makes a total of 193 if you include the Vatican, although there is some dispute over these numbers) no matter how different the requirements of individuals we never need to cover each of these countries and if we cover a country you are not planning to visit on your trip, it might just give you some great ideas for your next trip.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Chameleon
Date – August 2003
Location - Masoala National Park - Madagascar
The Chameleon is well known for its ability to change colour and to blend into its environment although recent research suggests the change in colour is used more in mating rituals and to warn predators. Here in Madagascar over half the worlds know species can be found and many believe that more species are yet to be discovered. Madagascar also boasts the smallest to the largest to be found anywhere in the world. The largest (Parson’s Chameleon) comes in at over 60cm in length and the smallest (Stump-tailed Chameleon) at only 0.35cm. With many of the Chameleons being unique to the island it’s a great place to come and see them, but beware the locals find Chameleons ugly and many Taboos exist surrounding this animal. So if your excitement at seeing them is not matched by that of your guide, there may be a reason.
Chameleons change their colour not only to match their environment better and thus for protection, they also use it to communicate with other chameleons. Certainly an ingenious evolution.
Beyond The Blue believe that one of the most successful ways to avoid conflict or other pitfalls such as theft or mugging depends on your ability to blend into your new surroundings. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop examines this concept and we pass on all our experiences and the techniques we have developed, to reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of crime when you are in a new and unfamiliar environment.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Upside-Down Tree
Date – August 2003
Location - Ifaty - Madagascar
The Baobab Tree is known to locals as the ‘upside-down tree’ and it’s not difficult to see why. Adapted perfectly to it environment the lack of leaves saves on water evaporation and the bulbous trunk is one of natures great water storage devises. The trees define the landscape and tower over every other living organism setting a scene that would be perfectly at home on an alien planet.
Beyond The Blue realises the value of adapting to your new environment and through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we help individuals to evolve for the environments they are planning to visit on the course of their travels.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Junior Guides
Date – August 2003
Location - Isalo National Park - Madagascar
Where ever you find yourself in the world you’ll need guides, sometimes you have the hire them but often you’ll find a local who is happy to show you the way or point you in the right direction. Often you will find that your visit instils a sense of honour on your host. But beware, in some countries not giving an answer is considered rude. In these cases even if people don’t know the answer your question, they feel obliged to give you an answer and this can lead you astray.
Kids can often be great guides, the area you are exploring is often their playground, but again know what you are getting into, kids can also be used as a diversionary technique and although this is normally only the case in more urban areas, it can also happen in the country. There have been cases of kids luring people into areas where others then take over and before you know it your valuables are gone.
Here that wasn’t the case and the kids were excellent guides and took me all through the river gorges, all for the price of some biscuits and a share of the drinking water.
Beyond The Blue have developed a Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop to help individuals who are planning a trip to a new country to research their destination properly and to travel responsibly reducing the risk wherever possible.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Jungle Guides
Date – August 2003
Location - Masoala National Park - Madagascar
Getting through the virgin rainforest of Madagascar is not something to be taken lightly, if you are not familiar with your environment you would not only find yourself faced with one of the worlds most difficult environments to survive in, but you may well find yourself walking round in circles for days on end. Of my set of guides, at least one was easy to spot from a distance. But as soon as you leave your trail, it’s really a hopeless situation.
On this occasion we were looking for a rare lemur and the guides would split up while following trails and listening for sounds from the canapé, when they found a sign they would make animal noises to each other to ensure we were all heading in the right direction. As we got closer we speeded up until we were running at full pace over and under branches, up and down steep banks and across rivers. Loosing the guides who seemed to be able to almost hover over the hurdles, that I stumbled over and rolled under, was not something to contemplate. I was so disorientated that even when we finally stopped, having found our objective, I was completely unaware of how deep into the jungle we had actually travelled and the 4 hour hike back to camp would have been impossible for me to find on my own.
Beyond The Blue seeks to guide individuals through the jungle that is the preparation stages of your trip. With our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we lead you through the highs and lows and give you the head start that helps you stay in control throughout your trip.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Swimming Pool
Date – August 2003
Location – Isalo National Park - Madagascar
We came across La Piscine (Swimming pool) while hiking over the Isalo Plateau in the heart of Madagascar and in the African midday sun. You can imagine no greater high when the dry wind has drawn every last drop of fluid from your body. Like an oasis in the desert, not only was the setting perfect it was in the perfect setting.
Madagascar still lives with the influence of its colonial days when France was the ruling over this, the worlds 4th biggest island. Many features of the country still reflect this influence; the baguette is ubiquitous, the architecture in the capital Antanarivo still reminds you of Paris in places, the currency is the Madagascan Franc and the common languages are French or Malagasy.
Knowing the colonial past and history of the country you are visiting, will help you make the correct choices. Knowing a little French is a real help in this country, in six weeks I had to speak French every day and it made the trip much more straight forward, as I came across very few English speakers.
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop will not teach you to speak French, but our Destination Advice will identify the languages spoken, the currencies and other details that you will need to be prepared for you destination. Beyond The Blue researches all our workshops extensively, before each workshop candidates are asked to fill out a Pre-booking Form with their travel plans and experience levels.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Dhow
Date – August 2003
Location - Madagascar
This Dhow or traditional Madagascan fishing boat is just one of the fantastic sights that help you realise how different your life is from that of the peoples living in your host country. It’s a great sight as it passes down the coast but it has a real function, it will probably be the only means of income for one or more families. The Fishermen risk their lives every day to catch enough fish to sell, in order to keep their family afloat.
Understanding local traditions can help you fit in and gain respect which in turn makes your travel safer and more rewarding. At Beyond The Blue, we understand the value of tradition, we realise that teaching people local traditions can give them a good foundation to their planned travel. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop provides Destination Advice for your chosen destination(s).
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Sunset View
Date – August 2003
Location - Ile Sainte Marie - Madagascar
Sunset signals the end of another day in paradise, it’s a great time to sit back and relax with the thoughts of your day. But it’s not a great time to be in a t-shirt and shorts. Not only will the mosquitoes devour you, they may well leave some nasty parasites behind.
Protecting yourself against discomfort is one of the considerations you must make before you leave. Beyond The Blue will help you prepare for your trip with our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop. We examine all your equipment needs from mosquito repellents, to the clothing choices you make; we also consider preventative Travel Health matters such as vaccinations and prophylactic malaria tablets that might be required for your chosen destination.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Taxi Brousse
Date – August 2003
Location - Madagascar
The Taxi Brousse is the Madagascan minibus, they travel between and around the main towns. They can seem at first sight to be a realisation of your worst nightmare, but you have to remember where you are. They are often filled well over the number of available seats and with cargos ranging from mattresses, to livestock and fresh produce to sell at market. As well as this small children are often thrust towards you, as you are offered the best seat in the back of the bus and the parents feel that their kid sitting on your lap is the least you can expect in return for that privilege. These are not always the most comfortable means of transport, but normally get you to your destination in the end.
These Taxi Brousse are often the best form of transport in this country, but the poor state of the roads and the age of the vehicles means that break downs are a regular occurrence and no trip seems complete without a flat tyre or a damaged radiator. It’s at these times when sitting at the side of the road waiting for the genius of the driver and his helper to fix the problem with nothing but the most basic of tools, that you realise where you are. Watching some local men walking by your broken down vehicle as they set off on a hunt with their spears, certainly put the scene in some perspective.
These are the experiences that seem significant to you, that are sometimes difficult to explain to others when you return home. The key to our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop at Beyond The Blue, is to ensure that you can develop the confidence to experience to deal with all the oddities that are out there in the world, that are just waiting for you to arrive.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Rich & Poor
Date – August 2003
Location - Toliara - Madagascar
A typical scene in many developing countries, the kids in the foreground are grinding grain to make bread that their mother sells on the side of the road and in the background one of the world best known and richest corporations delivers its Coca Cola brand to a local store.
It used to be the case that one of the common tests to see if you had truly reached one of the most remote places on earth, was whether you could buy a Coke. It was difficult to come across a location where this brand had not been introduced and in many remote locations it is still a status symbol. This test has been somewhat superseded by the mobile phone test; that is to see how remote you are by not having access to a mobile phone signal.
The world is changing rapidly, areas that were once remote have become accessible and countries that were once stable are suffering under the burden of civil conflict. At Beyond The Blue we will advise you on the latest information for your chosen destination. As part of our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we examine your destination and provide you with Destination Advice so that you can plan your trip with all the knowledge you need to travel safely and confidently.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Over Grown
Date – August 2003
Location - Canal des Pangalanes – Toamasina - Madagascar
It sometimes feels like every way you turn something is in your way. Sometimes it’s the authorities; sometimes it’s the infrastructure; sometimes it’s just that you are used to a different sense of urgency; always it’s a new challenge. There are any number of sayings in ‘management speak’ to try and convince you to turn a negative into a positive, a problem into a challenge, but sometimes you just want to sit down and give up.
Don’t!
When you get home the ‘negative’ will make a great story and the ‘problem’ will be a new boast to your mates. But it can be difficult.
On this trip in Madagascar I had already spent 4 hours in a decrepit minibus almost twice as full as the number of seats available. When the road ran out we took a boat, when the river seemed to run out, we had reached our destination….. by default.
To overcome and break down the barriers you will encounter when travelling you will need many skills, the most important ones are probably patience and tolerance. Beyond The Blue can not teach you tolerance in a day, but we can show you why it is sometimes your best choice. As part of our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops we examine the best ways to break down their barriers that always seem to pop up at the worst times.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Beach Shed
Date – August 2003
Location - Ile Sainte Marie - Madagascar
This could be paradise and certainly from the outside it was one of those locations where you could just spend weeks doing almost nothing. The high water line made getting in and out a little precarious but added a charm that made life in the hammock a little more interesting.
Spending time doing nothing can recharge your batteries when you are on an extensive trip, over a prolonged period of time and finding a location like this certainly makes it easy to relax. Remember you are on Holiday!
Beyond The Blue know that the point of going away is to experience everything the world has to offer. Sometimes to achieve this you have to work hard to break down all the barriers that you come across, but ultimately you are there to have fun, whatever that means for you. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops are there to give you the basic tools to travel and have fun safely while you explore whatever country you find yourself in. Our workshops are very relaxed, there are no tests or exams and it sometimes feels like those people gathered round are just friends chatting about past and planned adventures and getting all the answers they need to realise these.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Regatta
Date – August 2003
Location - Ifaty - Madagascar
You can only work with the tools you are given, in this case a few stems of bamboo, a piece of drift wood and a plastic bag were transformed into one of the sailing ships that alongside of 15 or twenty of his friends were raced against each other. The constructions were so efficient that the kids had trouble keeping up with them even when at full sprint.
Knowing how to make the most of your situation will help you to overcome many of the hurdles you will come across when undertaking an extensive trip in a new country. Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop to help you prepare properly for your trip and give you the direction and confidence to make the most of the limited Travel Equipment you will be able to take with you.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Spice Girls
Date – August 2003
Location - Ifaty - Madagascar
From Left to Right:
Posh, Scary, Sporty, Ginger and Baby
The Spice Girls of Madagascar.
Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop to prepare you fully for your forthcoming travel experience and to give you the confidence to have these encounters for yourself.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Transport Options
Date – August 2003
Location - Toliara - Madagascar
The Transport Options in Madagascar are varied and can be a little daunting considering the distances involved and the state of the roads. Be it a local public bus, a mini bus or a rickshaw, you will have to negotiate your fare and take your chance.
The rickshaw can be the best method over short distances and although the runners generally know where they are going, communicating where you want to go, is another matter.
The public busses are slow and it sometimes seems to be a rule that every passenger has to take five times their own body weight in luggage. Another reason to consider is that the most direct route often seems to be avoided at all costs.
The minibus often seems to be the best option, if the slightly more expensive one. They tend to go the most direct route and at the fastest speed that the age of the vehicle and the road conditions will allow. The added bonus is that they seem to be able to fit 22 people into a 15 seater, so you have little choice but to make friends and you certainly get to interact with the locals. You will often be offered the best seat in the back, as you are probably paying several times more then everyone else, but don’t be shocked if that privilege comes at the price of having a small child thrust into your arms.
The choices you make will define your trip and experiences. At Beyond The Blue we want to help you make the right choices throughout your trip and by attending our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop you will get the information, tips and confidence make them positive.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Ring Tailed Lemur
Date – August 2003
Location - Isalo National Park - Madagascar
Looking just like a Disney character the Ring Tailed Lemur is an animal as unique to Madagascar, as the kangaroo is to Australia. The whole Lemur family can only to be found on this very large island off the southern coast of Africa and with a bit of effort and a little endurance everyone can get a chance to see them and everyone can enjoy watching them fly through the trees and play like small children.
But beware; in areas where they come into contact with humans a lot, they can become exceptionally brave and ‘friendly’. They will approach, as this one has, to see if you are the type of tourist who will offer them a snack and whether you are or not, use caution. Turn your back for a second and they will jump in and take anything they can get their hands on, be it edible or not. You wouldn’t be the first visitor to see their hat or lunch disappear into the trees.
Crime is always a risk when you travel abroad, in some countries more then others. Beyond The Blue will advise you on ways to reduce the risk of falling victim of a crime and can teach you techniques as part of our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop to enable to better defend yourself and protect your belongings. You may not wish to report the theft of your hat by a Lemur to the authorities, but knowing what action to take when you are the victim of crime is certainly worth it and yet another subject covered during the two days over which the workshop runs.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Smile
Date – August 2003
Location - Toliara - Madagascar
A smile to melt even the hardest heart is something you sometimes need to see when you are this far away from home. They remind you that happiness is relative and does not reflect your wealth or the country you come from. These girls live in one of the worlds poorest countries and in one of the poorest parts of that country, but they have million dollar smiles. Stopping to have a drink of water and a biscuit from my pack while walking across the island, they had within minutes ‘mugged’ me of the whole packet and all that was left to show for it was yet more smiles, definitely worth the price.
At Beyond The Blue we realise that no matter how much you prepare and no matter how fascinating and beautiful your destination there will be times when you feel like you are on another planet, there are days you will wake up and wish that the beach outside your door would be your back garden and when going to bed no matter how tiered you are just doesn’t seem like something you can face. We all have a longing for home at some point on a long journey away, it’s not something that makes you weak or particularly different, it’s just normal. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop will help you prepare for the hurdles you will need to overcome and can help those people who dream of travelling the world but just need the confidence to do it, realise those dreams. What we can’t do is replace the encouragement that coming across smiles like these can give you, when you are having a bad day, only you can do that.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Butcher
Date – August 2003
Location - Toamasina - Madagascar
Sometimes common sense tells you when something is not right. There is the experience of embracing all that the country you are visiting has to offer, but even in Madagascar there are better offerings then this. Certainly hygiene standard differ from country to country and place to place, but you have to make an informed choice as to when the standards have dropped so much that they have fallen below a safe limit. Our suggestion; don’t ask for rare steak in this town.
Madagascan food is generally very interesting and certainly much of it is truly part of the experience of the country, but there are minimum standards you should demand. Getting ill this far away from home is a very unpleasant experience. Beyond The Blue will guide you in the basics of preparing and executing a successful travel experience through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop, we can give you advice and guidance that will help you reduce the risks involved in your trip, but you have to employ common sense to make the guidance work effectively.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Market Place
Date – August 2003
Location - Toamasina - Madagascar
Markets are colourful and lively places, wherever they are in the world, from Paris to Toamasina in Madagascar they are the perfect place to see the way the locals live. Markets represent the society they are in and here the colourful array of beans and seeds was just one example of the variety of produce on sale. Your haggling and bargaining skills will need to be sharp and alert when you enter this arena, but for those that love nothing more then people watching; head to the market.
The skills involved in haggling and bargaining are ones that you can only learn through experience and it can take a while, but there are simple techniques that can give you a little bit of a head start and more importantly the right attitude to take when needing to use these skills. Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop to help prepare individuals for all the new experiences they will encounter on their travels.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Street Kids
Date – August 2003
Location - Toamasina - Madagascar
The pleasure you can give from a simple gift of an ice cream might just help these street kids forget everything else for fifteen minutes, before the reality of their stark existence hits home again. The reward of the beaming smile certainly makes the experience worth while.
Beyond The Blue believes that travel does not just need to leave you with a lifetimes worth of memories, but you need to leave memories behind with your hosts. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop is designed to help you start your trip with the knowledge to be able to have a positive impact on the countries you visit and to act as an ambassador for your own country.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Local Shop
Date – August 2003
Location - Maronsetra - Madagascar
Small businesses don’t come much smaller then this, but don’t ignore them. The local fare they sell can be very tasty and the support you show in buying from them will certainly go some tiny way to supporting their family. In many parts of Africa the women in the family run a small business like this one, to bring some income into families where otherwise there may not be enough to go around. Selling food and other hand and home made products is a common and popular way to ensure that there is enough food on the families table that night and to you this will literally cost pennies.
Beyond The Blue believes that where ever possible and whenever reasonable the support of small local businesses can enhance your experience and the effect your visit has, on the area you are visiting. During our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we look at many of the options that will be available to you on your travels and discuss which ones create a positive experience and which ones are a step too far.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Red Lemur
Date – August 2003
Location - Antsiranana - Madagascar
Everyone has different interests and to some spending a day in the summer heat of the Madagascan Rain Forest, running and chasing after every little sign of the presence of a Red Lemur would seem a little pointless, especially when this is the only glimpse that was to be had all day. But to others the pleasure and excitement of this chase is as good as the highest bungee jump or the longest freefall.
Whatever it is that excites you, remember to take guidance from those with the knowledge to allow you to complete the task safely. For a Bungee Jump make sure that you follow the safety guidelines, for a tandem freefall hold on tightly to your instructor and in the Madagascan rainforest be swift and follow your guide as he runs down steep banks and across rivers following the sounds of other guides to find the animal you have been tracking all day.
Beyond The Blue is a training company who have developed a Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop to help you prepare for what ever activity it is that makes your heart pump a little faster and where ever your dreams take you in the world.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Maronsetra Airport
Date – August 2003
Location - Maronsetra - Madagascar
Like so many airports in the more remote parts of the world the services are not quite what they are at Heathrow and here in Madagascar that is certainly the case. The standards are different from ours; on the approach route to the airport here your suitcase with its wheels may not be as appropriate as other travel packs.
But the big difference can be in the rules and getting to know them will allow you to act more responsibly and keep you out of trouble. Just as some countries have stricter rules some have more relaxed rules. Here the man in front of me in the check -in queue was trying to check an object wrapped in a towel in. When the check in staff opened it, a brand new silver pump action shotgun appeared. As in any airport this came as a bit of a shock to the check-in staff who examined it carefully and sought advice from their colleagues. Their conclusion was that there was no way it could travel in the hold and returned it to the customer instructing him to take it with him in the cabin, so it didn’t sustain any damage…..
Beyond The Blue has a good understanding of the rules and regulations to be aware of in the countries you plan to visit and through the Destination Advice we give to those attending our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we prepare people for their big adventure abroad.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Cruise
Date – August 2003
Location - Antsiranana - Madagascar
Cruising comes in different guises; the all inclusive that stops in ports at all the most exclusive cities and resorts and then there is the Madagascan way. With parts of the country impossible to traverse due to dense jungle, cruising up the coast to reach your destination may be your only option. Finding a boatman willing to take you may not be the most difficult task if you have the right amount of Madagascan Francs to cover the cost of the petrol and hire fee, but choosing the right boat and the right guide can make the difference between reaching your destination and finding yourself in deep water in every sense of the word.
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop will help you prepare for the many choices that you will face when you travel to the far flung corners of the world just as they will for those travelling nearer to home. At Beyond The Blue we have the experience to offer advice for any destination you might choose.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Lighthouse
Date – August 2003
Location - Nosy Mangabe - Madagascar
The guide took me through the jungle to this lighthouse erected by the French in the colonial days to warn ships off the rocks. For us it was a perfect opportunity to get above the jungle canapé and view the forest from a very different angle and one that few people get the chance to experience.
On descending the ladder it was noticed that half way up two of the four struts had rusted completely through and only two were now supporting the structure...
Beyond The Blue examines the subject of risk assessment both before setting out on your travels and dynamic risk assessments when you are actually in your destination country. During our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop many of the common risks you may face on your travels will be discussed and solutions offered as to how you can reduce the risks.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Welcome Visitor
Date – July 2003
Location - British Virgin Islands
Geckos are regular visitors to many hotel rooms around the world, they don’t discriminate between five star and dorm rooms, they just go wherever the light takes them. To some these are particularly unwelcome visitors, but sometimes it’s worth considering the facts:
Geckos kill no people anywhere in the world at any time, the nearest they get is their great great great big cousins the Komodo Dragons of central Indonesia, who very occasionally are responsible for the death of a local villager, normally a child. The Mosquito also doesn’t kill any people anywhere in the world, but unfortunately for the mosquito they carry the malaria parasite. They transfer this parasite to humans killing over 1,000,000 every year (mostly children) with somewhere in the region of 300,000,000 people suffering from malaria related illness described as ‘acute’ every year.
Geckos eat mosquitoes; keeping mosquitoes out of a room is almost impossible; I welcome the gecko.
Beyond The Blue covers the aspects of Travel Health during our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop, we are not medical practitioners and certainly not doctors, but we can direct you on basic travel health, measures you can use to reduce the risks and information on what to do if you fall ill. We also advise anyone undertaking travel to an unfamiliar new country, to seek professional medical advice and can help them locate a fully qualified practitioner.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Secret Beach
Date – July 2003
Location - British Virgin Islands
The picture doesn’t do this beach justice; this was truly one of the world’s most beautiful beaches and certainly in the top five in the world that I have seen. But I warn you about trying to find it, there is no point it’s a secret.
A clue I can give you is that to get to it you have to know the exact spot in the road to stop, and the point where the fence is crossed, before heading down and hiking for half an hour to appear here. If you do find it, it is sure to be with the help of the locals and even then, it’s ‘who you know’ that counts. But if you want to join the club and be one of the few to ever get to visit this Virgin Island’s beach there is one point you must remember:
Don’t tell anyone else. Please!
There are fewer and fewer jewels like this left in the world, it’s the responsibility of everyone who has the privilege to visit them to ensure they stay that way. At Beyond The Blue we add excitement to the preparations for your trip, we are not running our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops to scare you, we are running them to ensure that you are not scared when you might otherwise have been and as a result might miss a rare opportunities like the ‘secret beach’.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Pacific Dance
Date – January 2003
Location - Cook Islands
Dancing is one of the activities that is practised the world over from Carlisle to the Cook Islands and despite the obvious differences in dancing styles and dress; the effect is the same.
The relatively recent phenomenon of popular music does however mean that it most parts of the world there is now an alternative to the traditional. A club or bar where western music (or local copies of western tunes) can be danced to, until the early hours is often available.
The bar and club environment is one that many individuals travelling enjoy on a regular basis and just as this environment can have hazards in the UK; the situation can be just as bad in other countries. In unfamiliar environments these hazards can be treacherous and little problems seem to be magnified. Beyond The Blue can provide individuals with the skills to avoid these types of problems and our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops are designed to train you in some basic low-impact personal safety techniques, these help you to remove yourself from situations in which you feel uncomfortable or threatened.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Harvesting Sea Cucumbers
Date – January 2003
Location - Cook Islands
Collecting Sea Cucumbers at sunset is a nightly activity here on Atutaki, the harvest either consumed locally or shipped on to the far east where it is considered a delicacy. The locals are all too aware of the limited resource available and are careful not to over harvest any one area, ensuring there will be an endless ‘average harvest’ and not just a one year bonanza.
When you travel for any period of time there is usually a budget to stick to and this has to account for all your needs while you are stranded so far away from home. Some people choose to work for part of the duration of their trip and some just rack up credit.
During our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops we examine not only ways of protecting your valuables and documents we also look at areas where you can make savings, as well as those where these savings carry too much risk. Beyond The Blue’s instructors have stayed in some of the worlds best hotels and in some of the poorest slums, we know where each option is the appropriate choice.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Island Life
Date – January 2003
Location - Cook Islands
There are some spots in the world where it would actually be a challenge to be anything else but utterly relaxed; there can literally be no other state of mind.
The Beaches of the Cook Islands are certainly a location that is relatively easy to visit and as soon as you get out of the plane you’ll start to immediately understand why the locals are so laid back.
Beyond The Blue run workshops to help individuals prepare correctly for their forthcoming trip. We teach as part of our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop various ways to protect your own personal safety and also give you our experiences learned the hard way over a period of 15 years travelling to Europe, Asia, The Pacific and well beyond. Once you have the confidence in yourself, not relaxing really is impossible here.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Island Dreams
Date – January 2003
Location - Cook Islands
If the only reason this doesn’t excite you is a fear of your destination country, then Beyond The Blue with our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop can help you to prepare with the guidance of our experienced instructors to overcome these hurdles and help design a trip within your parameters.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
