Traffic Jam in Paradise Lost

Title – Traffic Jam in Paradise Lost
Date – September 2004
Location – Majuro - Marshal Islands

Majuro is only 42 miles long tip to tip and has one road running through the middle of the Atoll; the island is not wide enough to allow for back streets and alleyways, so for most of the 35 mile stretch of paved road you can see the sea on both sides. With the compensation the USA is still paying the displaced islanders from Bikini Atoll and the money from the lease of the US Army base on Kwajalein (made famous for the part it plays in the “Star Wars” project), the people of this island are in the main richer then their Pacific Island neighbours. This has led to an influx of cars that drive one way down the one road in the morning rush hour and the other way for the return journey, creating the biggest of traffic jams on the smallest of islands.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop can help you navigate the problems you will come across on your travels in an efficient and practical manner. We can help you overcome these hurdles and travel confidently and safely. Beyond The Blue can guide you and tell you when to follow the crowd and when to stand up and be counted.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Nuclear Bunker

Title – Nuclear Bunker
Date – September 2004
Location - Bikini Atoll – Marshal Islands

Nuclear Bunkers are not something you come across every day, but here on Bikini Atoll they were built at a time when the effects of nuclear explosions were not well understood. In 1946-47 the USA used this area for Operation Crossroads testing nuclear weapons after the Second World War and over 42,000 service personnel were drafted into the area for the operation. Over half the worlds stock of film available at that time was brought to this tiny Atoll to record the tests, demonstrating the magnitude of this operation.

The tests were abandoned some years later but the 167 Bikini natives have never been able to return to the island, yet the US aid keeps it open as a dive destination on the promise that one day they will decontaminate the island and allow the residents to return; a promise that was made nearly 60 years ago.

At Beyond The Blue we keep our promises. We pride ourselves on openness and honesty in everything we do and throughout our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we will tell you the truth and our real opinions on the questions you raise.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Footprints

Title – Footprints
Date – September 2004
Location - Bikini Atoll – Marshal Islands

Take Nothing but Photographs, Leave Nothing Behind but Footprints.

Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops to help individuals prepare and plan for travelling in safety and exploring all that the world has to offer. We also examine the important subject of Ethical and Responsible Travel to ensure your trip has a positive effect on the countries you visit.

Please visit our website at

www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Marshall Islands

Title – Marshall Islands
Date – September 2004
Location - Marshal Islands

Coral Atolls pepper the Pacific Ocean, dotted in the almost turquoise sea, from the air they really can look like paradise and many of them are, but every so often you come across one that seems to break the mould and might be worth avoiding.

The pacific is certainly one of the friendliest regions of the earth and in general is a very safe area to visit, but like every rule there are exceptions and there are some that remain dangerous to visit. Chuck lagoon in Micronesia is not well know for it’s hospitality and countries like Papua New Guinea still suffer from a lack of effective policing and inter-tribal tensions that mean you must plan well in order to visit.

Beyond The Blue provides destination advice during our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop so that you can enjoy your travels in safety. Making the right decisions regarding your destinations before finding out for yourself the hard way, will save you time and money and allow you to experience more highs then lows.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Tropical Storm

Title – Tropical Storm
Date – September 2004
Location - Bikini Atoll – Marshal Islands

Bikini Atoll has a tropical climate, but is said to sit outside of the pacific cyclone belt and serious storms are rare. But nothing is impossible and in a world where the climate is changing drastically, even in our own lifetime, we have to expect exceptions.

Until you have been in the path of a tropical storm there is no way to comprehend the power of the wind and weather. These storms have the power to destroy everything in their path. Branches, trees, corrugated iron roofs and other debris whirls round and flies through the air slicing and ripping through all it comes across. This is often the most dangerous aspect of a storm so getting inside and staying away from windows is the best advice we can give. The only thing you can guarantee about a tropical storm or cyclone (Cyclones are the equivalent of a hurricane, but known by this different name when they occur in the pacific ocean) is that eventually they will die down and the sun will come out again. Until it does, stay indoors.

Beyond The Blue can not predict this kind of weather in a region where even the meteorologist say it is highly unusual, but as part of our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we examine climates at your chosen destination and discuss the best times of year to visit. This is especially important on a round the world trip, where you may pass through very diverse climates in different regions and good timing can mean the difference between missing the monsoon and following it round the world.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Tropical Storm Damage

Title – Tropical Storm Damage
Date – September 2004
Location - Bikini Atoll – Marshal Islands

Having been woken up with water dripping through the roof and almost every section of the room and my equipment being drenched, was a harsh reminder that even in reasonable accommodation you can suddenly find yourself at the mercy of the elements. 5am is also not a time when your brain is always switched on and this was certainly the case on this occasion. As I wandered outside to make my way to the main compound building for shelter. I was not completely unaware of the strength of the wind, but turning round having heard a large crack, the route I had just taken was rudely obscured by the tree collapsing exactly where, 10 seconds earlier, I had been walking, really was a wake up call.

At this stage I took notice and discovered I was in the middle of a tropical storm on and island that is not prepared for these kinds of weather systems and about as remote as you can get anywhere in the world. Next to fall was our communication mast and that effectively ended our communication with the outside world. The sixteen people on the island certainly at that point considered the option of being stranded here, on an island that is still too radioactive to allow you to drink the water or eat the local produce.

Being prepared for every emergency is not always possible, some you just can’t see coming, but you can prepare for the most obvious ones and knowing what they are and how to protect yourself against them will substantially reduce the risk and worry of your trip. Beyond The Blue seeks to help individuals with this preparations stage of their trip and offer advice and guidance that can be used throughout your adventures.

Here on Bikini Atoll fortunately the dive centre had 12 minutes left on their satellite phone that we were able to save for an emergency which through good fortune alone, never materialised. The air strip through some miracle survived almost untouched when much of the rest of the Atoll was torn to shreds.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop will help prepare you and although we will not train you in island survival skills, we will demonstrate the benefit of common sense and show individuals how to stay alert, to assess risk and avoid it.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Barrel of the Gun USS Lamson

Title – Barrel of the Gun USS Lamson
Date – September 2004
Location - Bikini Atoll – Marshal Islands

‘Looking down the barrel of the gun’ is a saying we would all rather take metaphorically then literally. But here some 45m under the surface in Bikini Atoll, looking down the barrel of the gunner’s position on the USS Lamson was a completely unique experience. Over nearly 60 years, this once deadly weapon has been transformed into an object of beauty and home to its very own little ecosystem.

Guns are a regular feature in many societies, sometimes they a reasonably well regulated and you will hardly notice them, but in some societies they are brandished as status symbols. You have the right to feel uneasy wherever you see a gun, for where one side has guns their opponent must have more or bigger ones; and so the arms race starts.

Sometimes you are really not sure if the gun is there for your protection or for some more sinister purpose. There are various times when the guns are there to protect you, but in these cases, be aware that there is a reason you need protection. In Madagascar it is not unusual for an un-uniformed guard with a Kalashnikov to stand behind you at the cash point to protect you from attack. In the Philippines where the silver pump action shot gun is the status symbol of choice, it can be seen in the hands of guards outside almost every business and high profile locations, such as the 7-Eleven convenience stores.

Travelling to new countries can be a traumatic experience; the differences from country to country can be stark and frightening. Beyond The Blue is a training company that specialises in Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop to help you prepare properly for the new experiences you are going to face, when visiting remote and distant parts of the world; be that Rome, Romania or Rarotonga.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Front Gunners Post USS Lamson

Title – Front Gunners Post USS Lamson
Date – September 2004
Location - Bikini Atoll – Marshal Islands

The gun at the Front Gunner Position on the USS Lamson has fortunately been out of service since this ship was sunk during the nuclear testing programme in Bikini Atoll in 1946-47. For the few who get the chance to dive here it’s fascinating to see it still in pristine condition and forever silent.

There can be no doubt that the USS Lamsom was replaced by even more powerful destroyers and they in turn have been replaced by even more powerful ones, but the size and power of these WWII ships will catch out anyone for whom this is a new experience.

Many ships, both from the US fleet and the captured Japanese fleet, were purposefully sunk during the US nuclear testing programme and are scattered across the lagoon; it makes for one of the worlds best wreck diving location for experienced divers.

Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops during which we explore the solutions to travelling safely, we also discuss destinations and our own experiences; these can help you make up your mind as to where the most appropriate destination would be for you to travel to. Our instructors are experienced travellers and can help you to be realistic and at the same time adventurous about where you finally decide to go.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Welcome to Bikini Atoll

Title – Welcome to Bikini Atoll
Date – September 2004
Location - Bikini Atoll – Marshal Islands

Bikini Atoll is at the end of the earth; it is so far away from anywhere else that the USA used this as its nuclear testing ground. The most famous of tests took place right here after the end of World War II in 1946 and 1947 code named Operation Crossroads. This fascinating programme like many others since had a dark and dishonest underbelly that saw the people of Bikini Atoll tricked into leaving their island, convinced by the American leadership that their exodus would be short lived and the test that were being planned “were for the good of man kind and to end all world wars”. The total population of Bikini Atoll, a total of 167 people, left the island for what they were told would be a short time and have never been able to return.
Although there is no doubt that there were scientific reasons that the tests needed to be carried out, there were two other reasons that they were important. After World War II there was a considerable battle between the Navy and Army in the USA for funds and the Army (who at that time also comprised the fledgling air force) argued that the Navy no longer needed to be funded to the same extent, as the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima had effectively started a new chapter in warfare. There was a genuine belief that the Nuclear option would end the need for conventional wars. To this end several hundred international dignitaries were also invited to attend the ‘testing’ and to witness for themselves the awesome power of the nuclear bombs, or possibly to warn them of this power.

Some 42,000 US Navy and US Army personnel were involved in this operation and many suffered terribly as a result of the radiation they were exposed to.

The people of Bikini have yet to return to their island and repopulate it, although it is safe to stay on the island it is not yet safe to grow crops, harvest shell fish or collect coconuts, as all still suffer from the radioactive effects of the tests. This means the traditional way of life is still impossible here.

Beyond The Blue is a training company that specialises in helping prepare individuals for their planned travel. We believe in being realistic in the information we supply and do not believe in scare mongering. We do not try and create an atmosphere that relies on individuals being scared to travel in order to attend our workshops. We believe strongly that almost anyone can travel and experience new environments and that a little research and preparation can go along way to finding the perfect destination for you. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop is designed to resolve your fears and reassure you that despite all the horrors stories you may have heard, most trips are perfectly safe and people return home with memories they will treasure for the rest of their lives.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Crabs Own the Beach

Title – Crabs Own the Beach
Date – September 2004
Location - Bikini Atoll – Marshal Islands

Crabs really do own the beach, along with any number of other vertebrates and invertebrates, they are perfectly adapted for their environment and often act as a key indicator to how clean a beach and the sea water really is.

These environments are very delicate ones and your interaction within them can have an incredibly detrimental effect. Be aware of this and you can enjoy the pristine ecosystems, which do still exist in many parts of the world. But as the saying goes take only photographs and leave only footprints.

Beyond The Blue encourages ecologically sound responsible tourism and travel, even though many will argue that this is a floored argument in itself, because of the fuel used to transport you to your location in the first place. But simple steps like not collecting shells on the beach will mean that the hermit crabs have the opportunity to use those shells as a home or that the shells themselves can be broken down, to one day add sand to the beach you are standing on all make a difference. You collecting a shell to take home as a souvenir may seem insignificant, but consider the millions of shells removed from the worlds ecosystems every year by unsuspecting and ill informed individuals, not to mention the commercial harvests that remove shells while they are still living to meet the demands of the buyers all over the world and you will see how every little contribution can help in the fight for protection of these beautiful natural resources.

Beyond The Blue believes in responsible tourism, we believe that there is a fascinating world out there to be discovered but we realise the role we play in protecting these resources for future travellers to witness. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop will consider the implications of your travel to destinations around the world in a responsible and conscientious way. We hope to send those attending the course on their way, with the information to impact the environments they visit positively.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Sharks in the Shallow

Title – Sharks in the Shallow
Date – September 2004
Location - Bikini Atoll – Marshal Islands

Walking along a deserted beach in the middle of the day under the heat of the Pacific sun, you fancy a swim to cool off; it’s a little off-putting when you walk down to the shore line only to be faced with a small Black Tip Shark lurking in the shallows. The question you might ask yourself is; where’s mummy? That might well be your mummy but the more sensible question is where is it’s mummy? But having a good knowledge of sharks should reassure you that actually, only a very few species are genuinely dangerous and common sense measures can reduce the risks further.

So I walked along the shoreline to a location where I might not be disturbing this truly beautiful little animal. I walked at least half a mile up the beach and my new best friend followed me the whole way, this picture was taken when I finally gave up and returned to camp.

They say knowledge is power and it certainly can be. Knowledge can give you the power to overcome common ignorant fears. There is no reason not to swim in these waters because of this shark; it’s a small and relatively harmless species, certainly reasonably harmless when this size. But knowledge should also tell you that on Bikini Atoll, here in the Marshall Islands, there may be a reason this Shark is so close in to the shoreline. Tiger Sharks regularly patrol the beaches here and they do give you very good reason to stay out of the water.

Beyond The Blue is a training company set up to help individuals gain the knowledge they need to travel safely to their chosen destinations. Through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we provide those attending with the skills and information they will need to successfully prepare for and execute the trip they have planned.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Snowshoeing Excursion

Title – Snowshoeing Excursion
Date – March 2004
Location – Morzine France

Extreme sports come in all shapes and sizes and although snowshoeing might not sound like an adrenaline rush, untracked heavy snow, extreme cold and the unpredictability of the mountains are no place to be unprepared; no amount of adrenaline will save you from the elements.

The wilderness of the French alps can become irresistible, but be sure to plan your route well, tell someone where your route will take you and when you’ll be back. Taking the right equipment is also essential for this type of activity; if you have the opportunity a large Rhodesian Ridgeback dog certainly fits the bill, leading the way making a track in the deep snow in front of us and allowed us to follow with a little less exertion.

Through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we will prepare you for whatever trip you are planning and for whatever activities you may choose to undertake along the way.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Glacier in Vallee Blanche

Title – Glacier in Vallee Blanche
Date – March 2004
Location - Chamonix - France

The Vallee Blanche above Chamonix in France is a popular spot for skiers looking for the ‘extreme’ off-piste experience in Europe and the scenery on the way down is certainly well worth the effort, as you ski by Glaciers of the most stunning blue ice.

But although it is certainly beautiful, there are risks involved. Crevasses and avalanches are common in this area and above all the risk of getting lost, adds to the dangers in which we place ourselves, when we go in search of these wonders.

Beyond The Blue have experience throughout the world and our instructors have first hand experience of many activities and are well placed to provide guidance that will help individuals embarking on independent travel. Where ever in the world you choose to travel, we can provide the advice and information through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop to allow you to do so in safety and with confidence.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Aiguille du Midi

Title – Aiguille du Midi
Date – March 2004
Location - Chamonix - France

The Aiguille du Midi (3800m) is the highest ski point in Europe and not for the faint hearted. After the exuberating ride to the top you have to cross a thin ledge, with a serious drop off on one side, before setting off on the 17km off-piste ski route to Chamonix some 2800m below you.

The skiing is only suitable for experienced skiers. There are several routes down the mountain and a ski guide is essential. If going the ‘extreme’ route then a harnesses, ropes, transponders and other safety equipment is equally important.

Beyond The Blue believes that preparation and planning is essential to any trip be it a day trip down a mountain littered with crevasses or a two year trip taking in 50 new countries. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop provides those attending with vital personal safety advice and techniques, as well as practical advice on travel related subjects.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Grand Bleu

Title – Grand Bleu
Date – March 2004
Location – Morzine - France

“Le Grand Bleu” is the French description of the perfect day in the mountains. With not a cloud in the sky and fresh snow on the ground no one can ask for anything more when they travel through these regions or look forward to a day skiing on the slopes.

Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop to help individuals plan their travel and to learn the skills required to effect that plan when they get to their destination. Our instructors are all very experienced and will teach you all the tricks and tips learned over years of travelling.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew