Mountain Refuge

Title – Mountain Refuge
Date – June 2007
Location – The Atlas Mountains - Morocco

The mountain refuge at the base of Mount Toubkal was certainly not what we had expected when we had considered where we might be sleeping on the first night of our two day trek to the summit of the highest mountain in North Africa. The words ‘mountain refuge’ whenever I have come across them in the past have meant anything from a small hut to a slightly larger hut with the luxury of a few bunks. So it certainly brought a smile to our faces when after a long days walk we came across it and found it’s ‘dorm style’ rooms well kept and clean, even dinner was certainly perfectly adequate (breakfast left a little more to the imagination).

But even the best kept accommodation can not always guarantee a good night’s sleep and the variety of factors that inhibit your sleep when travelling can range from heat & humidity; cold; noise; the side effects of prophylactic drugs; other people; bugs & mosquitoes; fear; and in this case altitude. Well a combination of altitude and a very cold breeze… Not idea when you have to get up at 4am to climb to the summit of a very steep and high mountain.

Poor sleep or lack of it can start to ruin a trip if it persists. As if it sleep deprivation is not bad enough, the thought when you are lying there that the solutions are often so obvious and so insignificant, that a few simple plans and the right equipment being packed in the first place would have made all the difference, can infuriate you more, and perpetuate the situation. There is little you can do to stop altitude ruining a good night’s sleep if this is something that affects you, apart from acclimatising and sometimes this is not an option. However preparation and knowing what you are likely to face on your trip allows you to prepare well in advance for most eventualities.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop prepares you to travel wherever in the world your dreams take you. During the workshop we examine all aspects of personal and Travel Safety as well as your Travel Equipment choices. Through our Destination Advice we can help you to understand which equipment best suits your needs so that even if you can’t control the effects of altitude, you can mitigate its effects by controlling all the other reason which might prevent you getting a good night’s sleep.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Kasbah du Toubkal

Title – Kasbah du Toubkal
Date – June 2007
Location – The Atlas Mountains - Morocco

The Kasbah du Toubkal sits on top of its own little pinnacle located in the valley and at the starting point of the 2 day trek up to the summit of the mighty Mount Toubkal which at 4167m is not just the highest mountain in the Atlas range but also the highest mountain in North Africa.

Certainly ‘The Kasbah’ as it is referred to by all who visit this area, is not really considered as a budget destination, but it is equally not a ‘credit card-limiter’ (a new phrase I am claiming for a purchase that takes you to the credit limit of your card). In fact it has a number of different rooms on different rates and even a dorm facility. But book well in advance, it’s a popular destination. When you arrive you quickly notice that there are two types of visitor to The Kasbah, those that stride round in complete confidence and inspired by their new surroundings and those whose every move is completed rather gingerly and with a grimace of pain on their face; put a different way, those who have just completed the trek up Mount Toubkal and those who are about to…

It is certainly a great place to start and an even better place to stop after completing the trek. However it should not be ignored by anyone who does not feel they can make it to the summit. Exploring the surrounding country is in itself a pleasure and there are many ‘easier’ one day hikes that you can complete and endless little villages to explore and friendly villagers to meet along the way.

However not only is this stunning location something that will bring a smile to anyone’s face, the facilities are uniquely Moroccan, the breakfast superb and dinner exquisitely local (I have to say with the exception of one night we were there when something went obviously wrong in the kitchen or the chef was on a day off…); The Kasbah is also run in both a sustainable way and supports local villagers by donating part of their income to support local projects. This has promoted it to gracing the front cover of Tourism Concern’s Ethical Travel Guide, a book we are happy to recommend to all.

During our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we consider all aspects of Travel Safety and travel planning, this includes Destination Advice, Ethical and Responsible Travel and Travel Health. Only you can get yourself to the summit of Mount Toubkal, but we can help you do it responsibly, more safely and to recognise the symptoms of altitude sickness that even at these heights can start to lead to problems and discomfort.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Marrakech

Title – Marrakech
Date – June 2007
Location – Marrakech - Morocco

Local traders and markets are a draw for travellers all the way from Bangkok to here in Marrakesh. They are vibrant, busy and quintessentially local places. Undoubtedly in many places they have changed to accommodate tourists and the additional income that they provide, but looking past this façade you can almost always see that essentially they are still a hub of local life.

The Souks of Marrakesh are world renowned for their cramped streets, bustling with ‘shops’ and traders selling anything and everything from cow hides to electronic goods. You can get well and truly lost in the maze of tiny streets and neither the best map nor the most up-to-date GPS system will serve you particularly well. The one way-out sometimes seems to be the locals; and both old and young long ago figured out that this is a service that they can charge for. In fact consider yourself very lucky if you manage to go more than 5 or 10 minutes without acquiring a self-appointed ‘guide’ and they all have one thing in common; they simply do not understand the word ‘No’.

Markets, souks or any busy urban area can present their own dangers, petty criminals, pick-pockets, bag-snatchers, con-men, all use the crowds as cover for their ‘trade’. That is even before you face the war of words with the legitimate traders when you finally decide you have found a souvenir you actually want to buy. As much as no visit to Marrakesh is complete without a visit to the Souks, it is always a relief when you escape them back onto the main square (Djamaa El Fna), where although the competition for your wallet does not exactly die down, the space at least allows you to walk around and away from the calls of the dried fruit sellers.

Understanding the local culture allows you to approach your travel with the confidence you need to avoid being the victim of crime or being constantly ripped off. During our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we examine your destination(s) and the culture-shock you are likely to experience. We examine the best way to deal with unwanted attention and traders demanding extortionately high prices for their wares and how to haggle effectively but without causing offence or resorting to aggression or rudeness, that will only end up costing you more. We also examine travel and personal safety when you find yourself in these wonderful but potentially dangerous locations.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Summit Mt Toubkal

Title – Summit Mt Toubkal
Date – June 2007
Location – Mt Toukbal - Morocco

Set your sights high; don’t allow yourself to be defeated; realise your dreams; and make it happen. There should be nothing that is beyond us, nothing that is insurmountable but ourselves.

Mount Toubkal in Morocco is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains, the highest point in North Africa and quite a challenge. However it is perfectly achievable with a little preparation and a little effort. The key is to understand the level of preparation needed and the precautions that need to be taken.

You can certainly climb this mountain without a guide and we saw several groups doing just that; we also met several of those groups more than once when they had taken a wrong turning and had to double back on themselves. Needless to say we felt a little smug when they asked our guide for directions. The question you ask yourself, was their experience better than ours, was their achievement greater?

Reaching the summit is an achievement for anyone who makes it, there are not short cuts, no other way then under your own steam. The only comparison you should make is with yourself, not with others. Achievements during travel are inherently personal, it’s not a competition and to make it one simply adds to the already inherent dangers of travel.

So back to the question, was their experience or achievement greater? We hired a local guide, who gave us an insight into Moroccan life we would not have otherwise got; he encouraged us every step of the way when we were weary (although to be fair it was really ‘I’ rather then ‘we’ who were weary…); he pointed out sights along the way; he highlighted dangers; he showed us the ‘easiest’ way up the mountain; he arranged for a donkey to carry our packs; he arranged the overnight mountain refuge; he took our picture at the summit; and he got us all the way back down again; most importantly he was a genuine friendly man, earning an honest wage to provide for his family.

At Beyond The Blue we provide you with all the advice and guidance you require for your planned travel experience. Through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we prepare you to travel safely and confidently wherever in the world your trip takes you, be that the highest mountain or 20m below sea level.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Lioness

Title – Lioness
Date – April 2007
Location - Tanzania

This photograph of a wild lioness was taken from the safety of a vehicle, but it certainly still sends a shiver down the spine of anyone who understands even the basic inherent danger these animals pose to all they come across; be that antelope or humans. Beauty and the beast all rolled into one.

Understanding the dangers around you will allow you to reduce the risks you face when so far away from home. Beyond The Blue understands that for those people who lack experience of world travel there can be a lack of understanding of the dangers that are out there and complacency can step in very quickly.

Most people when on safari in Africa feel completely safe in the vehicle in which they are travelling and there is no real fear of the dangers just outside your window and this complacency can get you into serious difficulties.

Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop is designed to help individuals assess risk on every step of their way; through dynamic risk assessments, we help candidates to appreciate the importance of the decisions they make as they travel. When we cross the road we carry our a dynamic risk assessment by looking left and right, when in the heart of the Serengeti there are a few more considerations to keep in mind.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Philipp Mayhew

Wildebeest

Title – Wildebeest
Date – April 2007
Location - Tanzania

The Wildebeest or Gnu as it is also known, is one of Africa’s best known antelope. Found throughout the easterly and southern part of the continent it roams the woodlands and open plains of the region in large herds to protect itself and others of the group from predators.

The annual migration of the wildebeest in Kenya and Tanzania sees some 1.4 Million wildebeest join other herbivores as they travel over 1800 miles in order to stay in areas that provide adequate grazing. This Migration is certainly one of the best known of all the animal migrations that take place on almost every continent. But time has had an effect on the numbers involved. If 1.4 million seems to be a large number then consider the sight that would have existed before Africa was ‘colonised’, when tens of millions of these animals would have taken part in this spectacle.

Beyond The Blue was set up to help prepare individuals for the latest phenomenon, the migration of people all over the world as they seek to explore new locations and new experiences. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop can help you to enjoy your trip with the knowledge to do so safely and with confidence.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Philipp Mayhew

Road Block

Title – Road Block
Date – December 2006
Location - Antarctica

Sometimes you have to know when to give up. There are many times you will come across obstacles that can be overcome but sometimes you just have to know when to cut your losses and run. Remembering that anything you leave behind unseen can be revisited another day.

Fortunately the captain of this ship knows exactly how far and hard he can push the ship and his expertise will ensure a safe return from Antarctica to South America where the cruise started. No Casino or Swimming pool on this cruise though, this is hard terrain and the seas can get very rough, your small cabin with its basic amenities will have to suffice, but if you ever feel claustrophobic, just step onto deck.

Beyond The Blue runs workshops to help you gain the skills you will need to navigate your travel experience. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop guides those attending through all the planning stages and the various mazes that will face you on arrival and well into your trip itself. The experience of our instructors enables them to put all your questions into context allowing you to understand some of the pitfalls, without the need to actually experience them yourself.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – © Heather Spalton

Iceberg Flow

Title – Iceberg Flow
Date – December 2006
Location - Antarctica

The age old saying:

Only dead fish go with the flow…

…is equally true with icebergs; except when it’s an ice berg, everything else has to get out of the way.

At Beyond the Blue we run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops to help the individuals attending to gain the skills to travel safely wherever they choose to go in the world. We don’t believe that age old sayings are always right; there is sometimes a need to go with the flow and sometimes it can take the anxiety out of a decision, if someone else makes it for you, but the key is to know when to stop going with the flow and go your own way.

Our workshop covers all aspects of personal safety from a low impact perspective; we don’t teach personal safety techniques that require force. We teach techniques that are subtle, easy to learn and easy to remember, all our techniques are perfect for you no matter what your gender, size or strength.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Exploring Icebergs

Title – Exploring Icebergs
Date – December 2006
Location - Antarctica

Getting up close and personal with an iceberg is best done with a small boat that can manoeuvre round them rather than a large sea going vessel that will never stop in time; here in Antarctica the experts know how to show you this final frontier in adventure travel.

Icebergs this size are commonly know to be nine times as big below the water as they are above it and happily float around on the currents occasionally bumping in to each other. So every morning you wake up, the landscape has changed.

Beyond The Blue is a company that was set up to allow it’s experienced instructors to pass on their knowledge and treasure trove of tricks and tips to people planning on travelling for the first time. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop covers every aspect of the travelling experience prior to your departure, so that you can set off fully prepared for what you might encounter, but without any loss to the experiences, when you actually have them.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – © Heather Spalton

Perspective

Title – Perspective
Date – December 2006
Location - Perito Moraneo Glacier - Argentina

The 30km long Perito Moraneo Glacier is one of Argentina’s main tourist attractions and for good reason. It is one of only three glaciers in the country that is currently not retreating and the spectacular 5km wide wall regularly looses great chunks of ice that crash down its 60m and into the lake below. Most people who visit this glacier do so in the vain hope that a spectacular breach will occur just as they happen to be there.

A breach is an event that happens on an irregular basis, anywhere between every two and ten years and with the previous five occurring in 1980, 1984, 1988, 2004 and the last one in March 2006 (Information correct as of August 2006) you really would have to get lucky to see one. A breach occurs when the glacier flows right across of the lake and through to the other side creating a natural dam. The water on one side of the dam can rise to height 30m above the level of the other side and eventually the pressure reaches critical point and smashes through the glacier barrier to equalise the lake once again and prepare for the cycle to start all over.

The size of this glacier and the pressures involved are simply incomprehensible, but perspective is everything and as this photograph demonstrates, you have to go to these places to appreciate them properly.

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop is designed to help individuals go and see these wonders for themselves. Beyond The Blue believes in the powerful effect travelling can have on peoples lives; the perspective they gain can change their lives completely. We are on hand to help you to make a start and gain the confidence, to not only take the giant leap into the unknown, but to understand the nature of the unknown itself.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – © Heather Spalton

Elephant Seals

Title – Elephant Seals
Date – December 2006
Location - Antarctica

Elephant Seals got their name from the small trunk the males have and that they use when fighting other males for the right to breed. During these often vicious battles between males, which can grow to 7 meters in length and weight over 2 tonnes, they rear up on their stomachs, so they stand over 3 meters tall and slam their trunk onto opponents with their full weight behind them. The outcomes determines who the ‘beach master will be, who rules this section of the beach and controls his harem of up to fifty cows, like these on the shore in Antarctica.

At Beyond The Blue we recognise that these types of demonstrations of strength are not limited to the ‘animal’ world. You can find yourself in the middle of the human versions of these confrontations in a club or bar anywhere in the world and the further away from home you are the more magnified they can seem. On our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we train those attending in conflict management and personal safety techniques to help them recognise the signs and symptoms of aggression and either to defuse the situation or when that is not possible, to remove themselves from the area of risk.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Heather Spalton

City Slicker

Title – City Slicker
Date – November 2006
Location - Torres del Paine - Chile

Getting on the back of a horse gets you a height that allows you to see so much more of what is around you and when the sights are as good as this, then you really want to take in as much as you can.

Riding on horseback is also a great way of getting through the mountains with less effort (if not comfort), you can cover much more ground and penetrate deeper into the country. But the further you get away from your camp or an urban area, the further you are away from help and many counties simply don’t have the money or infrastructure to get a helicopter to come and get you if it all goes wrong.

Even the most placid horse can bolt if it suddenly surprised by another animal or a thunder clap. There is something to be said for taking advice from people more experienced then yourself and if an experienced rider insists on a helmet when they ride, then why do those of us who only ride once or twice in our lifetime’s think it is ok to ride without one? John Wayne and Clint Eastwood have a lot to answer for…

Beyond The Blue is a company that was set up to run workshops to help people planning to travel, to prepare well and act safely, reducing risk where ever possible throughout their journey. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops are designed to provide specific information depending on where you intend to travel and for the specific type of activities you intend to seek out.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – © Heather Spalton

Machu Pitcchu

Title – Machu Pitcchu
Date – October 2006
Location - Peru

Antipater of Sidon in the 2nd century BC made a list of the seven wonders in the world; none were far from the Greek capitol.

At Beyond The Blue we say “Antipater you missed a couple…”:

Angkor Wat, The Grand Canyon, The Great Barrier reef, Yogyakarta, Hagia Sophia, Mount Everest, The Serengeti, La Sagrada Familia, Angel Falls, Easter Island, Stonehenge, Rio Carnival, Victoria Falls, Glacier National Park, Heilala Festival, The Bay of Islands, Raffles Hotel, Table Mountain, The Skeleton Coast, The Northern Lights, Galapagos Islands, Sipidan Island, The Great Wall of China, The Haj, Uluru, Venice, The Taj Mahal, The Amazon River & Rainforest, Yap, Lake Titicaca, Necker Island, The Trans Siberian Express, St Petersburg, Mount Kilimanjaro, The Garden Route – South Africa, Halong Bay, The Pacific Coast Highway – USA, Lake Baikal, The Gobi Desert, Lhasa, Kodiak Island………

……….need I go on?

Oh….. and Machu Pitcchu

Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop allows those attending to draw up their own list with and with a little bit of help from us, to travel to their chosen destination with confidence and return home safely.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Heather Spalton

Salt Flats

Title – Salt Flats
Date – October 2006
Location - Bolivia

Yes this is a picture of a place on this planet.

Yes it is very possible to visit this location.

Yes you can.

At Beyond The Blue we don’t believe in insurmountable barriers; we believe barriers can be climbed, worked around and broken down. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop can help you get wherever you choose.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – © Heather Spalton

Alien World

Title – Alien World
Date – October 2006
Location - Bolivia

Bolivia’s massive salt flats leave you with the feeling of having visited another planet. The largest of the salt flats Salar de Uyuni is with its 4,085 square miles (10,582 square km) the largest in the world and roughly half the size of Wales.

This salt flat is used by the locals to collect and harvest the salt, an activity that in many places is still entirely done by hand without the help of heavy machinery. But with these harvests taking some 25,000 tonnes out of the flats every year, how long is it before the flats disappear completely?

Fortunately Salar de Uyuni alone holds some estimated 10 billion tonnes of salt meaning that the flats are set to be there for several hundred more years.

When travelling there always someone to tell you how good a place was when they visited it 10 years ago and how places have been spoilt in the last 5 years. There is no doubt the world is changing quickly, but like the salt flats, amazing sights are going to be available to the intrepid traveller for many, many, more years.

Beyond The Blue run workshops to help people explore a world that still has many secrets to reveal and our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops are designed to teach individuals both the skills required to travel, as well as the ideal destination for their experience levels and personal preferences.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – © Heather Spalton

The Andes

Title – The Andes
Date – October 2006
Location - Peru

The Andes is one of the world’s great mountain ranges and runs the length of South America’s west coast, for some 4,500 miles and up to 300 miles wide, making it the longest mountain range in the world. With the highest peak rising to 22,841 feet (6,962m), Aconcagua is the highest mountain outside of Asia.

With the average height of the Andes being above 13,000 feet (4000m) altitude sickness should be a real concern to everyone travelling in this part of the world.

It is not thought that altitude sickness is related to age, gender or physical fitness, although fitness will certainly help you overcome it more quickly. With high altitude defined as above 8000 feet (2400m), very high altitude as above 12,000 feet (3650m) and extreme high altitude 18,000 feet (5,500m), much of the Andes would fall within the very high altitude bracket. There is no full proof rule to avoiding altitude sickness and it can affect anyone at any height. The symptoms include; headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, loss of appetite, fatigue, shortness of breath, disturbed sleep, general feeling of malaise, decreased co-ordination (ataxia), confusion, tightness in the chest, and a persistent cough bringing up white, watery, or frothy fluid, confusion, and irrational behaviour.

The best way to avoid altitude sickness is to slow your accent rate when hiking, to avoid reaching heights quickly and rest to acclimatise at regular intervals. To treat it, sever cases should seek medical attention, but the first thing to do is descend a minimum of 300m and at least 600m for more severe cases, but generally descend as much as you can. In the milder cases this descent alone will eventually lead to the symptoms slowly disappearing.

Beyond The Blue was created on the basis that prevention is better then a cure and through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we help individuals planning trip to a new part of the world to prepare properly for both the exciting experiences as well as those that would be better avoided. We also examine the subject of Travel Health and what to do in the case of an emergency.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – © Heather Spalton

Roast Guinea Pig

Title – Roast Guinea Pig
Date – October 2006
Location - Peru

Guinea Pigs in the UK are usually the cute furry little kid’s pets that spend all day running pointlessly round a wheel in a small cage.

In Peru the Guinea Pig is more likely to be seen roasting on a spit in one of the countries many restaurants serving this local speciality. It is by no means a side dish or curiosity, with over 65,000,000 Guinea Pigs being consumed every year it really is part of the stable diet; served in a variety of dishes the taste (as everything seems to) is much like rabbit / chicken.

Trying something new is very much part of the travel experience, for many the travel experience alone is a new experience and some of these other new experiences along the way, are a step too far. Beyond The Blue run workshops to help individuals to make the most of their planned journeys. With the help of our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop you can embrace the new experiences and choose for yourself, exactly how far you want to take them.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – © Heather Spalton

Shoe Shine Boys

Title – Shoe Shine Boys
Date – September 2006
Location - Quito - Ecuador

In many developing countries children are forced to work to help supplement the income of the family. Travellers and tourists have different opinions of how to deal with these kids. Does using their services and giving them a few pennies perpetuate the problems of children having to work or does it help the child and his family to eat?

Certainly the situation varies from child to child and from country to country; take a little time to talk to them and find out if they go to school or where they live and you should get all the information you need to make a judgement for yourself.

Beyond The Blue run workshops to help individuals make choices for themselves about where they are going to travel and what they will do when there. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop helps individuals to understand what they need to plan in advance and what information they can hope to get when they arrive. Our primary goal is to help people make the correct decisions, when they are far away from home.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – © Heather Spalton

Transportation by JCB

Title – Transportation by JCB
Date – September 2006
Location - Ecuador

When you are travelling in some parts of the world you have to be prepared to deal with the poor infrastructure and delays that result. Earthquakes and landslides can be a regular occurrence, but you will generally find that the locals are used to these events and have a great ability to use their initiative to resolve them.

In Ecuador this JCB worked alternately at clearing the earth from the site of this road repair and helping those needing to get through this part of the road to span the gap.

Beyond The Blue was established to help you span the gaps in the information you have about your destinations and our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop will help you to get from your home to your dream destination and back again safely.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – © Heather Spalton

Alpine Summer

Title – Alpine Summer
Date – August 2006
Location - Grindlewald - Switzerland

Choosing the right time of year to visit a new country is the first matter you should address when planning a trip. Summer in the Alps is as rewarding as winter; the landscapes are so different it can feel like two different countries. Activities are not limited to the obvious and while you can’t ski in the middle of summer you can hike, paraglide and mountain bike. The Alps are truly one of the primary adventure sport destinations of the world.

Beyond The Blue run Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop throughout the UK and beyond. We train individuals in personal safety, travel safety and destination information, visa and insurance requirements and many other topics on our two day workshop.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew