Title – On Top of the Tuvurvur Volcano
Date – August 2001
Location - Rabaul - Papua New Guinea
The top of an active, unmonitored and unregulated volcano that sends columns of smoke and ash out on a daily basis, is no place to go without making sure you have a good plan in your head and have told others of these plans. Take advice from locals and don’t put yourself at any more risk then you have to.
When you find yourself on your own on the rim and look down into the abyss, you will never feel as insignificant, but don’t fight, the fear it’s a good thing. Fear provides the little voice in our heads that helps us make a sensible decision and move as soon as we get any indication the volcano doesn’t want us there anymore.
Planning a trip can be a daunting prospect, when you start to look into potential destinations there seems to be hurdles to jump at every corner and the warnings and bad luck stories abound. Sometimes you feel like staying at home, might just be the smart move. Beyond The Blue runs Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop to help you overcome these hurdles and to break down the fears you may have and put them into perspective. In short we’ll help you get on your way with confidence.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – World War II Bomber
Date – August 2001
Location - Rabaul - Papua New Guinea
The Second World War left much of the Pacific region littered with debris, artillery, crashed planes and munitions. There can be no stranger sight then walking along and finding a WWII Bomber lying at the side of the road, after 60 years almost untouched and half buried in the ash that fell after several eruptions from the local volcano.
The west went out to the Pacific to fight a war and when it left, life just went back to normal in the islands or as close to normal as can be expected after the damage done to the region and its people.
At Beyond The Blue we realise that when we travel to another country, it should be a positive experience both for the traveller and for the host country. Understanding the environment and culture of your host country can help you enjoy your trip and leave a positive experience behind with the locals. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop helps you to prepare for your travels and gives you the tools to make a positive contribution.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Giant Barracuda
Date – August 2001
Location - Papua New Guinea
The Giant Barracuda is really a fish worth giving a wide berth to. As the magpies of the sea, they love nothing more then taking a snap at any shiny object in the sea, be that your watch or chrome attachments to your diving gear. Its razor sharp rows of teeth will mean your wetsuit provides about as much protection as a wet tissue.
The trick is to check your suit for shiny objects before you dive in areas where they are found and turn your dive watch onto the inside of your wrist to stop it reflecting.
Beyond The Blue instructors have a hundred different tips that they introduce when relevant into our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Sunset Islands
Date – August 2001
Location - Papua New Guinea
This is the dream for so Many People.
Beyond The Blue can help you get there.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Silver Tip Shark
Date – August 2001
Location - Papua New Guinea
The Silver Tip Shark is just one of the many sharks to be found just under the water in different parts of the world. Different species of shark are found in every ocean of the world and we have all seen at least one of the jaws films… we should probably never dip our toes in the water…
At Beyond The Blue we know that the key is not to ignore opportunities because of potential dangers but to understand the dangers, assess them, analyse them and then act in a safe manner. This Silver Tip Shark didn’t stop us going in the water, on this occasion we actually went out looking for them, when we found them we had the most exciting dive watching them feed and when we assessed that the situation had suddenly got out of our control, we made a hasty exit and returned to the boat, the sharks followed us…. It seems we made the right choice!
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops help the individuals attending, to assess risks before and during their travels.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Papua Time
Date – August 2001
Location - The Sepik – Papua New Guinea
Papua-time, much like Fiji-time, is the local description for the pace of life and sense of any lack of urgency that abounds throughout the South Pacific. Take any task you complete ay home and add an infinite amount of time to it and you can work out how long the same task will take in the South Pacific. Put more simply there is no timetable.
Invited as always to stay in the chiefs hut overnight whenever visiting the villages in this part of the Sepik, you can find yourself abandoned as the chief attends to important duties in another part of the village. These duties can take fifteen minutes or many many hours, the time you spend sitting back waiting, that’s truly Papua-time.
Beyond The Blue’s Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop helps prepare the individuals attending to survive in environments and cultures very different from our own and with very different priorities.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Title – Missionary Air Force
Date – August 2001
Location - The Sepik – Papua New Guinea
There are two ways into the interior of the Sepik river area of Papua New Guinea, the first is overland, this involves a very long ride in the back of a pick-up truck to the nearest loading point on the Sepik itself and then negotiating a ride in a dug out canoe all the way into the centre and will take several days. The second is to hitch a ride on the Missionary Air Force plane, for a negotiated fee and the willingness to be preached at for the duration of the flight, you‘ll get a ride in the cockpit.
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop examines Transport Options at your destinations. Beyond The Blue run these workshops to prepare individuals for where ever their dreams may take them.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
