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
