Last night, I believe we experienced the promised choppy seas! I slept peacefully. This morning, white horses were rolling around the ship.
We’re on another sea day, en route to Port Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands. It gives one a chance to rest a little though there are numerous activities on board if one wished to participate.
This morning (Tuesday), we arrived in Port Stanley at 07:00. The day was bright. The Falkland have a climate similar to Britain and Ireland.
The Falklands consists of two main islands and numerous small ones - 480 miles north east of Cape Horn.
The population is 2,200 and two thirds live in Port Stanley. The population is not increasing.
As our ship is too large for the port, we had to take a Tender into port.
Imagine the logistics of taking up to 2,800 passengers off the ship on tenders that cater for 100!!
As we had booked an aerial tour of the island, we did not need to get a Tender token but were immediately transferred to a Tender at 10:15 for our flight at 11:00!
The tender takes 25 minutes from ship to port. The sea was rather choppy
We were immediately transferred to the airport.
However, we waited 1.5 hours at the airport before we boarded our scenic flight !
The only saving grace was that we fell into conversation with an islander. She was reared in Port Stanley but now lives in a remote sheep farm with her partner and their four children under six!! Her nearest neighbour was a 40 minute drive away !!
If she didn’t fly, the journey from her home, on the west side of the island, to Port Stanley would take her almost a day - a 4 hour drive then 3 hour ferry and 4 more hours driving to Port Stanley. She had flown because she was concerned for her two week old daughter who seemed to have breathing difficulties. The doctor thankfully had said that the baby was in good health. Her children are home schooled with a visiting teacher every 3 months! For her return journey, she was loaded down with provisions such as boxes of bread and frozen chips, a baby bath and baby bottles among other boxes whose contents are not displayed!!
Eventually we boarded at 12.45 for our 35 minute flight.
There were only six passengers but unfortunately our seats were under the wings so it was difficult to take photos.!
We saw the marks made on the landscape by exploded mines and the marks made by the clearing of the mines and the battle fields of the Falkland War.
The war occurred in 1982 yet many of their coves and bays have not re-opened because of unexploded mines! We flew over the port
and the varied coastline,
cross country to the sheep farms,
the shingled landscape
and back to Port Stanley, the most southerly CAPITAL city in the world
On our return to the city, we went in search of penguins. It appears, I missed seeing them in Paradise Bay so I was determined to see them here. However, the last Tender was 16:00, so I asked the guide if she could take us there and back in time for the return Tender. A very pleasant lady, she assured me that she would. We took her at her word but another couple were concerned and refused to go. Initially, she was taking us herself but seeing the ‘opposition’ had space, she put us on that bus. The ‘opposition’ turned out to be her brother and sister in law!!!
We arrived at the penguin colony. By now the weather had changed and it was raining. We could only view the penguins from the cliff top because the area is cordoned off as there is possibility that the beach is mined! The penguins are safe - they are too light to set off a mine!!
Recently, a cow stood on a mine and the whole town shook with the explosion - the Agentinians mined all the beaches and some inland areas also and the work of clearing continues!
On arrival at the Gypsey Cove penguin colony,
On land and sea
we were requested to return to the ship as concern was expressed that the sea was getting too choppy for the Tenders. Of course I guessed what would happen, all tours returned and we stood in the rain for 30-40 minutes waiting for a Tender - misery!!!
The Town is small, built on the north facing slope of the island to catch the sun all year round. It overlooks the harbour. It has the world’s southernmost cathedral and the Government House serves as home to the Island’s Governor since 1845.
Overall. I really enjoyed the day. To visit the Falklands was so inspiring - the will of the people to resist the Argentinians so far from their mother country, the UK was admirable. The islanders are warm and kind.
War is a waste and en route from the airport, we collected two couples, one an RAF pilot and the other an Argentinian pilot - both of whom fought on either side in the Falklands War, holidaying together - introduced by a mutual friend! Interestingly, there was no indigenous population in the Falklands so the descendants of the first explorers to settle here would appear to have the right to reside. Where does that leave the Argentinian claim?
We met some interesting people - the driver who took us to the airport was a young English policeman, originally from Wales. He decided he’d like a change so he first went to Ascension Island and thence to the Falklands. He works as a policeman and a driver. everyone on the island had multiple jobs, he volunteered! He orders his groceries from ASDA in the UK and they are shipped to him!!
Our driver to Gypsey Cove had come to the island in 1993. Her step father had fought in the war and the family returned here. She hasn't been back to UK in the interim! She said that she’d have a steep learning curve as there’s no ATMs or internet banking on the island!! She advises that she longs for a Kentucky Fried Chicken - one is not permitted to bring food onto the island - her friends returning from the UK tease her with wrappers!!!
We are now aboard and ready to sail to Puerto Madryn.
Once again a day at sea to recharge the batteries and thence to Puerto Madryn.
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Shipping to UK has become much easier with PPOBOX.
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