Islanders, Belongers and Penguins

SO glad we made it! The odds were stacked against us with the weather and we worried we would not be able to go ashore. However, Mother Nature smiled and the port of Stanley, capital city of the Falkland Islands, was not cancelled. I was really looking forward to this visit.
In the early morning at 6:00 a.m., the Crown Princess made her approach towards Stanley passing between Cape Penbroke on the port side and Mengeary Point on the starboard side. At 6:46 a.m. we dropped anchor outside of Stanley Harbour and tenders were lowered into the water to begin tender service for the day.

I spoke earlier about weather because as we headed further south towards Antarctica, this was becoming a focal point of the cruise. We had just spent two days prior at sea before arriving at Stanley. In those two days, the winds went from a gentle breeze in Uruguay to constant gusts of Force 6 winds (which is 22-27 knots according to the maritime Beaufort Wind Scales) in Stanley. The sea had begun to churn a bit with 8-13 foot waves, lots of whitecaps and ocean spray as high as Deck 7. It would only get worse the farther south we went. During those 2 days at sea it was a "white bag" experience for some, as I call it. The white bags are for sea sickness and they were hanging in all of the public areas on ship for immediate use, should someone need it. The temperatures also began to drop and was at 52F (11C) when we went ashore in Stanley. 
  
  
  
The Falklands are situated right at the boundary of the subarctic and temperate zones. So all during our day in port, the weather was unpredictable - raining one minute, sun shining the next, blue skies then gray skies, cold and colder...strange. 

Before I go further, it would be remiss of me not to mention a very important and ongoing issue that exists for the Falkland Islands. Traveling is a huge, eye-opening classroom experience. The more I travel, the more I learn. My hope for my blog is that it is not only entertaining but educational. Anyone who travels outside of their country should practice respect for their host destination. That means, in the very least, being familiar with their language and learning a few basic greetings in that language, knowing the currency and preparing ahead by carrying that currency if necessary (not everyone takes US dollars), understanding what proper attire is and following it (yes, many places have dress codes) and appreciating the culture. Always remember YOU are an ambassador for your country when you travel abroad. So, the very first thing visitors should learn, about the Falkland Islands, especially if Argentina is on the travel itinerary, is that they have two names, depending on where you are: Falkland Islands or Islas Malvinas. The islands are a British protectorate, and Britain, for whom the islands are the Falklands, confirmed that sovereignty by fighting and winning a bitter conflict over them.

Argentina, for whom the islands are named the Islas Malvinas, lost that bitter conflict, but every Argentine nevertheless believes that the islands rightfully belong to Argentina. This "dispute"  continues today and is a heated topic. So if you would like to avoid a social gaffe, when you are in the Falklands (or in most of the rest of the world), refer to the islands as the Falklands. When you are in Argentina, refer to them as the Malvinas. Also, remember I just mentioned above about respecting proper attire? This is an obvious one, but if you don't know the history behind the Falklands, you wouldn't know about this. As a courtesy, do not wear any Argentine logo clothing in the Falklands. Visa-versa in Argentina. But, let's get back to the Falklands...

LAND MINES...yup, got your attention...and it got mine. The Falkland Islands conflict of 1982 between Britain and Argentina left the islands with a number of unexploded ordinances, including land mines. Mine fields are well marked with red triangular signs with the warning "DANGER MINES". This is self explanatory so when exploring on the islands, heed all warnings. Mine clearing is ongoing. So, all of that being said, I'll take you back to the "Wonderful Adventures of Rick and Karri".

Rick and I left the ship about 8:00 a.m. and boarded our tender to go ashore. The waves and wind rocked the boats so when we arrived at the pier, we had to be very careful stepping off.  It was still early and we had a tour booked at 1:00 p.m. so we walked around Stanley at our leisure. We quickly noticed that the landscape in Stanley was very clean. There were well paved roads and sidewalks and gentle rolling hills that could easily be navigated. The residents of Stanley were very friendly. Also, loved the colorful roofs of the homes that added a bit of cheer against the gray skies and rain.

The Falklands are approximately 200 islands covering an area of 4,700 square miles. All together, it is slightly smaller than Connecticut (for you trivia buffs). The terrain can be rocky, covered in grass or boggy. All of the islands were once covered in tussock grass, a lush grass which attracted sheep farmers. Most of that has been grazed away now and sheep farming is struggling for survival. Fishing has become a main industry. 

Once ashore at Stanley, we began feeling the chill from the tender ride combined with the cold wind and the rain that began to fall so we sought some warm, dry shelter indoors. Of course, the brightly colored yellow and green Pod Gift Shop attracted my attention (LOVE colors) so we stepped inside and were greeted by two very cheerful, wonderful ladies named Caroline and Sybie. Come to find out they actually knew the son and daughter-in-law of our good friends from Wales who were stationed with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Falklands, but had since gone back to the UK. Sybie gave me their business card which was made of smooth tin - gold colored on one side and silver colored on the other. The shop's information was printed on the gold colored side of the tin. This was really unique and clever so I saved it and am looking at it right now as I type this.

  

The sun came out and the rain stopped so Rick and I headed back outside to explore more of Stanley. 

  

We visited the whale bone arch adjacent to the Christ Church Cathedral, which commemorates the 1933 centenary of British rule and is comprised of four jawbones from blue whales. 

  

Then we went on to the Post Office with the iconic bright red British phone booths outside.

As a recommendation, we found The Pink Shop, a small store selling local art and crafts. Rick and I bought a small memento of the sheep industry of the islands. 

The rain started up again and the temperature dropped to the low 40F. We tucked into the Malvina House, another recommendation from a friend. There we enjoyed a nice view of the harbour as the rain came down and we each had a pint of the local lager.

  

Rain stopped and we were warmed and drier. So we set out onto the streets once more and headed back towards the pier to meet our tour guide as it was getting close to 1:00 p.m.          

Our tour destination was Bluff Cove, a 35,000 acre farm, for a once in a lifetime wildlife adventure. Fifteen miles southwest of Stanley, we left the small bus we started in at the pier and climbed into a four-seater Defender Land Rover. The mud and dust that covered the Rover was an early indication of the ride we were about to take.

We drove off Stone Run where we left our small bus and began mudding and bogging through rugged terrain. We crossed Crocodile Bridge at the North Basin and headed to Rocky Ridge.  Along the way, we saw Belted Galloway cattle, Upland geese and Perendale sheep. 

    

During our ride, we learned that native born residents are called "Islanders" and those who are from the United Kingdom and obtained the Falkland Island status are known locally as "Belongers". 

After an approximate 35 minute ride in our Rover, we reached the penguin rookery at Bluff Cove. Our driver dropped us off and would fetch us later in about two hours. Once we stepped out of our vehicle the first thing I noticed was that the wind was blowing white downy feathers all over the soft, green peat moss under our feet. Nesting Gentoo and King penguins dotted the landscape. Rick and I marveled at this scenery. We were gazing at a big open green cliffside that sloped gently for about 300 yards straight to the sea. Penguins were waddling right past us going back and forth to the sea via this 300 yard "penguin highway". It was amazing to be so close to them.

    

After visiting the penguins, we walked down the cliff and headed to the Sea Cabbage Cafe, a blue double wide trailer where the owners Hattie and Kevin provide free hot beverages and homemade cakes and cookies. We tried delicious Diddle Dee jam made from a local red berry that grows wild in the Falklands.

  

  

  

A really cool side note: this pot belly stove in the Sea Cabbage Café was burning peat moss from the local bogs around Bluff Cove Farm. Peat is comprised mainly of partially decayed wetland vegetation and is a natural form of energy.

Sufficiently warm on the inside and the outside, we put our gear back on and headed outside and towards the seashore. 

There we watched as the penguins glided in from the surf like little bullets and skidded onto the sandy beach. Then they would stand up and waddle towards the "penguin highway" and disappear at the top of the cliff. They were so entertaining!

  

      

Time for our Rover to pick us up at the cafe. So we made our way back up the beach and waited for our ride.

  

Once back in Stanley we waited in a long line of passengers for our tender back to the ship. The wind was blowing in gusts, it was raining and it was cold. Once we got back on the ship, we went out to Deck 7 and watched the Crown Princess pull up anchor. 

Just before 8:00 p.m. we set sail and navigated into the Atlantic Ocean. We had another sea day ahead of us before we reached our next stop - Ushuaia, Argentina.

Our next day at sea would prove that the further south we got, the worse the weather became: South American Cruise 2014