2009 02 05 Stanley, Falkland Islands

The Falklands is definitely an interesting place to visit. I suppose we first heard about the Falkland Islands when Argentina invaded this English Commonwealth in the 1980s. The invasion turned into a full-on war. Although the war was short lived, it did have a terrible consequences. No only did many men die in the battles, Argentina dumped thousands and thousands of land mines from airplaces along the beautiful beaches of the islands. No mapping, no reason, simply airplane loads of mines dumped on the populated areas. It has proven difficult - no - impossible to clear the mines due to the shifting sands and tides. Much of the islands are off limits - forever. Barbed wire and signs of sculls and crossed bones warning of the minefields, clearly visible to everyone. It seems the government of Argentina thought the Falklands would be ripe for the taking with England being so logistically far away.

The good folk who call Stanley home endure some of the harshest weather imaginable. We enjoyed a sunny, clear day - but it was still quite cold. Just two days prior a horrible storm damaged a couple of cruise ships in the area - breaking windows and tossing folks about. Clearly the residents are from hearty stock.

The folks who live here have been here for generations. We were told stories about how welcoming the town folk are - often inviting tourists into their homes for a cup of tea just to visit. We didn't have an opportunity to meet anyone on our own as we booked an excursion. We did enjoy our first Penguin encounter, however - an excursion to see a colony of Adeilie Penguins. We were fortunate to also get our first up-close encounter with 3 King Penguins that were nesting amongst the Adeilies. Penguins are so engaging and entertaining - but they are nasty creatures, and you definitely want to stay up-wind from them. Their diet is of course sea fare and their guana or poo is just the most wretched smelling stuff - and you cannot escape it. Well - enough on that subject. We saw young penguins loosing their downy feathers, and as they molt they stand almost motionless until this stage is over. We were informed they stand still to conserve energy as they cannot swim until their new feathers come in. Thus, they cannot forage for food until their new coat is complete.