Port Stanley, Falkland Islands - One of my favorites!

Pt. Stanley, Falkland Islands

January 28, 2012

Pt. Stanley in the Mists.

What a wonderful place!  It was foggy as we approached Pt. Stanley in the Falkland Islands, so the incoming pictures are rather fuzzy.  The islands are low and rocky with scrubby green vegetation and no trees.  It was iffy until the early morning as to whether we would be able to go ashore.  The winds here are strong and constant, making the bays very choppy.  The ship anchors out and we have to take tenders in.  Some ports have tender services, but where those are not available, the lifeboats are used as tenders.

People who have early tours assemble in one of the theaters and are given priority on the tenders.  The rest of us have to go to another theater and get group tender tickets.  We wait in the theater until our group number is called and then proceed to the tender boarding location.  I had booked a nature trek tour which was to assemble shore-side at 11:45, so thought I'd go early to look at the shops a bit and perhaps buy some yarn.  But I did not dress for the nature trek and it took too long for them to get to my tender number, so I bailed out on that one and went back to my cabin for a while.

When they announced that we no longer needed tender tickets – which means that they're all caught up and we can go directly to the tender and get on – I went ashore.  It was windy and there was a lot of chop.  The tenders/lifeboats can be completely closed, but they frequently leave the boarding curtains rolled up, which they did on this trip.  Those who were less experienced sailors sat near and aft of the openings.  WRONG!  Quite a bit of spray came in and some people were quite wet.  (Fortunately, not me!)

Garden Wall in Pt. Stanley.

The tender deposited us at the visitor center where we were able to get brochures and advice.  Since I had about an hour before my tour was scheduled to meet, I asked about yarn and was directed to a gift shop.  One shop had natural creamy yarn, another had pastels, neither of which were of interest to me, so I didn't buy anything.  But it did give me occasion to walk the front street.  The houses are all well-kept, many with lovely gardens.  The best flower gardens had completely solid front "fences" to keep the wind out.  But when you looked over them, there was a profusion of color.

Flowers in Pt. Stanley.

I also saw the Anglican Church, Catholic Church – which is just next to the police station! – and the war monument from the 1982 conflict.  A window sign in one of the shops said "FRESH HEN EGGS L3.20 PER DOZEN WHEN AVAILABLE" (about $5 US) was a reminder that most provisions have to be shipped in.

Lav (guide) and Mary (trekker).

Then it was time to get back to the visitor center to gather for the nature trek where Holland America had hot chocolate waiting for those of us who were chilled.  There were 14 of us, plus two guides – a husband and wife:  Russians who had lived in Pt. Stanley for 10 years.  Their English was, of course, excellent, but heavily accented, plus with the winds tearing around all the time it was sometimes difficult to hear and understand everything they said, but they were wonderfully informative, telling us everything about both flora and fauna – way more than I can remember!  (In fact, if there are any errors in this narrative, they are certainly mine, not theirs!)

Scurvy Plant.

We rode in a van to a trailhead and then set out on foot along the bays and sometimes cross country to other inlets.  We saw a great deal of local flora – all low and scrubby, but quite interesting – including "scurvy plant" which should be more accurately named "anti-scurvy plant."  Lap told us it was edible and that many islanders included it in their salads.  He demonstrated by eating it, so Mary and I both tried it.  It was a little sour, but not bad tasting.

Pt. Stanley Penguins.

We saw a variety of bird life – ducks, geese, seagulls, and other flying birds, plus of course penquins, including this momma and baby.  Their burrow is off to the right and probably has her other baby inside.  We did not try to get too close, but they posed nicely for us without appearing to be afraid.

Yoga Penguin.

Then we walked across the headlands to a gorgeous sandy beach which is off limits because of the potential for mines to wash up on it.  The islands are still affected by the 1982 war in that respect…  We could look down on the beach and there was a solitary penguin there.  Lav indicated that this penguin had been molting and was just about done so he thought the penguin would be leaving the beach in another day or so.
 
I also saw some beautiful lichens on a rock, indicative of a very clean environment.  Then it was time to reboard our van (having walked about 3 1/2 miles!) to return to the tenders and to the ship.  There was a huge line on the tender quay, but it turned out that they were all waiting to get back to one of the Princess ships which was also anchored off-shore.  The Holland America line was quite short and only waiting for the next tender to dock.  The ride back to the ship was smooth and dry compared with the ride out in the morning.  A wonderful end to a wonderful day!

Lichen.