Thursday morning, before Gavin left, Derek offered us the choice of hen’s eggs or Gentoo Penguin eggs. I opted for the Gentoo eggs, over medium, with a side of bacon. One Gentoo egg was the equivalent of three hen’s eggs. The whites had the consistency of silicon and the yolks tasted like fish. Let’s just … Continue reading
Volunteer Point is mainly known for its King Penguin population. Kings are the largest penguins in the Falklands and the second largest in the world; adults are normally three feet tall. They are not migratory and the Falklands lie at the northern perimeter of their range. There was still daylight left when we first arrived … Continue reading
Our flight Wednesday from Saunders Island back to Stanley took about an hour, including a stop at Pebble Island to drop off a kitten and some cat food to the residents of the settlement there. We had a great view of Stanley as we approached the airport. The Malvina Hotel that we stayed at on … Continue reading
We were picked up by David around noon Wednesday and driven back to the settlement to wait for the FIGAS plane to take us back to Stanley. On the drive, we listened to the news analysis of the election results: 94% voter turnout; 99% of the voters saying “Yes” to the referendum question of “Do … Continue reading
After we warmed up for about an hour, we decided to go sit on the hillside to just observe the penguins for a while before turning in for dinner and bed. There are a handful of King Penguins here at The Neck, though the larger colony of Kings is at Volunteer Point on East Falkland … Continue reading
The Falkland Islands are 5,400 miles from our home in the Florida Keys; Saunders Island settlement is 100 miles from Stanley town; and, The Neck is 10 miles from the settlement. Not feeling remote enough, on our second day at The Neck, we decided to hike around Mount Harston to the ponds near Elephant Point, … Continue reading
Not long after we made it down to the beach, a number of Rockhopper penguins came swimming and waddling ashore, surprising a lone Gentoo penguin in the process. I must admit that I have a hard time grasping the whole concept of a bird that can’t fly, but is able to swim. I mean, what … Continue reading
After watching the albatross for about an hour, we retraced our steps around the hill to the Rockhopper Penguin colony as clouds passed overhead. The sun soon returned and we sat and watched them for a little while, but very little rock hopping was going on here… …but it was worth spending some time here … Continue reading
After dropping off our stuff in the Portakamp, we decided to go see the Albatross rookery that Suzan said we could find by following the fence line around the hill to the other side. Our path was blocked, however, by a huge colony of Rockhopper Penguins, another migratory species. These guys will be the subject … Continue reading
We were met at the runway on Saunders Island by Suzan Pole-Evans whose husband, David, purchased the island in 1987 with his father. Saunders Island is the site of the original British settlement of the Falklands in 1765 at a place called Port Egmont (since destroyed by the Spanish), just a short walk up the … Continue reading
The FIGAS flight was a little delayed, so Rob offered to take us to a little bay near the runway to see more elephant seals while we waited for the plane. There were several pairs playing in the shallow water, alternating between leaning into one another like lovers… …and rearing back and slamming one another … Continue reading
After our tour of Elephant Beach with Rob, Lorraine drove us to Leopard Beach on the southern end of the island to see the penguins. There are large colonies of Magellanic and Gentoo Penguins here on Carcass Island. Gentoos live permanently here, but the Magellanic are migratory, coming to the Falklands only to breed in … Continue reading
After lunch, Rob drove us to Elephant Beach on the north end to look at the Elephant Seals that we had seen from the air as we had approached the grass landing strip that morning. At our first stop, there were a couple young males lying about (you can see them to Dale’s left and … Continue reading
Landing on the grass runway at Carcass Island, we were met by Rob and Lorraine McGill and taken for a ride over the hills to their settlement on the southern side of the island. We are staying in the McGill’s farm overnight (as are Alicky and Michelle). Rob (a 4th generation Falkland Islander) and Lorainne … Continue reading
There are two main islands in the Falklands, aptly named East and West Falkland, separated by Falkland Sound. But there are also numerous out-islands, though not many are inhabited. To reach the out-islands, the Falklands government maintains a small air service known as FIGAS, the Falkland Islands Government Air Service. Other than by private boat, … Continue reading
We spent the last two days getting from Torres del Paine, Chile, to the Falkland Islands, but we’ve arrived and are now checked in to our accommodations, the Malvinas House Hotel, overlooking Stanley harbor. Yesterday, Friday, we took the 5-hour shuttle ride to Punta Arenas, Chile, from Torres del Paine. The day turned cloudy, windy … Continue reading
Our third day in Torres del Paine (pronounced “Pah-ay-nay”) was spent doing a 12-hour tour called the “Full Paine.” For us, this excursion was the biggest challenge of all because it was so difficult to be inside a bus or ferry boat instead of being outdoors in this beautiful part of the world. But the … Continue reading
For our fourth and final day at Hotel Las Torres Patagonia, we opted for the all-day horseback ride through the Enchanted Valley to Campamento Serón, a distance of 12 km each way for a total of a little more than 15 miles roundtrip. Once again, we were lucky to find ourselves as the only adventurers … Continue reading
After earning our keep shoeing horses, Paola walked us to the estancia’s organic garden. Along the way, we passed the original, stone manor house, built sometime in the 1920s, which is not visible from the modern hotel buildings. In the early 1990s, the manor house was converted from a residence to a dining room to … Continue reading
Because the horse trails are so rocky here, it’s important to make sure that the horses’ hooves are well protected; so the next part of our day as cowboys was to learn how to shoe a horse (the one on the left is for the front; the one on the right is for the rear). … Continue reading
After rounding up the horses, we went inside the pesebrera where the saddles and bridles are stored, which is also where the baqueanos start their day with the sharing of “mate” (pronounced “mah-tay”) and a fried bread called “sopaipillas.” Mate (or, more accurately, “yerba mate”) is a type of tea favored by Chileans and Argentinians. … Continue reading
Our second full day at Hotel Las Torres Patagonia was spent as “Baqueanos Por Un Día,” that is, as “Cowboys for a Day.” I had previously said that the cowboys in Patagonia are called “Gauchos,” but that is not completely accurate; the term “Baqueanos” is preferred in Chilean Patagonia. Our morning began with a greeting … Continue reading
Unlike the hikes elsewhere on our trip where the trails have been well-defined, the ascent to the summit of Cerro Paine was an unmarked scramble over rocks and gravel for the entire 1.5 mile, 1,600 ft. ascent. Our legs felt it immediately; each step up requiring concentration. So, even though our climb to Laguna de … Continue reading
It’s been difficult for us to decide whether the sunsets or the sunrises are prettier here in Patagonia. After checking into the hotel Sunday night (and being decadent and having a massage – those tired legs), we had dinner and went to bed early, leaving the drapes open. This morning, we watched the sunrise through … Continue reading
We spent this past weekend Getting from El Chaltén, Argentina, to Parque Nacional Torres del Paine in Chile, a distance of only 110 miles, point to point, but a bus ride of 350 miles taking, about nine hours, due to geography and the crossing of national borders. We left El Chaltén Saturday in the early … Continue reading
The Road Less Traveled 