Falkland Islands...Penguin Country

   

Way down at the southern tip of South America lie the Falkland Islands. From what we gathered from lectures, they were discovered in the 1500s but no one tried to settle them for a couple hundred years. The French were the first to try but later abandoned it to the English with the one stipulation that they would not hand it over to Spain.

Who cares about this archipelago of 800 small islands? Well, back in 1982 someone did. But why?There are many reasons to invade a country. So why did Argentina invade? It was not for oil or minerals or gold. It had been an important coal station for ships, but when the Panama Canal opened up, no one went around the cape anymore. The citizens of the Falklands like being a British territory, so it was not to protect its people. (later only 3 of 3,000 voted to break ties with Britain) Argentina invaded them, to distract their own people from being upset with the military dictatorship, from its coup. The Argentinian invasion did not last long.  But the repercussions are still felt.  The landmines planted during the war are now being removed by a group from Zimbabwe that will complete the work in 3-5 years.  There still are some bitter feelings.

1982 War Memorial

This ship had come in for repairs, but, too costly to do the repairs in the Falklands, the captain sold the ship and its goods for a  significant loss. Afterward, like other old ships, it was moored and used as a floating storage container. A sudden storm blew it off its moorings and it settled in this bay, run aground.

Gypsy Cove

So, besides windy cool weather, what are the Falklands known for? Sheep and penguins. Many penguins, five different species, two million altogether... 1000 times more penguins than people. We walked four miles along the bay and over the hill to see the Magellanic Penguins, also called Jack-Ass Penguins because of their "Hee Haw" sound.  Pairs will mate and lay eggs in January in underground dens, similar to the puffins we saw in Iceland. We missed our trip the next day to Volunteer Point to see a colony of King Penguins because of storm warnings, so our ship  eft the islands early to miss the strong winds and high seas.

And there are sheep,  200 for every man, woman and child. The wool is highly sought after because no chemicals are allowed. These islands have been isolated for thousands of years, and no one is allowed to bring any animal, plants or food onto the island without it being thoroughly checked.

The main industry is fishing, especially squid which is 40% of its exports. They grow a few vegetables (beginning to use aquaponics more), although most food and supplies are shipped in.

Kit  Homes of the original thirty pensioners/soldiers sent to settle islands...only a
few stayed when their contract was over.

Although the country is fairly wealthy, the houses and businesses are simple, made mainly of tin sides and corrugated roofs painted all colors. The soil is not good for making concrete or bricks, and they are too heavy to ship here. Scattered around town are telephone booths.

English Pub and Telephone Booth

Christ Cathedral...with Whale Bone Arch

Diddle-dee berries used for jam

There are no native trees or bushes on the island, and there are still very few except for a few ornamental ones in town and a grove of 255 trees by the cemetery that was planted in honor of each of the British soldiers killed in the Falklands War. We saw loads of their famous Diddle-dee berries used to make jam. Even tasted one. bitter, but apparently improve with age and/or sugar.




Children from camp (any place out of Port Stanley,  home to 3/4 of the Falkland's population) are taught from home. A traveling teacher goes to the area for two weeks, the children are expected to do their work on their own for four weeks, and then the teacher comes again. Beginning at age 11, the children are boarded in Port Stanley for the week.  At 16, all kids continuing school are flown to England for free education.

Medical care is all free, paid for by taxes. Simple things are taken care of in town, over the phone.  Up until recently, there was the  "Doctors half hour", where people could call on the ham radio and describe their complaints, with the doctor giving advice.  The whole community would listen in to find out the latest gossip.
Now, simple surgeries are done at the 28-bed hospital in town. Anything more serious is flown to England. Seriously sick emergent patients are flown to Santiago, Chile. Argentina is still not well liked here.

Harvesting Peat Blocks for Fuel

Up until the 1980s, all houses were heated with peat which is abundant here thanks to the cool, damp climate that for 10,000 years grew only tiny plants. People would remove the top 3 inches of plants and dirt, and then cut the peat into 10 by 10 by 10-inch blocks, that would be stacked for three months out in the open before putting in sheds to further dry and be burned for heat and cooking the following year.
The residents are still allowed to do this in the surrounding fields for free, but the intense work and time have caused all but 12 homes on the islands to switch to diesel oil or propane that is delivered by boat to one central supply company.  30% of their electricity is now produced by six windmills just out of town.







Geese grazing in a potato field.  Farmers use the bang of an air gun every two minutes to try to scare them off.   From what we saw, it did not work.

Oyster Catcher

     

Hail among the Summer Flowers

So while the USA is dealing with dangerously cold temps due to the polar vortex, it was just a typical summer day in the Falklands...45 degrees with a little sun, a little rain, and three separate bouts of hail, once during sunny, partly cloudy skies!

The Falkland Islands has its own stark beauty. Our tour guide came to the area to stay for two years. This was 20 years ago, and so far she has no intention of leaving. Yet, some people do get homesick and this sign with arrows pointing to their homeland gives some comfort. Tourists are also encouraged to tack up an arrow to their home.

Door County of the South..... Punta del Este Uruguay

One of Many Beautiful Beaches in Punta del Este

Where do South Americans come to play? Rio de Janeiro if we're talking Carnival, but if it's sun and beach they're after, it is Punta del Este, a beautiful seaside resort town... a  peninsula sand bar, so no matter where you live, a perfect sandy beach is only 1-2 blocks away. In the winter, only 10,000 people live here, but come January (summer), it jumps to 500,000. Yet, because of all its beaches, neither the roads nor the water's edge feel crowded. The beaches were a little tamer, as far as swimsuits than Copacabana. This is a place for families,  and that is what we saw.




We took a two-hour bus tour around the town and covered most since it is fairly small. Some of the peninsula is made up of tall apartment buildings, bustling in the summer, but standing vacant in winter when it occasionally in the morning it gets down to 30 degrees.

Trump Tower

As one might expect, even Trump has invested down here. His banner used to have a picture of himself, but now Eric has taken his place. Nice homes are mixed into the myriad of high rises.


One home, Casapueblo, reminded us of Santorini Greece with its white walls. Previously, the home of a well-known Uruguayan artist Carlos Vilaro, now a luxury hotel and art gallery, it commands a hilltop view of the sea.

Casapueblo former home of Uruguayan Artist

Further inland is the community called Beverly Hills, where each lot is at least a block square.

Home in Beverly Hills

Church in Center of Town by Lighthouse

Houses do not have number addresses, instead one gives a name to the house. So a letter to the house on the left would be sent to "John Doe,  Venus,  Bridge Street Punta del Este."  Trump, of course, has his named after himself.

Our bus driver sped up on the wavy bridge
 for a roller coaster experience!

Lighthouse on the Tallest Hill in Town

The sandy beaches of Punta del Este were filled with umbrellas, surfers, beach walkers, even a few fishermen were out enjoying the day.

There was even a portable Macy day sale. Carol had seen something she liked but when she turned around, the whole rack had walked further up the coast.









There was even a gaucho, singing for the vacationers. We saw him arrive by motorcycle, helmet on head, as required by law.

The city used to be a fishing village and fishermen still clean their fish right on the pier, castoffs going to the seals, who lazily munch until gone, then park themselves to sun.

And so like this giant we will wave goodbye to a truly outstanding city.

"El Mano", the hand, famed statue on the beach, which is used to separate the dangerous rip tides and rocks on the right versus the safer ocean waves on the left.  This statue has been duplicated in several other countries by the artist.

"Don't Cry for Me"....Buenos Aires, Argentina

Independence Square

Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina located on the Rio de La Plata...filled with beautiful parks, French and Italian architecture, tall skyscrapers, theater, tango, gauchos (skilled horseman and a National symbol of Argentina) and passionate people. Its port is in the middle of messy construction, like Boston's Big Dig. Although people are being encouraged to use buses and trains, people are reluctant to give up their cars, and traffic is horrendous.

Our excellent tour guide, Maxi, said life here is

 a continuous rollercoaster

Slums by Train Yard

of extreme ups and downs. Yet, Argentines have learned to take all this in stride, because "what else can we do?" In the early 1900s, Argentina had been one of the wealthiest nations, only to collapse until the next high. The last downward spiral was in 2001 when the public came out in full force with pots and pans, clanging them loudly in front of the presidential palace. Things were in such disarray that President Fernando de la Rua resigned and was evacuated by helicopter.  Within the next two weeks, Argentina had five acting presidents.

Things have improved and people are hopeful, even with the 57% interest rate charged by banks. (money in the bank can earn 37%) But the peso that in 2000 was 1:1 with the dollar is now down to 1:35,  and the wise keep no pesos in the bank, buying dollars instead or if able, property.

Caminito...settled by Italian immigrants
 and now a tourist area

Typical Homes in LaBoca

La Boca, the area around the abandoned old port, had been settled by Italians, the city's early settlers, and is now a neighborhood (barrio) of the working poor. Its Caminito Street with colorful shops, taverns, and tango has become a popular tourist attraction. Surrounding this small, lively area are homes of the working poor, most with colorful corrugated zinc/iron walls.

Soccer is big and the 75,000 capacity stadiums are filled. Maxi says people come not so much for the actual game, as for the party in the stands. The whole crowd jumps up and down, singing, such that it is impossible to hear your neighbor. Alcohol is not allowed in the stadium, so everyone comes drunk.  Soccer is the most important thing in life after your mother says Maxi. The sports one plays depends on one's socioeconomic class. The average Argentine loves soccer,  children of a higher class play rugby, but the real elite play tennis and polo. All Argentines are loyal to their own group and dislike the other. These groups can be different soccer teams, different neighborhoods, city people vs suburbia, you name it, they take a side...never wishywashy. This is part of their Italian blood. Not only not wishywashy, but they feel they have the best of everything...best beef, best Malbeck wine, best opera house, best soccer player, widest river, widest street. They are passionate and will yell and scream at each other for 10 minutes and then suddenly become best of friends.

Church by La Recoleta Cemetary

Speaking of Argentina's passion, how can one not think of Eva Peron, who as she grew in prominence, took on the name Evita,  little Eva, so as not to overshadow her husband, Juan Peron, el Presidente de la Argentina. One of our guest lecturers, a neurosurgeon from Yale, presented his findings that Eva Peron actually had a lobotomy, partly to control her cervical cancer pain, but mostly to stop her calls to overthrow the government. After the surgery, she was placid and refused to eat, dying several weeks later.

Recoleta Cemetery

We visited the elite
La Recoleta barrio, to see Eva Paron's burial site in its famous cemetery. All the tombs, owned by individual families, are above ground. Caskets are put inside, many times with glass doors. Some of the lesser family member's caskets are put in the basement of the tomb.

After a very long and complicated journey, Eva Peron's embalmed body was finally placed in the Duarte Family tomb. Seven of the eight plaques on the front wall of the tomb are about her, making one think the government has taken over the yearly payments for this family tomb.
She is still well loved by Argentines, for her fight for the common man and her romantic life with Juan.

Casa Rosada, the government house where Eva Peron
 addressed her supporters from the Balcony...
and where people clanged their pots and pans

Our tour continued through Buenos Aires proper and then into the suburbs to the delta area of the Parana River with its 5000 islands. Sediment continually coming down from the mountains creates new islands which are sold by the government. The island's banks are fortified with rock, stone or metal walls and houses built up on stilts. All supplies come by boat including building supplies, propane for stoves and heat, and even groceries. Houses ranged from run-down shacks to nice homes, and even a huge mansion. The nicer homes were often second homes. Houses had to be painted frequently because of the mold problems and many were for sale since island life is not easy. It was raining the day we visited, with a few lightning bolts and thunderclaps while on the river, just to make the boat ride interesting.

Mansion

Small Home with Typical Dock

Boats Bring Children to this Primary School

At sunset, we sat on the deck, enjoying another five-star meal, this time highlighting Argentine cuisine.... melt in our mouth steak, chorizo on a warm baguette with chimichurri sauce, roasted veggies, celery chips, empanadas and so much more....

And as we sailed away, having learned a little bit of the people and the country.....

Like Evita, "Argentina...we won't keep (y)our distance"...