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.