Yet another destination of my dreams I’d check off my list today, and that is the Falkland Islands. At about the age of 6, I pointed out the Falklands to my mother and she said “you know, there was a war fought there once, and there are more sheep than people.” The flight to the Falklands from Punta Arenas has to be one of the most expensive in the world for the duration. Despite being only 1 1/2 hours flying time each way, it cost US$1,050 return and nothing is free onboard except water. By comparison, a roundtrip ticket from Sydney to New York was only about US$800 return and included food, onboard entertainment, and drinks. As a treat for finally getting to the Falklands, I shouted myself a small bottle of Brut champagne. What surprised me is I’m on an Airbus 320 and there are so many people travelling to the Falklands, when I was expecting a small turboprop with maybe 64 seats. There were some interesting people on the plane, including a Kiwi lady travelling to South Georgia to work on a rat extermination program. In the front row, I chatted to a lovely couple named Mario and Sharon. They agreed to give me a lift into town from Mount Pleasant Airport. Since the airport is a Royal Air Force (RAF) Base, it’s not possible to just walk off the base and stick your thumb out. Customs had to give my trekking boots a good scrub because I just went on a lengthy walk yesterday in which my boots got muddy. Hitching a lift into Stanley meant I’d save ₤17 as well as meeting a lovely couple, who have said I’m invited to their home for dinner sometime during my 2-week stay.
The airport in the Falklands has to be one of the furthest away from the main settlement, on par with Narita Airport in Tokyo or Tontouta Airport in New Caledonia, nearly 60 km away from Stanley. Mario and Sharon were in Chile for three weeks, and had to stop in Fitzroy to pick up their dog before we drove into Stanley. Mario is very informative and told me about the Falklands’ famous stone runs. Due to lack of both vegetation and seismic activity, you’ll see “rivers” of stones that have flowed down the mountain. Before long, we arrived in Stanley.
I can only imagine snapping photos from a couple hundred metres above with Juliett; I’ll be soaring her into the sky real, real soon! Despite living in Stanley, Mario and Sharon were having difficulty finding John Biscoe Rd, which is the street that Tom, my CS host, lives on. Eventually we’d find it, and I put my stuff down because I was hungry! As a colony of the UK, I knew fish & chips would be on the menu somewhere. He and his friend, Lee would drop me at Shorty’s.
The Falkland Islands use the UK pound but they also issue their own pound.
Indulged in some “greasies” (fish & chips), I was immediately greeted with a huge blast of chilly air. The Falklands are treeless and very windy, so it’s what I’ll have to deal with. Punta Arenas, by comparison feels like a resort in Mexico or Cuba because it’s about 15 degrees colder here than over there. I was itching to go geocaching, but there are no free wifi hotspots on the island; you have to buy a card and login, and it’s ₤5 for 40 minutes! SIM cards aren’t cheap either, and mobile data costs are among the highest in the world. It’s back to caching the old-fashioned way.
My favourite thing to do when I arrive in a new place is to chat to locals and go for a walk. As I did the latter I stopped to warm up and do the former. An older gentleman sipping a Budweiser at Globe Tavern was intrigued when I told him I’m bound for Tristan da Cunha in May. He was sure there’s only one sailing per year! As I chatted, a lady named Trina asked to interview me on radio. A la Norfolk Island, I feel like I’m being put on a pedestal: being invited to parties, as well as into homes for dinner, and being interviewed on radio. On the way back to Tom's home, I stopped at the world's southernmost cathedral.
Back in the old days, a city was only considered a city if it had a cathedral.
Hoping to find at least 10 or 11 geocaches today, I found only five. I got about that many photos as well because it’s been windy, cold, quiet, and without many photo opportunities today. To add to that, I’m exhausted as my sleep patterns are still not in sync. There was a Halloween party going on tonight at the Globe, and Tom dressed up as a clown. I didn't dress up or party hard, but I still went out for a couple glasses of wine. My first night in the Falklands has been nice, albeit with typical Falkland weather: cold, windy, wet, and dreary.
