Falklands photos – finally fully Flickred!

Exactly 3 months after we got back to Blighty, I’ve finally finished sorting through my photos and uploading them to Flickr. All 359 of them now available for viewing in my Falklands Islands Trip set. (and I also uploaded my four photos from dad’s Birthday Weekend.)

It was a great holiday – here’s a day-by-day synopsis, with links to photos of the day:

22/23 December 2005 (photos)
Flight(s) out to Chile, and an evening and overnight in Punta Arenas.

24 December 2005 (photos)
Depart Punta Arenas airport and fly to Mount Pleasant Airport (aka MPA), Falkland Islands, meet Sue, settle in at No 6. Capricorn Road, sing carols by the whalebone arch outside the Cathedral and dine out at Shorty’s Diner, Port Stanley.

25 December 2005 (photos)Christmas Day in the Falklands! Presents, Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, gentle stroll along Surf Bay and back via Whalebone Cove/Lady Liz/Charles Cooper and tea and cake at Sue [No 1’s] house, all rounded off with the inevitable snooze through the Christmas movie on BFBS.

26 December 2005 (photos)
Cape Pembroke Lighthouse, with Sues 1 &2, Kirsten, Jenny & Mike, and Andrew.

27 December 2005 (photos)
Blending in in Port Stanley (taking cover amidst the cruise ship passengers ashore for the day), Moody Valley walk and watching a Black-crowned night-heron, fish for tiddlers in Stanley Harbour, then Deb’s birthday party at Fran’s (a late night, so photos continue on into 28 Dec…)

28 December 2005 (photos)
Recovering, inadvertent matching hat buying, the last day of Stanley Races, Falkland Islands Travel & Tourism Christmas Party at the Falkland Islands Brasserie.

29 December 2005 (photos)
Walk – Whalebone Cove -> The Narrows ->Gypsy Cove -> Yorke Bay – and PENGUINS. Sue’s lamb feast (dinner) party.

30 December 2005 (photos)
A cloudy day – thank heavens (ie. scope for Cape Pembroke sunburn recovery)! Friday lunch club at the newly renovated Malvina Hotel, paying our bill at the Port Stanley offices of International Tours and Travel, trip to FIPASS to check out foolhardy would-be solo Antarctic circumnavigator.

31 December 2005 (photos)
New Year’s Eve! Drive to Bluff Cove with Adam, Jenny and George, flat tyre change (eventually!), King penguin and Gentoo penguin colony at Bluff Cove, picnic at the Sea Cabbage Cafe, quiet at home welcome to 2006.

01 January 2006 (photos)
Port Stanley New Year’s Day Raft Race, tea at Adam and Jenny’s, Saunders Island preparations.

02 January 2006 (photos)
FIGAS flight from Port Stanley to Saunders Island, catching up with the extended Pole-Evans family (aka Sue No. 1, Kirsten, Jenny and Mike), stroll to Port Egmont, feeding time at the Magellanic penguin burrows and seashore walk, and a stunning sunset (which snuck into 04 Jan because I didn’t reset my camera’s clock).

03 January 2006 (photos)
Amazing day out at The Neck – King penguins, Magellanic penguins, Gentoo penguins, Rockhopper penguins, Black-browed albatross, King shags.

04 January 2006 (photos)
Farewell to Sue, FIGAS flight to Sealion Island – a cosy afternoon in Sealion Lodge and Lots of Grub.

05 January 2006 (photos)
Morning walk along the shore from Elephant Cove towards North End Point and back via the north bay and Cow Point – drizzle, ORCA, elephant seals, Magallanic, Gentoo and King penguins, Magellanic Oystercatchers and big-foot birds; afternoon blue skies hike west, via the Long Pond, big scary swooping birds and dramatic cliffs.

06 January 2006 (photos)
Wet walk to the penguin colonies, goodbye Sealion Island and the team at Sealion Lodge, FIGAS flight to Stanley, Farewell to the Falklands (Part I) – dinner at the Falkland Islands Brasserie and post-dinner drinks at the Vic (both in 07 Jan).

07 January 2006 (photos)
Farewell to the Falklands (Part II) – Drive to MPA, flight to Santiago, Chile, overnight in the v plush Park Plaza in Providencia.

08/09 January 2006 (photos)
Day in Santiago – walking from Barrio Concha y Torro to Plaza de Armas, along O’Higgins to plaza Barqendana, lunch outside an Italian restaurant near Metro Ricardo Lyon and flight home to London via Madrid (teeming terminal and last minute gate change in Madrid, lost luggage and tube strike in LHR).

Previously…
See how brightly the sun shines in Stanley (yes, in the Falkland Islands)
We’re back!
Last minunte Port Stanley planning
Punta Arenas accommodation booked (Phew)
Booking hotels in Chile
Well, that’s holiday plans for next year sorted then!

See how brightly the sun shines in Stanley (yes, in the Falkland Islands)

I’m gradually uploading photos from our Falkland Islands trip onto Flickr. Phil bought me a Pro subscription as part of my Christmas present, so I’m effectively free of the monthly limit (unless I manage to hit the 2GB monthly limit for Pro users….). It’s reminding me just how fantastic the weather was, and how beautiful Port Stanley and Cape Pembroke are:

We’re back!

A fortnight in the Falkland Islands is just not long enough – even if you discount all the yuletide socialising, the islands are beautiful and varied and it takes time exploring them, not to mention the watching time demanded by five different species of penguin, plus seals and killer whales, albatross and scary giant petrels, amongst other wildlife.

Photos and more details to follow – but first, time for a welcome home Indian takeaway!

Last minute Port Stanley planning

I’ve been keeping an eye on BBC Weather to see what sort of weather to expect in the Falklands, in order to decide what clothes to take.

Today’s forecast looks like this:

Picture 4.png

So, whilst we may be spending Christmas and New Year in the southern hemisphere, I don’t think we’ll be seeing many barbies on the beaches…..