Malvina House Hotel Stanley

Yesterday, March 23, we visited the Falkland Islands. Stanley was the port. The ship was unable to tie up at a pier because the harbor was too shallow. We took a tender (small boat) into town and made our way via bus and 4 wheel drive to see the Rock Hopper Penguins. The bus was rough and the road was nothing but rocks which were very jagged and it is a wonder the tires didn't get punctured. After leafing the bus, we took 4 wheel ...

Cruising is a bit too safe for me but obviously appeals to the masses who want to switch off for 15 days. I prefer the randomness of backpacking but was surprised to bump into Uki and Aki the Japanese couple we have found on a number of occasions (Costa Rica, Galapagos Islands)...on the boat!! Uki was the man of the hour on the Falklands and found half price tix on the sold-out trip to see the King Penguins, where we passed ...

... that, due to the common extreme weather and harsh seas, 1 out of every 2 ships that attempt to make this port is unsuccessful. We were fortunate to not only be able to make the port, but we had the nicest weather the crew had ever seen. It was a beautiful sunny day. Ships have to go to anchor about 2 miles out from the jetty and transport passengers to the land via small boats called tenders. The harbor is littered with shipwrecks. There ...

... the inner harbor is only 7 meters deep and the NCL Sun draws 8 meters. The wind was very strong and they had to use the side thrusters constantly to keep the ship from drifting. We could hear the engines and see the mud that was disturbed. Our tour left from the lounge at 9:30. We went to the tenders and then to shore. The jetty is very small and we saw three vans marked Murrells Cove ...

... with visa card) which had a great range including Waitrose products. Bought some Vegemite and some 'Man Flu' tablets and cough mix (Tim suffering a 'Man Flu' sniffle since Ushuaia where we'd already bought Sudafed and Strepsils with Lignocaine). Lunch was English Pub grub for most, we returned to the ship to dine like Royalty due to the allergy issue. Had till 4pm on the island. Had our first meeting with those omnipresent Gentoo Pengs.

... Friday - walked up Green Mountain to the Dew Pond and saw a number of land crabs . Saturday - visited Hannay's blow hole to the west of the island and returned from Travellers Hill to the airhead for the evening flight.

... photographed them alongside the yacht . Exiting the harbour along Choiseul Sound we joked about prospects of seeing whales this close to the shoreline and suddenly someone shouted "over there" and we all saw a whale breaking the surface and beginning to submerge. A helicopter circled overhead ...

Today has been the best day yet, Stanley Falkland Islands! We awoke early and had breakfast. The ship can not dock in Stanley so you have to take a tender to shore. The tenders are little tiny boats that hold around 40 people. There were to be Princess Representatives in Explorers hall handing out coupons for the tenders starting at eight. We were there a little early and sat down. I went to go use the bathroom and when I ...

Saunders Island 17 Feb Wonderful sunny day and heli trip to Saunders Island, climbing the grassy cliff slopes to see the very large, very grey and very fluffy ...

Drove to Stanley, passing the strange stone runs in the landscape. After obtaining the rather large key for the lighthouse we set off in the direction of Stanley airfield, passing the tall totem pole studded with signs to locations worldwide. Wove across the sand dunes in our SIF vehicle and the lighthouse came into full view, unlocked the door and climbed to ...