We Have Enough Trouble With Argentina

Our day spent in the Falkland Islands was one full of history, some of it very recent. The Falkland Islands is a British Overseas Territory that is still in dispute with Argentina over ownership. The islands are located over 7500 miles from London, but only 300 miles from the coast of Argentina. Apparently Argentina thinks that geographic proximity accords them ownership, so they invaded in 1982 in order to claim this ownership. Unfortunately for them, the British were not going to relinquish their property, so they fought back and prevailed. However, Argentina never admitted defeat, and to this day, they still claim the Falkland Islands as theirs. 

The Falkland Islands consist of over 700 islands but most of them are not inhabited. They are very remote and there is no wifi. The population of the Falklands is 3600, with 2500 of these living in the city of Stanley, which is the seat of government. There are 65-70 nationalities represented here among the population, so the territory is very international. The local people are called Islanders. The currency here, since they are a British territory, is the pound, but not exactly the same as the British pound. It is known as the Falkland pound. Fishing, sheep farming, and tourism are the principal commercial enterprises. The main export is fish and the Falkland Islands are known for the world's best squid, or calamari.

The harbor consists of an inner and outer harbor. The inner harbor is very small and sheltered, and so large cruise ships are not able to access it. Our ship therefore had to remain in the outer harbor, while we rode tenders into the inner harbor and then docked at the city of Stanley. 

The tender

Boarding the tender

Approaching Stanley, Falkland Islands

As we approached the docks, we were given a warm (or should I say lazy) welcome by some local sea lions.

Our tour consisted of a drive (by bus) around the city of Stanley to see the highlights. The town is so small that there are no traffic lights and only one gas (or Petrol) station. We started by driving along the main road with nice views of the sea. Our tour guide's name was Phil, and he was quite the character. He liked to amuse us with jokes and funny stories to supplement his narration. 

Our tour guide Phil

Of the aforementioned 700 islands, there are two main islands: East Falkland and West Falkland. After Phil told us this, he said "We are very good at naming things." Phil told us that fishing licenses are given to the captain of the ships rather than the individual fishermen. Thence the ship captain is held personally accountable if any laws are broken. When that situation happens, the license is revoked (temporarily) and the squid is confiscated. Then Phil told us that since the local police have no use for that much squid, they sell it back to the ship captain at very inflated prices. After Phil told this story, one clever gentlemen on the bus asked if that was a "squid pro quo"?

We made a photo stop at a place called Whalebone Cove, where we had a nice view of the [retired] Lady Elizabeth ship sitting in the harbor. 

Next we saw a totem pole that consisted of signs from various places with distances to those places from the Falkland Islands. Apparently it began with one lone sign, to which visitors began adding their own signs, until the totem pole of signs was created. Phil said that they could not account for the veracity of the distances. 

Next we drove by a layer of peat, which is an organic layer of soil that consists of decomposed plant material. Phil said that there was no coal here, and also no trees since this is a windswept island, and so in times past, peat was used for fuel instead of coal or the burning of wood. Now you would think that there would be a company who would mine the peat and then distribute it to the residents, as is usually done with fuel. But not so here. The residents mined their own peat. They were given a three day weekend to stake out their peat claim. Anyone who owned property had a right to the peat. So they staked out their claim, mined the peat, and thereby supplied their own fuel. Peat is no longer used for fuel.

Layer of peat

Next we drove by a World War I monument, which commemorates the Battle of the Falklands between the British and the Germans.

World War I Monument

We passed by an outdoor whale bone museum that looked like it was actually located in someone's back yard. We took pictures of, what else, giant whale bones.

We drove by the Liberation Monument which is a tribute to those who aided the Falkland Islands during the War of 1982. They are very grateful for all those who came to their aid.

Liberation Monument

We continued our drive where we stopped to take photos at the Government House. As the name implies, this is where the Governor of the islands resides. The Governor of the Falkland Islands is a direct appointee of the crown.

Government House

Bust of Margaret Thatcher

Our bus tour ended at the Historic Dockyard Museum, where there were some outdoor buildings, exhibits, and displays. Some of the displays at the museum told the story of the history of the Falkland Islands as well as documenting some of the natural beauty, the geology, and a memorial gallery devoted to the 1982 war.

From the museum, we walked down the Main Street on our way back to the docks. Some of the Main Street sights we passed were the town Post Office, a small Catholic Church, a park next to the harbor, and a few gift shops and restaurants. 

Post Office

Catholic Church

Most of the shops and restaurants have certain hours for "cruise days", because, we were told by Phil, that "certain things only happen on cruise ship days." It must be a nice sight for the local merchants to look out toward the ocean and see a cruise ship sitting in the outer harbor, knowing that business will be good that day. 

Merchant's delight

We also walked past the Christ Church Cathedral. The Cathedral is the world's southernmost Anglican Cathedral and is known for the giant whalebone in front.

We enjoyed our tour of the historic Falkland Islands town of Stanley, made more enjoyable by Phil's unusual sense of humor. Here are a few of his witticisms:

Someone asked Phil if people swim in the ocean here, and he said, "Yes, there are some people who swim in the ocean. We call them idiots."

When Phil gave us a little geologic history of the islands, he said that they once were part of the African continent, but broke off millions of years ago and drifted to their current location. Then he said, "Please don't tell the South Africans about this. We have enough trouble with Argentina."

In the Falkland Islands, there is no tax on fuel and very little tax on alcohol. Phil said that in order to get elected to office here, the candidates have to commit to continuing these tax policies on fuel and alcohol. He said they have to like to drink and to drive - just not at the same time.

As we drove by the hospital, a building easily spotted with a large blue roof, we were told that it has 28 beds, 37 nurses, and 4.6 doctors. With regard to the fraction of a doctor, Phil said that he's "a little chap with only one arm."

And lastly, Phil ended our tour with this geographical bit of trivia: If you sailed east from the Falkland Islands, what would be the first land mass that you would come to? Africa? Australia? Answer: Chile. You would sail almost completely around the world without hitting another land mass until South America. The Falkland Islands are right around 50 degrees latitude, and the absence of land at this latitude is such that the winds are extremely intense. In fact, they are so intense that they've given rise to the names of the "roaring 40s, furious 50s, and screaming 60s", referring to the latitudes and the tremendous winds that batter this part of the world that exists on the fringes of the Southern Ocean.

Tender waiting to take us back to the cruise ship