So giving it another try to post a few more pictures of Santiago, Chile. I walked around some with my dslr but was warned by a few people it was not a good idea and unfortunately, I had issues with my point-n-shoot so only a few more pictures to share. Will try to upload a few pictures of the Falkland Islands soon....I am outta here in just 3 weeks back to my California home with a little stop in Jamaica for a break and to warm up. It is bloody cold and windy here right now....anyways, here is some more of Santiago and a bit of Argentina from the air....

some local wall art...

City view from my walk

The route from Santiago, small stop in Punta Arenas to check out of immigration and small stop in Argentina to pick up some fishermen and then on to the Falks....weird stopping in Argentina given the history it has with the Falkland Islands and all....many jokes by the islanders while sitting in Argentina...

WONDERFUL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pics I'm so glad that this is a forum where this stuff can be shown to us !!!!!!

Gorgeous pictures!! thx for sharing.

I was wondering the same thing....scary...we are all on the same page..hehehe

No walking around with my dlsr was, yes, because of robbery. Was told that it would just be grabbed even if it was hanging around my neck. Pick-pocketing apparently is quite common also but have heard that warning in a few places that I have visited so no big deal. I didn't feel threatened or anything at any time but the poverty was quite apparent all around. Lots of begging and saw locals selling things that would not be normally sold anywhere else if that makes sense. Actually saw one guy selling Kleenex packs on a blanket in the park; others selling used clothing and small candy packs....could see that they were just trying to make a few pennies. Hope that made sense.

I really enjoyed being there though and would love to spend an extended time there to learn Spanish, or their form of it. Apparently it is 'slang' as it was explained to me; that their form is not understood very well in any other Spanish speaking country because of this. My driver to the airport said that he doesn't understand why people would come there to learn because they would have to relearn how to speak Spanish if used anywhere else. He was a character through....asked for us to speak in English so he could practice as the others in his office made fun of his English and I asked him to teach me a bit of Spanish, which I of course now don't remember. He also loved Bob Marley and played Bob the whole way back to the airport without me even mentioning my trips to Jamaica. Of course, he would love to go....he was quite interesting and had a great sense of humour...

Thank you for posting your photos.

It is patois Spanish . here they speak L'acadie (which is pronounces lack - a dee ) that is patois French. Patois is only an English pig latin.

Thanks for the photos a comments about Chile

I am currently living in the Falklands but not for much longer. Yes you are right, there is absolutely nothing to do. Visiting the other islands, there are 600 that make up the area, is expensive also because you have to fly everywhere. A weekend trip can cost a few hundred pounds and they are not much different from one another. Cruise ships do come in for a morning in the summer here which is Dec to about March/April. They only stay a morning because they can't get out of the Narrows after that, apparently. There is also wildlife to see then such as penguins and such which is interesting because they are mostly seen by most in a zoo. It is also quite expensive to get here, flight costing 1500-1800gbp to get on and off. And, there is only one flight on Saturdays to South America, although British citizens can go through an air force base in the UK and they fly twice a week.
Food is expensive as heck because everything is either flown in or brought in by boat. Fresh fruit and veg is limited on a good day and the price jumps considerably during the winter. And, they run out of stuff, even simple basic things like medication and your favourite shampoo, often. Again, having to wait for the shipment from the UK. It is a strange place....and as the saying goes, nice place to visit but....
It is not a tropical climate, in fact very rarely getting into the 20s during the summer and always hovering just above or below zero in the winter. Winter here is also longer then I am used to. Guess I could go on. Given the expense, there would be other things on my bucket list then here, but of course that is before having had to live here for the last 3 months. If you come by plane, be prepared to spend at least a week, if by cruise then you only get a morning. Not much in between. Accommodations are also expensive, around 100gbp a night on average for a simple place that won't include breakfast. It is basic.

oh about the sheep, yes way more then people....there is about 2500 in total people living here, not counting the 1500 or so on the air force base/airport. Some farms have as many as 50,000 sheep. It was their main source of income for many years before the war in 1982. Then they put in boundaries around the islands, 150 mile exclusion zone, which means that boats pay to have the privilege to fish around here....it is a big money maker for them since. They have a surplus of 300 Mil gbp on reserve as a result. Apparently there are some fish here that can not be caught anywhere else and they are widely sold in Asia and Europe.
It is kinda funny driving around when going to a settlement as sometimes all that can be seen are sheep, and more sheep. They have a habit of crossing the road at the most inconvenient times so you have to slow to a crawl at times to make sure one doesn't run out in front of the rover.