Hi Ya

sorry it has been a bit, life got busy when I got back to the States! Well, a bit of down time and I have gone through some more of my pictures from the Falklands (lost some on my crap laptop!) and will share a few if that is okay.
As I mentioned in the other thread with the wildlife, the Falklands is made up of over 600 islands with the two main islands being the East Island and the West Island. The capital and only town is Stanley, located on the far east coast of the East Island. Got some amazing sunrises which I am hoping you might get a feel for in a few of the pictures. Being so low on the earth, the Falks get late sunrises and early sunsets during those winter months (May to Aug) and really early sunrises and late sunsets during their summer months (Oct to Feb). The town of Stanley does not observe daylight savings so they do not change their clocks, but apparently outside of Stanley, in Camp, they do.

There is not much in the way of trees or bushes for that matter. The wind is really strong, it whips around in a circle. It comes on quickly and will stop just as quick. Sometimes it is easier to just go along with the push of the wind then it is to fight it. It gets nice and cold in the winter and barely warm in the summer. There are some nice days, but very limited use of some of the really nice beaches because it never really warms up enough. It is unusual to say the least. There are also still bombs or landmines from the war in 1982 that have not been exploded or removed all over the island and that includes some of the beaches.

From a cultural perspective...well that one is a bit more interesting. There is a very British feel to the place, obviously considering the roots, but there are also Chileans, Argentinians, and a large (relative to the small population) St Helenian population. Speaking with the older generation (a few of my clients), I found a number of people who had immigrated in the 50s and 60s from the Northern UK, Ireland, and Scotland. Make for an interesting mix of accents also. Also met a few families that were 7th or 8th generation which there are a few families past 2nd or 3rd.
Here is a little map to show where Stanley is as opposed to the rest of the islands. The Narrows is where the fishing vessels and the cruise ships come in to dock. The fishing vessels need a permit to fish around the islands (big business for the Falks) and the cruise ships won't fit any other way. The cruise ships only stay a morning as apparently, they can't get out after a curtain time due to the tides or something. Also, many ships will seek shelter from some of the raging winter storms which made the harbour really busy some nights.

Anyways, here are a few pictures...let me know if you have any questions.

Stanley in the distance

Old dock and gift store in the back ground. The cruise ships dock just behind at the new dock, 2000-3000 people invading a town of 1800 or so...instant over doubling of the population for a morning, LOL

Sunset looking at towards the older end of town

The colour in this photo does not due the true colours justice but I hope you might get the gist.

Sheep!

Some of the housing. These are little cottages that look quite cute, especially snow covered, but are cold as hell inside. They are not well insulated and supplies, as you can imagine for repairs and new homes have to be ordered and can take months, via boat, to get there.

Thatcher Drive! Thatcher was the Prime Minister at the time of the war in 1982. She sent the troupes in to free the population. They see that they were occupied, which they were, and some of the stories were interesting and scary. One family told me of being rounded up with a few other families and being held for a month or more in the local community centre while the invading force lived in their homes, ate their food, and slept in their beds.

To me, sometimes this place looked like the moon. It was could be so quiet.

The Cop Shop. Right in the middle of town, across the street from the only bank and the court house which is also the council chambers.

This is "in camp" or a settlement. Less and less are living in camp and more in Stanley. Farming/sheep shearing is not a popular way of life anymore but some still make their living this way. There are also a few BnBs in a few settlements for various reasons, mostly for the shearers that go from settlement to settlement during the season, but tourist have been known to venture out to stay when they come by plane (not enough time when on a cruise).

I will post some more later in another thread if peeps want to see some more. Sorry if this is too much info..., although I didn't like the place (for other reasons), it is a very interesting place with some amazing wildlife!
Thanks.
T

MORE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please They are wonderful !!!!!

Great photos
Thanks for sharing

Wonderful report and pictures. Thanks Tinabean for taking time to post