On the Quest to see pingüinos

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So some video of penguins, scenery etc

This woman was knitting madly while still serving customers

Check out the penguins in the background having a push and shove

 

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And some more

 

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Ok these photos are for @JohnM. I'm not sure if he knows if I'm male or female so I'll let him guess which one is me

 

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Day 17 East Falkland Island and Port Stanley

Today we were at East Falkland Island and tendered into Port Stanley.

There was a number of tours to see the Emperor and King Penguins, but they were very long tours and they said the roads were rough and not advisable if you have a bad back, so I decided against going on one.

There was a shuttle going out to Gypsy cove to see the Magellanic penguins that was supposed to go every 15 minutes, but it was actually once an hour. I gather no one in the Falklands worry too much about schedules and timekeeping. I gather no one in the Falklands worry too much about schedules and timekeeping.

I eventually got out to Gypsy Cove and the ranger out there explained that the Magellanic Penguins go out to sea at 6.30am and come back around 6.30pm – great news because it was now about 11am and we were leaving at around 5pm!!

Anyway, I had a bit of a tramp around at Gypsy Cove and then back to Stanley for a wander around then a long tender trip back to the boat. I quite liked Standley and felt more at home there because it felt very English, but I was annoyed that I forgot my pounds and UK debit card.

Yorke Bay







I could see something in the burrow


And then out popped the head



There were a few penguins wandering around



Just in case you wanted to go for a walk on the beach







And a few birds on the beach

 

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I don't think the gun was in full working order




Looking back towards Stanley - lots of different coloured houses here





There was a new shelter built at Gypsy Cove with toilets and all run on solar - very eco friendly



Lots of little planes buzzing around everywhere



Back in Stanley



Stanley Tourist office



Very English looking houses

 

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The Anglican Cathedral





Across the channel all the boats used in the Falklands Ware are spelled out in stones






The Catholic church

 

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There was a little museum there which was quite interesting





I do like towns where all the houses are different bright colours



post office


Town Hall



Inside the Catholic Church



Inside the cathedral

 

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Not the largest of police stations and prisons but someone was being escorted into the prison when we were there

I'm very annoyed after I realised I miss the gin distillery in Port Stanley










They all love Maggie down there

 

[Flashback]

It was a bright sunny day and about 14C so I just walked in a T shirt and carried my light jacket which I didn’t need. At least 10 people came up to me and said was I OK and wasn’t I cold – no FFS if I was cold I could have put my jacket on.

I commonly get asked the same question in the UK when I stand around just wearing a shirt, rather than having a jumper or jacket on. Pfft, 14 is a heatwave!

 

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I commonly get asked the same question in the UK when I stand around just wearing a shirt, rather than having a jumper or jacket on. Pfft, 14 is a heatwave!

The day after Port Stanley a woman came up to me on the boat and said I saw you getting off yesterday and was worried because you didn't have a jacket. I had a small thin jacket but didn't like wearing the bright orange waterproof ones around because it just screamed tourist. I didn't tell her that while I was walking around Gypsy Cove I got drenched while walking but in true English style after the hail finished the sun came out and I was dry in a while.

 

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Day 18 and 19 were two sea days.

one of the days we were able to have a tour of the bridge.

I'm not sure how often the wavy hand gets used.









It was interesting looking at all the flags for different situations








Dozens of plaques on the wall but the photos aren't very clear.

 

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Day 20 Montevideo Uruguay

I really enjoyed Montevideo – it just had a nice feel to it. I had organised a Seabourn tour but in hindsight I should have just hired a driver for a few hours I think if I ever do another cruise I will use Cruise Critic more and arrange to share drivers with others. There were some beautiful buildings but some very neglected and good next to bad. I saw a lot of graffiti and street art. Lots of lovely beaches. Lot of parks and nice boulevards

From Wikipedia

Uruguay is the country with the least inequality and the highest per capita income in Latin America, according to the World Bank and has free health and education systems, but what is really expensive is the goods of consumption such as transportation, clothing, leisure and certain types of items of the basic basket.

There was quite a range of styles of houses and in some areas, there was quite a lot of security with CCV high fences and locked gates. All houses are sold in US dollars.

It was a Saturday so lots of people were out and about in parks and on the lovely beaches. There were a lot of high-rise buildings along the waterfront, but they are limited in height, so the buildings do not block the sun on the beach.

The view from the deck at the port



Amazing watching all the produce being loaded onto the ship



Very busy docks

The Celebrity Eclipse was also moored at the dock
l

 

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The main square Plaza Independencia

 

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Some lovely architecture



Funky street art




Telecommunication tower





The Palacio Legislativo - currently the seat of the Uruguayan Parliament

 

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Greetingman - Wikipedia Disclaimer not my photo (mine was too blurry to post)






A lot of parks with statues - this is La diligencia by Jose Belloni



A monument to the native people



Nice building



Apparently Uruguay won the World Cup once (YAWN)



The carriage - also by Jose Belloni an ode to the ox-cart drivers ubiquitous in the 19th century

 

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It was really nice to see gum trees again and a very noisy parrot in the trees


Some famous dude



A lot of the street signs were obviously sponsored by different companies


Spot the noisy parrot






I don't think we were supposed to park here but there was a bit of shaking hands and maybe a small fine and they were all happy

 

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When we got back to the port we had a bit of time to wander around and there was a great little centre with lots of little restaurants and cafes and a few shops. Some of the stuff was souvenirs but there were some lovely proper shops. If I was going back to Montevideo I'd definitely head here to check out the food.











Some of the buildings needed a little TLC

 

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Then a wander back through the port to the ship

 

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That night was our last on the ship but an absolute stunning sunset while having dinner outside on the deck.









There was the farewell party on the deck



And the cover on your bed which meant is was time to pack


And then the corridor looked like this


No matter how luxurious your cruise is, it comes to a screaming halt when you have to disembark and line up to get your luggage and go through security and all at some ridiculously early hour in the morning.

 

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So the cruise has come to an end and I have three nights in Buenos Aires. A group of us were staying at the same hotel so one of the group had organised a taxi (it turned out it was a shuttle bus) and although our hotel was only 10 minutes from the port, it took 90 minutes before we got to the hotel and I'm sure the driver was very confused because one lady said they drove past her hotel twice.

I had booked to stay at the Palladio.

When I got there they said I could have a standard room now or wait for an upgrade but as we had a walking tour booked for that afternoon I chose to have the standard room

The room was fine and clean and comfortable but the second night as I was going to bed I closed the wardrobe door that had this dinky thing that when you opened them the light went on and when you closed it the light went out. Well no matter how much I fiddled I couldn't get the light to go out. I thought I'll just go to sleep but after an hour I rang reception and they came up and fiddled for 15 minutes and then suggested I just turn the power off but that meant the aircon would go off after a while and it was very warm (35 during the day) so they decided to move me.



View from the standard room


The dinky contraption that didn't work



Very odd sink - I had a plug but no idea where to put it