FALKLANDS

Just 300 miles northeast of Tierra del Fuego, right on Latitude 45 degrees south which is half way between the Equator and the South Pole are the Falkland Islands aka Islas Malvinas ... an archipelago of two main islands, East & West Falklands, and 778 smaller islets and rocks. The total land area is 4,700 square miles which is roughly 12 times the size of Hong Kong but mostly uninhabitable. Port Stanley is the home for 1,900 or 75% of the population and the territory is best described as ' ... a wild and unique destination, a sweep of islands where sheep graze peacefully next to penguins'.    

Britain first claimed this land in 1592 but since then this not-so-hot potato in the South Atlantic has changed hands between the Brits, Spaniards and Argentines. The last contest of will was, of course, the Falklands War in 1982, an unthinkable 32 years ago when I was half my age today. The revered Iron Lady, the late Dame Margaret Thatcher thrashed the Argentine military, and definitively replanted the Union Jack which was firmly supported by 99% of the population up to this day.

Everyone on board was eager to go on shore, to get a feel for the islander life style, to see the Magellanic penguins in their natural habitat, to relive the 1982 conflict in-vitro on battle sites but .... it was not meant to be. The sun was out, the sky was blue, we could see the shoreline but we could not disembark. Wind was gusting at 40 knots and our ship could not be stabilized so tenders can come along side for the transfer. We waited patiently but what we prayed for did not happen. The weather did not let up as excitement and anticipation turned into major disappointment. We came so far, we were so close but we could do nothing ... one more lesson learned about life.