Well after leaving Buenos Aires, (where not much happened for me - I was busy being a model in the spa, amongst other things), We were quite late getting into Montevideo, Uruguay due to weather conditions. This allowed us to have a quick dash into the city though late in the sfternoon before our gig. Booby Milton & I were on a quest for fruit & vegatables. There are usually market type stands here & there by the squares. Alas , this late in the day , & on a Sunday , there was none. We picked up a trinket or two(actually 3 ketchain thingys , for 200 pesos , whatever that is in Uruguay money - I disremember). We also dashed into the town again after our gig , as we were done by about 9:30, & didn't need be aboard by 11:00 o clock. Just enough time for some snacks & four quarts of uruguay beer. (Not bad at all, but then again , its almost hard to find bad beer isn't it)?
So then of course there was a number of sea days , & the arrival once again Port Stanley of the Falkland Islands. (Or Malvinas , if your from Argentina). Rob had a gig at the Malvina hotel, so I went to the post office alone this time, also picked up a flag for the "Wool Club"-(the Falkland flag has a sheep on it)! Then decided to walk out to Gypsy Cove this time & catch the shuttle back. My theory was that it would be safer than walking back , as I could predict when I wanted to come back precisely. On the way I tried to arrange for a fellow to take Colin & I fly fishing for sea trout next time we are back here on Feb. 10th. (Oh please)! So I walked along the shoreline for about a mile, & took some pretty cool pics of upland geese , some pintail type ducks, & black & white oyster catchers. (the ones with the bright red bills). I walked for a ways after this before managing to hitch a ride the rest of the way to Gypsy Cove with a local chap. It was already well into the afternoon before I took my first picture there , but the weather was improving. I walked way down into the near shore area where there may or may not be land mines still , looking for bird photos. Got a couple pretty good shots of as of yet undetermined species. Will try & uoload a few soon.
Have been at sea for days now already since then. Am just now in the Antarctic Zone , nearing "Elelphant Island". (Named for elephant SEALS , don't you know). Its been a rough night weatherwise. The crew mess is aptly named today , the twelve foot high swells have wreaked havoc down there. They also knocked chairs over etc in our cabin, if that is any indication of the power of these waves.So now we are to spend four days exploring this island , & the channel just below it. I have already seen some albotross with impressive 9 foot wingspans, and a few other species flying alongside the ship. So far , it is almost impossible to get a photo of one of these. By the sounds of the lectures I have been attending though , we should be slowing down in the channel enough to get some good glimpses of quite a variety of the wildlife species which seem to thrive in these rich waters here. ( apparently , it is the wind whipping up the waves that causes so much oxygen to be churned about under the surface , making these the richest waters on the planet for vegetation & marine life of various sorts. It is for this reason we have some strict rules during our passage. (ie: no laundrey for four or five days. I got up at six a.m. to do mine yesterday. after being awoken this morning by crashing furniture at 4 a.m., I still need some more sleep ! Yawn)...
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