And the next question (actually a series of questions in one continuous breath) was: "The Falkland Islands? Are they part of South America? Didn't England go to war over them? Aren't they close to Antarctica? Does anybody live there?"

The Falkland Islands may be 8000 miles and 18 hours by RAF flight from Great Britain, but they're comparatively only a hop, skip & jump from South America. Located in the South Atlantic just 400 miles off the coast of South America, the flight is a short 1 hour 20 minutes from Punta Arenas, Chile.

There are over 700 islands, according to Falkland Islands Tourist Board information, but many of those are small spits of land. For all practical purposes there are 2 large islands - East and West Falklands - and their associated groupings of islands, with maybe 400 of reasonable size, such as Sea Lion which is 1 mile wide by 5 miles long. They lie at the same latitude south as London is north, so they are not at all exposed to the harsh climate often associated with them.

East Falkland Island has the only town, which by island standards is a metropolis, the town of Stanley. Of the 2200 inhabitants of the islands, 1700 live in Stanley, with the remaining 500 living in Camp. Everything outside of Stanley is "Camp", the Falklander term for "country" originating from the Spanish word "campo". And in Camp there are settlements, some with multiple houses and up to 40 persons, some simply a single family farm grouping of buildings.

While they have been both remote and isolated in the past, today the Islands are connected to the world by satellite and lack few of the accoutrements of comfortable living. Settlements have sophisticated satellite antennas for weather data and communications. Generators have replaced peat with electricity as the source of energy for cooking, heating water, running TVs and radios. "On-demand air service" by 8-seater Islander aircraft and over 40 air strips connect the settlements to the capital Stanley and to each other. Yet, the essence of Camp is of a time gone by and the people retain the values of a simpler life once dictated by their remoteness - everyone knows everyone, and most everything about everyone; there is no need to lock cars or houses or rooms; there is no crime; friendship and good neighbor values abound.

I also went because Lan Chile flies there, and LADATCO sells a lot of Chile, and this seemed worth investigating. Besides, I personally thrive on wildlife and I had to see if their "bigger-than-Texas" tales were really true and I hadn't giggled in a long time.

To translate this into a serious "why?": wildlife, life in Camp, the people, scenery, maritime history, the Conflict, Land Rovers.

Yes, Land Rovers.

Sometimes one of these is embedded in or an integral part of another - you can't know the people without learning their personal stories of the Conflict; you can't imagine life in the Camp without listening to some maritime history; you don't get ANYWHERE without a Land Rover and you can't go anywhere without seeing some wildlife, even if only flocks of Upland Geese flying overhead.

Wildlife is abundant, but for me the highlight was definitely penguins - Rockhoppers, Gentoo, King, Magellanic and Macaroni are either year-round or summer visitors. They are found most everywhere, and sometimes two and three species all within a stone's throw of each other, so wandering carefully from Gentoos through the Magellanic burrows over to the Rockhoppers was just a normal occurrence (after the first time, of course).

I had been in small colonies (which seemed huge at the time) of Magellan penguins in Patagonia and I had seen pictures of colonies of Rockhoppers and Macaronis. Neither prepared me for the quantities of penguins I would encounter, nor for the hustle and bustle of activity nor for the never-ending clamor and racket as the soloists, duets, trios, quartets and orchestras practiced. There was also one (yes "one" as opposed to hundreds) Erect Crested, akin to the Rockhoppers and Macaronis, generally only found around New Zealand. This solitary little fellow, 12,000 miles from home, was standing proudly on top of a rock dead center of a grouping of 400 to 500 pairs of Rockhoppers. While Rockhoppers are the epitome of "bad hair day", King penguins are elegant - tall, slick, stately, with bright orange "ear muffs", "scarf" and "lip-stick". Their chicks are fuzzy brown balls and it is a challenge to imagine these bundles of brown fluff becoming aristocratic adults.

Driving along the beach on Pebble Island we encountered a solitary baby elephant seal snoozing away among the beached kelp piles. This "baby" was bigger than any sea lion I had ever seen and showed his displeasure at our intrusion by yawning and staring at me with huge round eyes. My photos of this baby face clearly shows my reflection in his eyes!

More than 50 huge elephant seals littered the beach at Sea Lion Island, some solitary with their own space, otherse in bunches side by side. The only movements were an occasional lazy flip of the flipper throwing sand over their bodies to form a protective layer against the sun, and a curious glance my way as I inched very slowly closer and closer.

The islands are a bird-watcher's paradise. There are sixty seven species that breed in the islands, including the five species of penguins mentioned above. The islands are the world's main breeding area for the huge black-browed albatross. The beautiful Upland Geese are commonplace almost everywhere. At one small lagoon on Sea Lion Island, bounded by tall tussac grass clump, I spotted baby heron, several species of ducks, striated caracaras, the tiny tussac bird and Magellan penguins, and I probably would have seen more had I had time to sit and watch. Other species found in the islands include the black-necked swan, grebes, wigeon, peregrines, petrels, gulls and owls.

Life in Camp and the people of Camp vie with wildlife as the main highlight o when visiting the Falklands. "Camp" is everything outside of Stanley, where approximately 500 persons and 650,000 sheep, along with the abundant wildlife, live.

Life in Camp is inevitably colored by history - many farms have been managed by generations of the same family. Stories of growing up in Camp and daily activities provide fascinating listening. Life was once definitely remote and isolated - the life-line to civilization and a major form of entertainment was the radio telephone crackling away in the kitchen; there were few secrets when everyone everywhere could hear everything being said anywhere all the time. This snippet of information is generally passed on with a wry smile and followed by comments that today they have telephones and privacy but less entertainment.

Life in Camp, and the people that live that life, are part of the experience of being in the Falklands. To understand it, you have to experience it. And chances are, you'll find it as fascinating as I did.

And all wrapped up with those people of Camp are their stories of the 1982 Conflict between Argentina and Great Britain over the Islands. Everyone has a story, can tell you where they were and how it affected them. Fortunately, few stories are frightening or bloody. And fortunately there is relatively little animosity remaining. Any story summons up a sense of wonder at the depth of human endurance and compassion. What does remain are still some wired-off areas labeled "mine field", remote scatterings in Camp of mangled steel and plastic from crashed planes and helicopters, and well polished memorials to the men and women who fought in the Conflict.

Land Rover lovers - you'll be in heaven! And for the rest of us who have no experience with Land Rovers, we're going to become experienced fast. Unless you have done "off road driving", your imagination would have to work overtime to envision where you can go in a Land Rover. More than once I was sure that we couldn't do it and each time we easily did it! "Off road driving" is how it is most of the time. It is part of the reality of life there, and part of the fun for visitors.

A "tour" in the Falklands means pre-arranged services and accommodations.

In Stanley, your services are provided by a guide who does the driving and the vehicle is generally a Land Rover. They speak perfect (though for us thick accented) English and they are knowledgeable on most everything in the Islands and know most everyone. Guides generally have a real job which keeps them busy outside of tourist season, and for whom guiding is a second job during tourist season. Because of the size of the hotels, accommodations assure you of no more than 30-36 other persons vying for service and attention. Restaurants are few and have limited, but creative, menus generally featuring fresh produce, fish and meats. It's a country cousin to Gourmet.

In Camp, your hosts are your drivers, your guides, and either owners or managers of your accommodations, bar and food service. Your hosts are even more colorful than the townsfolk of Stanley. They drive the inevitable Land Rover which they keep meticulously clean. Their cheeks are more rosy, their hair more touseled and their clothes more rumpled. They are always delighted to see you, will spend time sharing their daily activities and their past histories with you and they all still seem as genuinely thrilled with the wildlife as you are. And the food is simply down home good country cooking.

If you are visiting the Islands as an extension to a trip to Patagonia, you'll probably only spend a week - a couple of days in Stanley + Port Howard for a taste of Life in Camp + either Pebble Island or Sea Lion Island for wildlife.

If you are making the Falklands your destination, you will want to stay two weeks. If you are a birder or a wildlife enthusiast, then definitely plan on two weeks.

The Duo: Figas & Land Rover		Pilot Showing Route	Flying over Stanley Harbour

Once in the Islands, getting anywhere except a few points close to Stanley is by FIGAS (Falkland Islands Government Air Service). They fly 9-seater Islander aircraft on an "On Demand" service. They collect names, dates and destinations and then the night before decide what time the flight leaves, where it will go in what order to drop-off and pick-up passengers along with mail and local cargo. They announce the flights, departing and arriving times at all points and who is on what flight segment on the radio that same evening - the night before you fly. You find out your schedule by listening to the radio. Of course, this means that anyone listening knows exactly who is going where and when. FIGAS issues an air ticket, but you don't need it; your name on the manifest is sufficient. They weigh you (no limit) and your luggage (28 pounds maximum) in order to determine distribution within the aircraft.

Once at your destination you get around by Land Rover, over hill and dale, across streams and puddles, along beaches and peat bogs.

However, specific interests may dictate the best times. For breeding and babies, earlier in the season is better, but most migratory wildlife seems to be in the Islands between October and March; the best fishing is March and April. Sheep shearing happens three times during the year, with October-November and March being the most likely times to catch this activity.

Be prepared for all four seasons in a day - layering of clothes is appropriate. Wind is a fact of life and is most predominant in November through February though a day with no wind is as unusual as gale force days that stop outdoor activities.