Albatross and Rockhoppers living in perfect harmony

I woke up between four and five am, I really didn’t want to miss a single thing. I just couldn’t believe we were camping on the Falkland Islands, saw the most amazing sky last night and I’m loving these Islands more and more by the hour. The birds started to wake, I just wish I could distinguish between all of the songs. There were so many! Some sound like donkeys, some like springs, some like cows…. The sunrise was spectacular. We sat on the sofa in silence, just watching and listening. Elizabeth went swimming in the water, we resisted. Before we knew it, it was time to take the tents down, pack up and get back to the landing site for our polar circle ride back. What an amazing experience. 

A very quick turnaround on boat, I had 3 cups of coffee to keep me going because in an hour we were arriving at West Point. Luckily we were the last off the ship this time so we had a little time to shower, change and let the caffeine kick in. We landed on West Point, walked a couple of miles over to the cliffs on the other side. However, you have to picture how Ali and I were walking. After the Stanley walk back to the ship, then up the hill on Saunders Island, then the speed walk on Carcass Island, now walking uphill on West Point…our legs were not loving it. My feet are really blistered so we took a really slow walk to the cliffs. 

However, it was worth it. The cliffs are home to an enormous population of Black Browed Albatross and Rockhopper penguins. We were less than a meter away from them. We were all hidden in the tussock grass but they didn’t seem to mind our presence. The huge chicks were on the nests, the Rockhoppers in between. They live in perfect harmony. The Rockhoppers actually keep the skuas away from the albatross chicks. We stood there for over an hour watching the parents soar and crash land, watching them feed their chicks and watching the Rockhoppers hopping. What an experience. 

At this point my legs and feet were gone, so when I was asked if I wanted to take a lift back in the Land Rover, I jumped at the chance. Regardless of legs and feet, I really wanted to go in the Land Rover on the rough terrain. It was bumpy bumpy and I loved it. We were dropped at the residents house for tea and cake, then it was time to get back on the ship and our last polar circle ride. Back on board I stood at the back of the ship looking at the island. I had a tear in my eye, this was our last visit on this trip and I couldn’t have asked for more. When we booked this, I knew I would love it, but it was a 1000% more than I thought.