Whoever said “All good things must come to an end” was certainly right about this trip. It has been abso-bloody- lutely FANTASTIC. Every time I thought it couldn’t possibly get any better it DID.
Our four days in the Falklands were magical!
Here are some highlights, not in any particular order:
Eating in unusual spots:
Tea in the ship’s laundry room, and in a beautiful little cottage after a hike,
the garden outside the cottage, and in line for the barbecue at a different venue, on a sheep farm.
Sorry, no photos of the barbecue. My hands were full of delicious food, and then I was so caught up in the moment, I forgot to take a picture.
Hiking, hiking and MORE hiking
No challenges on this particular hike.But THIS one had a LOT of ups and downs Oh my god-where did everyone go? The grass made it hard to find the trail And when we DID find the trail, we could see the ground was uneven and studded with rocks, some of which moved when you stepped on them!
Wonderful friendships
I wasn’t able to find photos of ALL the friends I made on this trip, but here are a few of my favorites:
Mo and GregMary, Dennis & DeniseMarc Bruce, Chris & meLinda and BrittMe, Dorothy and KarenTom, Patricia, me, Marc
Interesting Sights
Lichen on rocks Dennis the naturalist told us ALL about them. Sadly, I completely forgot everything he said. One of many beautiful sunsetsSorry that my phone couldn’t capture the grandeur of dark skiedStanley ChirchStanley Museum
Animals animals and MORE animals

Some unexpectedSheep shearing demoSome photos were captured during lounge lectures Better than any I took! I have numerous videos that I may post on YouTube when I get home, but in the meantime, here’s a favorite.
Partying down with the ship’s staff
On our last night in the Falklands, as we set sail for Ushuaia, the ship’s staff put on a very joyous show for us.
Most of the ship’s staff are Philippine, so they dressed up in traditional costumes and danced around the room, to the delight of all.
To end the evening, we were all invited to shake our booties, and we DID.
Our last night, we were able to thank our hard working staff:
Carlos, Marketa and Chef Sarah who were responsible for the wonderful meals ( and my considerable weight gain!)
And our captain, who was Scandinavian and therefore had an unpronounceable name spelled with unrecognizable letters.
I think he might have been with the penguins too long. Do you think he’s adopted the macaroni penguin’s hairdo?
Okay, so now you’ve heard about our wonderful experiences on the trip. My next post will be about Ushuaia and our return home.
Up until day 7 and 8, we had been incredibly lucky. Although it rained periodically, it seemed to happen only when we were on the bus, in a restaurant, or back in the hotel. Until La Fortuna. That was where our fortunes changed.
It was impossible to see the Arenal Volcano during our morning hike,
but I took pictures when Mike, Augusta and I were here in February of 2007. Back then, it was quite active. We were even able to see the bright red lava flows at night from our hotel room.
When we walked in the National Park, it was raining so hard, even my underwear was soaked, despite wearing a rain jacket. These days, if it’s not fun, I ain’t doing it, so halfway through the hike, 5 of us returned to the bus.
Marianne got creative. She took a black plastic shopping bag and with Edwin’s help, made holes in the sides so she could stick her arms through to keep her red jacket dry.
Those of us who chose to forgo the hike DID get to see Lake Arenal from the bus as we were leaving the park. Sorta.
Here’s the 2007 view.
Some brave souls decided to go zip lining despite the rain. Having ziplined twice before, I opted to return to the hotel. Had I known about the Tarzan swing, I might have made a different decision. But probably not.
Les, on the zip line.
Marianne, channeling her inner Tarzan. Jane??
Costa Rica has micro climates, so although it was pouring a few miles away, it wasn’t raining at our hotel. I walked the grounds, where I discovered multiple private hot tubs. Oh, to be with that special someone on a sunny day!
On our second day in La Fortuna, we cruised the Rio Frio, to search for wildlife.
I briefly regretted not bringing my camera, but I was very grateful for my binoculars.
Even with binoculars, it was NOT easy to spot the wildlife.
Were you able to find the “Jesus Christ” lizard in the first photo? For the second photo, I used my phone’s zoom, which is clearly not as powerful as my camera’s.
Why Jesus Christ lizard? Because the basilisk lizard (official name) looks as if he can walk (run) across water.
Check out the difference in quality of these monkey photos. The first was taken with a phone, (by one of the other travelers); the second is from the 2007 trip with my Panasonic LUMIX, way before cellphones had cameras.
Our guide posted photos of the birds we saw in WhatsApp. Of all the birds we observed, the kingfisher was my favorite.
Before our cruise ended, we made it to the Costa Rica/ Nicaragua border, where Malo took this photo of our wonderful group.
My very favorite highlight of our time in La Fortuna was our dinner at Selva Rustica. Raul, our bus driver, offered to take us to and from the restaurant, which was a very good thing because it was raining heavily ALL evening.
We all agreed that this was the best meal of the entire trip, so far. Sorry, Malo. From now on, we are going with Raul’s restaurant recommendations. Although we each ordered something different, we were all very happy with our choices. My grilled tuna atop vegetables and potatoes was heavenly.
Have you ever had a flaming margarita? With a blue Jell-O shot in the bottom of the glass? Neither had I. This was definitely a video worthy experience. Thanks to Phil for capturing the moment.
Destination NOW 