Saturday 14 March was our second last full day on the cruise (unless something goes terribly wrong) and we used it to visit New Island in the far west of the Falkland Islands.
As we had all day to visit the islands, we didn’t hurry to make our 9am call for the boat going over.
At breakfast we were treated to the sight of five Hourglass Dolphins swimming in the waters just off the side of the boat.
Hourglass Dolphins are black and water and absolutely beautiful. I love them so much. And to see them swimming so close was wonderful.
The skies had cleared after yesterday’s drizzle so we were in for a sunny day ashore.
We took the 9:30 zodiac across to the island, got off at the beach, then went walking, first to the shipwreck in the little bay then on to the other side of the island where Rockhopper Penguins and Black-browed Albatross nested.
There were many more Rockhopper Penguins there than at Saunders Island yesterday, and they were much closer too.
I realised yesterday that I had a UV filter on my camera and when I took it off the shots came out so much sharper and brighter.
I’m regretting not realising this sooner!
However, it did mean I got some great shots of the penguins and albatrosses, as well as other native birds.
We watched them for a while, then Glen and I trudged back to the boat (mostly because we needed to pee — again not really many places to go discreetly, especially not with a couple hundred people wandering around).
Back on the boat, I updated my blog and then, wouldn’t you know it, it was time for lunch.
We went and stuffed our faces (though admittedly not as much as previously) then went back to the room for a bit.
During our walk back to the landing, the clouds rolled in and obscured the top of the hill/mountain that was the second option for exploration.
Because we wouldn’t be able to see much (and because we needed to pee) we gave it a miss, but after lunch the clouds cleared completely and with it rose my FOMO.
To be fair it was an absolutely stunning down out on the island, a balmy 10°C (if not higher), and the prospect of sitting on the ship all afternoon didn’t really appeal.
So I got dressed (in fewer clothes than I’d gone out in previously), left Glen tucked up in bed, and set off for the island again.
I set a cracking pace, enjoyed the solitude of walking alone, and when I got to the turning point, headed up the hill.
Man, was it a tough hike! Probably the toughest of the entire trip.
Thankfully, Gemma and Andrea were coming down, stopped, and had a chat with me while I caught my breath and Gemma gave me a walking stick, which from then on made the last third to the top much easier.
I stopped every now and then to look around me at the expanding view, once disturbing a bird of prey known as a caracara that charged towards me.
Luckily, it didn’t fully attack but that beak and those talons encouraged me to move on fast.
I made it to the top and the view was great (but not as great as some of the sights I’ve already seen).
And while taking photos at the summit, I’m not sure why but I looked up to see a caracara hovering about a metre and a half above my head.
It gave me a huge fright and I was thankful that I had the stick to partially ward it off. Perhaps it thought my hair would make a good nest.
Going down the hill was much easier than going up, and with still about an hour and a half left to explore I went to watch the penguins and albatrosses again.
Fewer people there this time, which was nice, as well as fewer penguins. I still love them though and enjoyed sitting watching them.
Rockhoppers have this very funny way of moving about. Obviously they hop from rock to rock but if they ever need to cross a ditch or actually hop from one space to another they launch themselves chest first. It’s great to watch.
At about 3:45 I set back for the ship, taking a moment to put my hand into the water at the little bay with the shipwreck.
With the sun out and the relative heat, the bay looked incredibly inviting and I contemplated taking a dip. If I’d had longer I would have.
From there it was back to the ship and a bit of a relax before yet another round of feeding. I skipped the gym. It was meant to be leg day but I thought I’d walked far enough and could give them a rest.
That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
Coronavirus concerns
Despite not writing about it, coronavirus has been an ever-present worry aboard the ship, both from our own immediate wellbeing and for the effect it will have on us getting home (and what home will be like when we get there).
We’ve been spoiled with having free internet throughout the whole trip, but in some ways this has been a curse.
I wish I’d been stricter in disconnecting digitally anyway, but also with so much information and discussion going on about coronavirus, it’s become an intrusive and unpleasant part of the holiday.
We’re now two days away from pulling into port at Punta Arenas. We’ve signed health affidavits to say we’re well and don’t have flu-like symptoms, but really, we’re all a bit anxious about whether we can get off the boat.
After that come the concerns of whether we’ll be allowed into the countries we’ve got to transit through, including Chile, Argentina, and New Zealand.
So far it looks like we can still get home, but that can all change quite quickly.
There have been quite a few travel operators on the ship and they’re all feeling the pressure because of the effect on their businesses.
The cruise ship itself may not go ahead with the next cruise which is due to leave the day we get in.
And other cruises later in the year may also be cancelled (one of the staff has already had a contract cancelled because of the downturn).
We live (regrettably) in interesting times.
[Famous last words…]
Travels with Dan 
What do you say, eh?