I write you now with a bit more time available. Sorry for the earlier rushed post, rattled off in the last few minutes of an Internet Cafe hour trying to resuscitate my Tungsten to working order again. I may not have mentioned earlier, but my PDA is how I've been writing entries for the site. This way I don't have to write everything on the spot while paying by the minute.

Currently, I'm stationed in Victoria, finally at the HI after a longer-than-expected-yet-tres-magnifique ferry crossing. Apparently, the captain was enjoying the sunset, and took us on the scenic route, by Galiano Island. Along with a friend I'd made along the way, I took some photos from the deck. There was no sign of Caddy, but the words of Paul Leblond, from his text, Cadborosaurus, were revolving in my mind.

Or at least, they were, until I was hit in the cheek with something flying along with the speed of the gusty wind. At first I thought it was a renegade bumblebee. I looked avast to notice the truth: that it was the shell of a sunflower seed. Some 30 meters windward stood an elderly lady who was regurgitating the shells into her hand and then discreetly releasing them over the beam of the boat where they began their high-velocity mission of smacking me in the face. I took notice and moved a bit back from the beam, all the while remarking at the contrast between what care the lady took not to be noticed ditching her seeds overboard, all the while chewing vigorously with mouth open, shouting and pointing to something at the upper deck. Not to belabour; we are all strange creatures.

Another interesting discovery: Vancouver's wonderful Mountain Equipment Co-Op, sort of Canada's REI or EMS. What makes them special is not just their outdoor gear but their highly creative website address: http://mec.ca. At least, I think it's quite clever. They brandish it all along their windows. Someone had even slapped a sticker underneath window with the words "Weapon of Mass Destruction" (half ripped off)

Other than that, there's been little much to tell. Much transport, much research, much studying of Spanish.

Tomorrow, I'm going to do some crawling around the town. This evening, a Thursday, it's quite seedy, in a fun and fascinating way, but I'm too exhausted from the bussing and ferrying to participate. Besides, I'm anxious to get up early and see if I can meet up with some of these sources from Leblond's work.