I am finally at a computer - my new laptop, to be exact. Finally I have freedom! It's a shiny new Lenovo Thinkpad, a 15.4 inch screen and with 1 GB of extra memory. It came with Windows Vista Home Premium 34, which is working really well, despite all the bad reviews. One awesome/quirky thing is that it has a finger print recognition programme and device - in fact when I bring my computer up after its gone to "Sleep", that's how I log back in. I just swipe my finger along this metal groove and - presto! I'm in. This also means if it gets stolen it will be useless without me there.
Geoffrey said that it wouldn't be a problem as the thief has only to take off my finger (and leave the rest of me) to be able to use my computer.
I always knew my brother was there to support me.
Anyways, a lot has happened since the last post. Our family camped for the majority of the time, hence the not posting anything. But now I plan to make up for the lost posts, even though my memory is fading because of the multitude of things we did and saw. The dates will not be extact and events may not be in order, but it should be relatively accurate.
I start where I left off.
From Vancouver. The raccoons. And the aquarium at Stanley Park.
To Killer Whales.
If you want whale watching, go to Victoria Island. It's a beautiful island, with a highly touristy but colourfully decorated town.
To get there we had to get up pretty early and take the MRT to the Central Station. There you get onto a bus for a 3 hour ride to the coast of Vancouver. There you get to the wharf for a 1 hour ferry ride. When the ferry get to Victoria Island, you get back onto the bus (it rode the ferry in the bottom hold) and ride for another 1 or 2 until get to the actual town. You get off the bus, get out your map and try to figure out where to docks are. You get there after a few circles and then finally the right street. And walk down the dock - there are speed boats of bright red and yellow bobbing in the water, waiting. People are gutting the fish they caught on their sea fishing trip and there are fat seals rolling in the shallow water, poking at bits of offal in the water.
Hello - you've finally arrived.
Needless it was tiring just getting there. But for Killer Whales, what wouldn't you do? The ferry to get to Victoria Island was the most interesting part. The holding deck was huge space; it felt as big as a football field, and it might have been. When you step off the bus, your head is attacked by a throbbing noise - a terrible hum. Huge trucks crouch on either side of your bus, towering your puny public transport vehicle. It gleams in the greenish light of a confined space - it looks like it could eat your bus for breakfast. Easily.
When you reach the top deck, you feel a sharp cold breeze - you take a breath. The floor beneath you moves. There is noise of the gusts of wind, the engines churning the water, the gulls, odd boat noises - clicks and whails throughout the ship itself.
The back of the ferry is easily the best spot - as the smaller islands ( some with houses perched on them ) float past, a white tail of water follows the ship.
There's everything in the ferry's lower decks: an arcade centre, a children's play area, a restaurant, and even a jewlery store. I was surprised how big the whole thing was. If we were going down like Titanic, well, it would sure be a lot sweeter and more stylish than going down in the Titanic.
An almost as cold as in Titanic. Remember the cold in Titanic? The freezing cold that killed Jack tearing Roze's one true love from her, making her already depressing life more depressing? It was that kind of cold. The winds were strong and despite several layers of clothing, it was difficult to stay out on the open deck for long, it was so cold.
Victoria Island itself is a colorful, lively place - full of people who have all the time in the world to explore this Disneyland of tourist islands.
Well, we soon found the small dock and the man with the boat. We put on these bright red spacesuit. The man said it was for insulation against the cold. Our family was 4 out of the 12 passengers. We were all dressed up like huge red cold pills and complaining about how hot it was under the sun. But we soon stopped complaining when we got into the boat and started bouncing along the surface of the water. The water sprayed in huge sheets and trickled into our suits. The wind tore at our faces, making them numb with cold. I think we stopped complaining because our mouths were frozen shut, it was that cold.
(Geoff's neck is frozen in place)The boat was going at a terrific speed, bouncing over waves and lifting us out of our seats with the bumps. Each time he slowed the boat down, we'd smack back down into our seats with a butt-smarting smack. It was better than a roller coaster ride.
The man circled the island itself, pointing out to us the bald eagles and seals that lived near the coast. We also ran into a patch of bull kelp, a sort of seaweed, which grew, so he claimed, a half a foot a day. He pulled a piece of kelp from the water and passed it around, and we nibbled at it. It tasted like salty raw cabbage.
Then he took us out to open waters, were the waves got higher and the ride got rougher. At one point we were hanging onto the railings for dear life as we dropped a good 2 metres from the crest of one wave to the low trough of another. One of the men sitting in the front of the boat had his hat torn off by the wind and spray.
Finally, the guide stopped. We had no idea why; we hadn't seen any killer whales. We looked around. There was a lot of water - dark, choppy water that sparkled a bit too brightly for comfort. He killed the engine and we were in absolute silence.
"There's a calf and her mother in the area; they may come out of curiosity and check us out."
One of the kids in the front then yelled, "It's right there!"
In the distance, maybe 300 or 400 metres away, we saw a gust of water being blown up, and a dark shape rolling through the water. Everyone craned their necks and tried to follow the calf as if played in the water. It was difficult though; it was hard to tell the baby killer whale from the dark waves. The sun got in our eyes, but we were so excited, we didn't care.
Suddenly we heard a great noise of rushing air (like a very long sneeze) and right beside the boat, out of the water, emerged a mammoth dorsal fin. It was the mother. She had snuck up on us.
I could feel the thrill running through my body.
After the first encounter, we rode further out, constantly on the look out for more.
We had another 9 or 10 other sightings.
I thought it could be so exciting. You're constantly scanning the horizon for that puff of spray, that sound of a whale's breath, and then, just when you think that must have been the last one, a movement at the corner of your eye catches your attention. First you hear it. Then you see it.
The magnificent animals of Victoria Island.
