Raccoons like Spicy Doritos: Fact.

#Day 11

Still having trouble with my online banking but I'll try not to get into that..Suffice to say if anyone is reading this who is going to Canada, you should make sure you can add a payee to your account BEFORE you leave. You need an activation code that will be sent to you by phone..except you need another code to activate your phone..that's sent to your home address.. confused? I know I am. So I've activated my Canadian number but of course BOI can't send texts to that so I'm now waiting (again) on the post to get home before I can get the code and continue. *Sigh*

Aaaanyway, after a day of getting nowhere, we got back to Stanley Park with the intentions of going to the outdoor cinema, which was showing Bill And Ted. Radical, etc. By the time we got there we had given up hope on seeing the film so we trudged dejectedly to a park bench, looked at Vancouver city in the distance and tried to plan our next move.

And then, as we sat there in the mist with our blanket and snacks, across the road trots a masked superhero who would make everything seem okay again.

We then managed to meet up with a friend from home who is over here with his Canadian girlfriend and we caught 3/4 of the film. The outdoor cinema is like something out of a different world. Set in a huge park, surrounded by forestry and with a backdrop of city lights, it feels like a relaxed festival except instead of people shouting and stumbling around drunk, everyone sits on blankets and foldable chairs, makes food and are friendly and polite.

While there are a lot of homeless people in the city centre, and there is less stigma attached to drugs, we have yet to see any hassle, agro or argy bargy. Everyone seems pretty relaxed and polite for the most part, even on public transport. (Though it's reliable and frequent, so that helps.)

Today, after more 365 online banking frustration (srsly, get that sorted if you're going abroad) we went to the beach at English Bay in the West End. Nothing brings home the juxtaposition of the landscapes of Canada like this beach. Sitting on the sand and getting burned by the sun, looking out to sea, with woodland and snow-capped mountains in view to either side.