At our Elderhostel in Nanaimo, as always, we met a lot of intriguing and even inspirational fellow travelers. John D. has inhabited the life our Eric may once have envisioned: public health consultant all over the world in places as exotic and anxiety-inducing as Yemen and Pakistan. Closer to home, he helped us refine our Personal Vancouver Tourist Guide, based on his credentials as native-born and occasional visitor, since that was our next stop after Nanaimo. On his advice, we had dinner on our first evening at the Sequoia Grill, on the edge of expansive Stanley Park and a perfect spot for viewing the setting sun. The food was unsurpassed in our dining experience, the glass gazebo created beautiful reflections, and I actually got up from the table a couple of times to go outside and grab a sunset shot. Our menu choices:

1. Teahouse Mushrooms stuffed with crab, shrimp, and mascarpone
   
2. Digby Scallops pan-seared with English pea puree and mint beurre blanc
   
3. Bouillabaisse in tomato and fennel broth with rouille
   
4. Wild B.C. Salmon, maple-marinated and cedar plank roasted