A Clear Umbrella, A Path, a Journey, and a Not Destination

Hello!

November was a crazy busy month for me and I found myself without time for many adventures. Projects usually stress me out more than they should, partly due to me procrastinating everything to the point where I can have everything finished how I like it just in time.

This last week, after finishing the huge pile of assignments and exam prep I had, I decided it was high time some exploring with my camera. On Friday I had only one class, so I finally had my chance. My friend Kieran and I gathered our things, cameras and backpacks and headed out to Downtown Victoria.

I have lived in greater Victoria my whole life, but the city continues to amaze and excite me. Usually, throughout my youth, I’d go from point A to B using a bus and go straight to my destinations, but on Friday I decided I needed to explore a path I haven’t been on before.

When I first arrived in downtown Victoria, I had forgotten a coat and it was raining (smart Maya, smart) so I decided it was time I picked up an item I’ve always dreamed of having: A CLEAR UMBRELLA. I was super excited about this. I had dreamed of having one since the age of ten. Very exciting stuff.

Clear umbrellas are great for looking at the raindrops and the sky while you walk, protected by your clear umbrella. Clear umbrellas also are good for defeating your enemies and dancing with.

Clear umbrellas are awesome for photography as you will soon see, as you can capture the raindrops that land on the umbrella.

Did I mention I love clear umbrellas? I LOVE CLEAR UMBRELLAS.

After I first picked up the clear umbrella, Kieran and I went and explored a cool parking lot next to the water.

While we walked further we discussed where we should go, and decided that we should head towards the breakwater (a really pretty area where a long walkway jutting out into the water ends with a lighthouse). While walking towards there we came across a path called The David Foster Harbour Pathway that we decided to take instead of the usual roadway. It was stunning and great for photos!!

Above is Kieran getting that shot.™

Here is the view from part of the path! The light was also really cool!

We found this lovely bridge along the path that had a cool lookout that was great for photos and admiring from.

There were rad (really cool) views right along the path of The Empress hotel and surrounding areas. I also found a majestic heron bird chilling in the rain.

The water was quite busy with boat traffic! We saw a sea plane, a mini boat carrying a lot of people, and a ferry headed to the states in the timespan of 5 minutes.

The rest of the path had more awesome sights to see and photo spots. Then we started to get a bit chilly.

The trusty Clear Umbrella was helping as much as it could, but my non-thermal sweater was letting all the wind and rain in (PRO TIP: once you get to the West Coast of British Columbia buy a raincoat!!). So we decided to stop at the cafe near the breakwater and buy some tasty nachos and a cup o’ tea. 

After that our stomachs were full and we were tired so we called it a day and never went to the breakwater. BUT as the saying by Ralph Waldo Emerson goes, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”