A story about getting lost in a maze in Canada, despite having no sense of direction

When I went on a solo trip to Vancouver, Canada, there was a maze made of plants in a park.

It was a hedge maze, a little taller than my height.
Apparently, it's made of 3,000 trees.
It's not that big.
Tourists were going in, looking like they were having fun.

I have no sense of direction.
Even on roads I've traveled many times, I get lost with a fresh sense of wonder.

And yet, for some reason, I went in.

I heard the voice in my head telling me I should stop many times.
But the traveler's high of 'I've come all this way' won out over that.

Once I went inside, it was a bit different from the peaceful impression I had from the outside.

Even though they were hedge walls about my height, they were sized for Western men.
They were probably tall enough that if an adult put a child on their shoulders, they could see over them.
But at my height, I couldn't cheat by sticking my head out to check the path.

In front, behind, left, and right were green walls.
Everything looked almost exactly the same.

I kept moving in the direction that was open.

I thought, without any basis, that even if I just walked randomly, I would surely reach the exit soon.
It's a mysterious confidence common among people with no sense of direction.

I hit a dead end, turned back to take another path, and hit another dead end, then turned back again.

Since I naturally didn't remember which path I came from, I felt like I was going back and forth over the same spot over and over again.

I started to break out in a cold sweat.

The cheerful voices of people around me were fading away, as if leaving me behind.

I had the illusion that I was in a different dimension from whoever was on the other side of the green walls.

I had intended for this to be an amusement park attraction, but suddenly, the reality of being alone weighed heavily on me.

I could hear voices like 'John!' and 'Jane!' relatively close by.
Everyone sounded like they were having fun.

Since it's just a park maze, I shouldn't be in any real danger.
It's impossible that I wouldn't be able to get out of a maze of this level, right?
And since it's just a fun maze, it doesn't seem like anyone would come to rescue me either...

I hit another dead end.

At that moment, I remembered a book I read as a child.
It said, "In a maze, if you keep your hand on one wall and keep walking, you will definitely get out."

I don't know if that's true.

But since I had no other options, I decided to proceed while touching the wall with my right hand.

On the way, I passed by other tourists.
I felt somewhat embarrassed, so I took my hand off the wall.
Once I took my hand off the wall, a sense of loneliness hit me, as if I had cut a lifeline.
The calmness I had just a moment ago was gone, and from here on, I was just a "lost person."

And as expected, I no longer knew which way to go.

Tourists kept coming one after another.
Groups of people were coming, too.
We passed each other in the narrow maze.

I gave up on the strategy of walking with my hand on the wall.

For now, I drank the water I was holding in my hand.

Since midsummer is already over, I shouldn't have to worry about drying up.

I looked up at the sky and thought of my distant hometown.

……No, it's not that grand of a story.

I just lost my sense of direction in a maze I entered while traveling.

I pretended to be a relaxed person just taking a break to drink water.

I'm surprisingly good at acting.

I dared to take a deep breath.

What reached deep into my lungs was the intensely grassy smell of the hedge.

I pretended to quietly savor that scent, as if I were a "traveler fully enjoying the nature of Canada."

Then, pulling myself together, I resumed the strategy of just moving forward randomly again.

I would hit a dead end, change direction, and keep pushing forward.

It's not exactly "if you try enough times, you'll succeed," but if I turn enough times, the path should open up eventually.

I must have been wandering for about 30 minutes.

Suddenly, my view opened up, and I saw a crowd of people in front of me.

Yes, the exit.

My heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment, and I instinctively started to run toward them.

However.

What came into my view was a familiar information board and the figures of tourists about to jump into the maze with high spirits.

I hadn't returned to the "exit," but to the "entrance."

My 30-minute struggle had concluded by drawing a beautiful loop.

I let out a big sigh and moistened my dry throat.

I had neither the energy nor the physical strength left to try again.

I prioritized the practical goal of finding a restroom and left the entrance of the maze behind.

* * *

I also write about overseas travel in my next article. Please feel free to take a look.

"Reindeer Cuisine and a Slightly Detoured Map"

I hope we can meet again quietly in the next update.
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