Long Read

cement shoes and chai: my monsoon madness in bangalore

@Owen Steele3/7/2026blog

ever tried to balance on a stacked jar of marigold garlands while dodging monsoon rain? i did. and now i’m writing this with chai-stained fingers. bangalore’s streets smell like fried dosas soaked in humidity. the temperature’s sitting at 25.18c, feels like 25.87, and that killer air⁽° humidity? it’s like being wrapped in a stained linen curtain. no aircon in the world could kiss it better.
i found a new spot for my murals today-some crumbling 1920s bungalow road. the walls are all peeling art nouveau faces, and i splashed cobalt blue over a faded mustache. old man vendor from the flower cart next door gave me a shrug like, “just don’t haunt it at night”. like i could haunt anything? the ghosts here listen to devotional music on loop. anyway, someone on Reddit said the area used to be a leper colony-sketchy, right? but the brinjals at the corner stall? unreal. tense but tasty.
if you’re bored, mysore’s just a 2-hour drive. i’d go, but i’m low on canvas paper and high on temple karma issues. also, my skateboard’s been stolen. probably some college kid melting it into a bong. here’s the map of my wanderings: boom. tip: duck under any wall with “do not paint” spray. i didn’t get that memo.would’ve helped.
for real, check the vibe at this homestay&d1=18095&d2=18102&s hlsv=0&cmp=iebo-wwc-ww-account-01&locId=298266) in ubhe bankrupt, but the owner plays mendelian jazz. and the banana pancakes! not a lie. also, a neighbor kid swore his house is built on a forgotten british tank-dunno, but the ceiling cracks at 3am.
sri lanka’s easier. you see? i’m flexing an old kolkata yarn: “oh, you think that’s hot? wait till you hit kolkata. 35°, 90% humidity, and someone’s playing a harmonium at a funeral.”


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About the author: Owen Steele

Believer in lifelong learning (and unlearning).

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