l'ǒre: my week of dodging rain and listening to dub on loop

woke up in the middle of the night because the rain was tapping against the window again, which is fine because that’s what you do here. i just checked and it’s still pouring, hope you like that kind of thing. no real plans just wandering the streets holding an umbrella that’s two sizes too big and wondering why the locals keep calling it ‘l’ǒre’ when the weather forecast says ‘march’ or whatever. the neighbors here are the same type who’ll tell you to ‘just embrace the chaos’ while sipping tea in parkas, which i kinda relate to. there’s something about this place that makes you question all your life choices, but also makes you eat three crème brûlées in a row. someone told me that the café nearby serves the best chocolate mousse in the region, but i overheard a couple arguing about whether it’s pirated or not. i’m leaning toward ‘yes’ because it tasted suspicious.

if you get bored, the nearest actual city is ‘whatever’ a 45-minute drive away, which feels both liberating and slightly existential. i stayed in a hostel that’s literally a converted grain silo, which is oddly perfect. the view from the roof is stupid, and the lighting is always wrong when you try to take a selfie.

i heard that the local market sells live octopuses, which seems like a vibe. i didn’t confirm. i also saw a guy selling vintage band t-shirts under a bike that looked like it belonged on the moon. no idea if that’s real or a tourist trap.

here’s a map to the area if you’re lost:

. honestly, just follow the smell of burnt toast. it’s your only compass here.

someone asked me if this place was safe. i told them it’s like a rom-com where everything goes wrong but you still kiss the guy. i mean, it works. the pub downstairs has live music every night, and last week it was a guy playing dubstep on a ukulele. weird, right?

i pulled up a few local reviews on tripadvisor and they all gave it 5-stars except for one naysayer who wrote about ‘phantom smells’ in the alleyways. probably just my imagination after three espressos. yelp has a solid review of the bakery, though. the owner supposedly hates tourists but gave me a free pastry anyway. win-win.

if you want to see more photos of this chaos, here are some real ones:

. they’re not great, but they exist. like everything here.

i’m leaving tomorrow. hopeful that the rain stops or at least falls sideways. either way, it’s probably all fine. you’ll just need a bigger umbrella.

You might also be interested in:

• https://votoris.com/post/phu-quoc-humidity-motorbikes-and-questionable-seafood-but-still-worth-it
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• https://votoris.com/post/len-guanajuato-the-city-that-keeps-you-guessing
• https://votoris.com/post/istanbul-damp-socks-questionable-tea-a-dispatch
• https://votoris.com/post/vodra-or-baroda-or-whatever-just-dont-ask-me-about-the-river