running through santos with a coffee in hand

i didn’t plan to blog here but chance happened and now here i am with a jacket too heavy for this heat. the thermometer says 22.06°c, which sounds chill but my legs are already screaming. i checked again-yep, it’s 22.38°c feels like, which means i’m sweating through my shirt while pretending i’m a pro. don’t ask how i decided to run here. maybe the coffee shop sign swayed too much when i walked in.

this place? it’s like a speed bump for legs. i passed a lady with a dog the size of a small horse, and she probably thought i was a superhero. i’m not. i’m just a guy who’s 90% caffeine and 10% regret. speaking of, i just ordered a black border coffee from a spot that’s 80% tabasco on accident. it’s strong. exactly what i need. i heard that from a tourist who looked like a lost sock.

bullet points are my vibe today. gear list? less is more. i’ve got my running shoes (shoes that scream ‘i forgot to buy socks’), a water bottle that leaks like it’s six, and a headlamp for whenever the sun hides. pro tips: breathe through your nose, avoid the docks at 5pm (too many runners sliding into the mud), and never trust a trail labeled ‘secret.’ that’s just a local’s way of saying ‘i don’t want you here.’

i overheard a group saying that the old church area has a hidden loop, but it’s probably a myth. maybe. or maybe it’s a trap for people who think they’re explorers. someone else warned about the smell near the port-think salty sea air mixed with someone’s questionable pierogi. classic. i’m not leaving this place until i’ve at least photographed a cat. there’s one on the third street over, right near that graffiti wall that looks like someone’s bad dream.

the map’s zoomed in on a spot that probably doesn’t exist, but i clicked it anyway. this is my kind of chaos.

photos? i found a few. one’s of white flowers in bloom, which is ironic because the road here is all dirt and regret. another’s a mountain with a house in the distance-maybe a drone shot? or a fancy camper? i can’t tell. the third? a blue mountain with clouds. it’s peaceful. rare for me. i usually see clouds as excuses to stop running.

the neighbors? i saw a guy painting his bike pink while yelling at a squirrel. don’t ask why. if you care, he said the squirrel ‘didn’t respect the colors.’ i’m moving soon. cabo fredo is just a short drive, but i’m not a ‘go big or go home’ kind of runner. my legs are already heavy.

reviews? i heard that the sauna place downtown is so cheap it’s run by a robot. not kidding. another person claimed the market has the best mangoes but the worst checkout person. i’m half-convinced this place is run by time travelers. i’ll take the coffee over both of those.

other links: tripadvisor for the coffee shop, yelp for the sauna (i didn’t go), and a local board about running trails. also, unsplash for the flower photo-link’s below.

i just checked again. it’s still 22.06°c. i’m starting to hate how precise this is. hope you like that kind of thing.

last night, a local warned me about the abandoned gym. she said it’s haunted by a guy who screams when you run past. i didn’t believe her until i heard a noise last lap. probably just my imagination. or my cramps. who knows.

tags: travel, santos, human, vibe, messy

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