bangalore nights and coffee cravings

hello from bangalore. it’s 36.45 here and i just checked and it’s… there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the kind of thing where you sweat through your clothes and then drink coffee to feel less like a melted nougat. i’m a digital nomad, so my ‘home’ is wherever there’s wifi and a bed that doesn’t charge me. today, that bed is a crumpled mattress in a guesthouse that smells like cardamom and regret. the neighbors? they’re either napping or grilling something that makes the entire block smell like burnt paprika. if you get bored, mumbai or hyderabad are just a short drive away. i heard that from a barista who was definitely drunk when they told me. don’t trust drunk advice.

last week, i saw a guy selling handmade leather bags outside a temple. he was shouting about ‘authentic banglore vibes’ while his cat stole a phone charger. some local told me the internet here is unreliable, which is true. i’m writing this at 2am because my laptop decided to cry at 10pm. don’t ask how.

the weather is a mystery. 36.45 celsius, 8% humidity. it’s like someone turned up the dial on a pressure cooker and forgot to turn it off. i don’t know if it’s the heat or the fact that i’ve been surviving on instant noodles and black coffee. either way, it’s working. somehow. i saw a review on tripadvisor that said ‘the best thing here is the chaos.’ i don’t know if that’s true, but it sounds like a lie. maybe it’s a good lie.

i went to a café called ‘kafé lounge’ based on a yelp review. the reviews said it’s ‘cozy’ and ‘has great vibes.’ i don’t know what that means. the walls were covered in old posters of 90s rock bands and a map of the city drawn in crayon. the barista gave me a free cookie because i asked in hindi. rude? maybe. nice? definitely.

someone told me there’s a hidden speakeasy in the city. i don’t know if it’s real, but i’m 70% sure it’s a myth. if it exists, it probably has a sign that says ‘opera’ in broken english. i’m not going to pretend i’m not curious. i’d trade my soul for a drink in a place that doesn’t smell like exhaust.

here’s a map if you want to find me.

i took some photos of the city.

i’m not sure what i’m doing here. maybe i’m a lost soul. maybe i’m just trying to survive. either way, the heat is making me question everything. why did i think a city this hot would be fun? why did i think i could write this without spilling coffee on my laptop? why did i think anything would make sense?

if you’re visiting, check out the local markets. i heard that the textile market is a maze of colors and smells. i didn’t see it, but i heard that from a woman who was selling mango slices. she was holding a mango like it was a sacred object. maybe she was. who knows?

i’m leaving tomorrow. i don’t know where. but if you’re looking for a digital nomad, just follow the smell of exhaust and the sound of coffee machines. you’ll find me. probably. probably not.

p.s. if you’re a coffee snob, come to bangalore. i heard there’s a place called ‘coffee lab’ that makes espresso so good it might make you question your life choices. i haven’t tried it yet. maybe i will. maybe i won’t.

stay weird. stay thirsty. stay alive.

You might also be interested in:

• https://votoris.com/post/sweating-through-shagamu-and-somehow-loving-it
• https://votoris.com/post/messy-nights-and-cheap-espresso
• https://votoris.com/post/pekanbaru-transport-chaos-an-indie-film-scouts-guide-to-surviving-angkot-warfare
• https://votoris.com/post/finding-an-englishspeaking-doctor-in-matsuyama-a-digital-nomads-raw-notes
• https://votoris.com/post/the-safest-and-most-dangerous-neighborhoods-in-kyoto-a-lowdown-from-someone-whos-been-there-and-back