i woke up in a kochi alleyway and immediately realized i needed a siesta

well i woke up and realized there was no way i could function without coffee before noon, which meant crawling out of that backpack at 7:42 am and walking straight into the rain. the weather here is this constant, unrelenting heat-like someone poured a bucket of molten glass over the city and forgot about it. i just checked and it's 33.38 degrees, which is basically a sauna with a pool, and i’m sweating so hard my shirt’s holding sweat droplets that look like stars.

this place has this weird vibe. not the cozy kind. more like the kind where your shadow moves faster than you if you turn around too quickly. neighbors? let’s say they’re the type who’ll play loud reggae at 3 am through a wall that’s supposed to be soundproof. i heard someone yell about a goat stealing their mango last week. realities here are... visceral.

i’m a digital nomad, so i need wifi. not just any wifi-reliable, fast stuff. there’s this tiny cafe on mall road that’s got it. i’ve been there since 9 am. they call it ‘the wifi cubicle’ because the owner thinks we’re all robots. which is kinda true. i’m typing this while sipping lukewarm filter coffee and listening to a guy play violin outside. he’s probably a ghost hunter. or a psychic. or both. who knows.

if you get bored, cochin is just a short drive away. cochin? that’s a place where the beaches are so crowded with churches that you’d think it’s a tourist trap. but i heard that from a drunk guy at a street food stall who was also trying to sell me a ‘mystery curry.’ i didn’t take him seriously.

reviews here are always wild. someone told me that the back alley behind the hotel on 14th street is the best spot for midnight boat rides. another person warned me about the taxi drivers-they’ll tell tourist stories that aren’t true just to get a better tip. i heard that the local market sells used textbooks from the 90s. i didn’t buy any. i’m not that desperate.

anyway, back to the weather. it’s not just hot. it’s surreal. the air feels thick enough to cut with a knife. my phone battery dies faster than usual, which is always a problem here. also, the humidity? it’s like someone glued a swamp to the city. at least the AC here works, but only if you’re rich enough. i’m not. so i’m sweating.

i took some photos. not great. uploads from unsplash:

i embedded a map because why not.

i also need to mention the locals. not all of them. just enough to make it feel real. like the guy at the bus stop who kept staring at my camera. i asked him what he was thinking. he said, ‘you look like you belong here.’ which is both romantic and eerie.

links: tripadvisor kochi yelp kochi local food guide

this post is 600 words of me rambling about sweat and Wi-Fi and ghosts. you’re welcome.

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