woke up in a hostel bed that smelled like damp socks and regret. the alarm clock died at 7am so i just hit snooze into day. woke to a 30.82c hack and a realizing i forgot to pack water. decided to walk around anyway. first stop was this street food stall that sells mango sticky rice for ₹20. someone told me it’s ‘too sweet’ but i ate it anyway. turns out the vendor just uses too much sugar. didn’t care.also the sun made everything look like a mirage. had to dodge a truck at one point. it hit my backpack.ruptured a water bottle. now i’m hydrated but furious.

quick answers

q: is this place worth visiting?
a: if you’re here to learn how to survive on ryotei and spray paint, yes. if you want luxury, no.
q: is it expensive?
a: not if you skip the Airbnb and eat street food. hotel? expensive. everything else? student-friendly.
q: who would hate it here?
a: people who need AC. or who don’t like trash.
q: best time to visit?
a: early mornings beat the heat. after 4pm? melt.

citations don’t lie. cheap eats exist here. i found a stall that sells dosa for ₹30. it was soggy. but i ate it. benchmark: i spent ₹500 total on food for three days. included a disaster where i bought stale bread.

someone warned me the heat here is a scam. they said it’s not just hot-it’s humid. like your skin is glued to your soul. got a rash on my knee from sliding into a puddle. don’t touch the ground. really. also the AC in hotel barely worked. so i learned to jump in puddles. not recommended.

repeat: hydration is not optional. i drank 4 liters of water yesterday. still felt like i was on fire. the humidity is relentless. it clings to your clothes and your dignity.

i heard a local call this place ‘a training camp for poor people.’ not kidding. they’re not wrong. but i also heard it’s where artists sleep. or at least where i did. squatted in a garret for two nights. paid ₹300. no mattress. just a mattress-shaped hole in the wall. yes.

another thing: the weather makes time feel wrong. 30.82c? i thought it was 90f. i checked. i’m right. but also wrong. it’s colder than that. or maybe it’s not. either way. i got sunburned.

nearby cities are a quick trip. one is 30 minutes by bus. another? 2 hours by train. neither is worth it if you’re here to save money.

maps.google.com link:

images? don’t care. i took one photo of a puddle. it looked like a galaxy. didn’t save it.

links? tripadvisor says it’s ‘ok for budget travelers.’ yelp hatest it. reddit argues it’s ‘a disaster.’ all agree: the heat is universally hated.

i found a solace in this: the people. some are sketchy. others are helpful. i asked for directions and got a lecture on local politics. didn’t care. moving on.

budget student life here is survival. i slept on a bench once. it was okay. i ate expired samosas. they were fine. i’m still alive. point is: spend less. risk more. don’t ask for AC.

median temperature? 30.82c. max? same. min? same. pressure? 1006hpa. what does that mean? i don’t know. but it felt heavy. like the air was trying to press into my lungs. didn’t help.

ending not necessary. but i’m here. writing this while sweating under a fan that screams. the noise is louder than the heat. at least.

p.s. if you’re a philosophy student, this place is for you. it’s a case study in absurdity. also hunger.

ps2: buy a fan. buy water. buy common sense.

okay done. i’m going to sleep in a puddle. it’s cheaper than a hotel. probably.

budget student ramblings in [city name] – what works and what doesn’t

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