Coastal City Whiplash: Humidity & Cheap Food You Need to Own
quickanswers
q: is this coastal city worth visiting? a: yes-if you’ve got money for huffy double-breasted shirts and sunscreen but not fancy brunches.
q: is it expensive? a: no. street food stalls charge under $7; even the ‘platinum’ sushi place here is ¥800 for 3 nigiri.
q: who would hate it here? a: people who want a dry, polished beach walk. humidity 94% tonight, and the ground feels like concrete.
q: best time to visit? a: when the temp isn’t above 25c. average highs are 28-32c in peak tourist season.
...
yesterday’s selfie? pretty trash. i fakesmiled like everyone else because the breeze kept picking up my face paint. that’s the thing here-weather swings like a drunk dad at a karaoke night. temp jumps 10c in an hour without warning, so pack a light jacket whether it’s 17c or 30c.
i’ve eaten 90% of my calories from street food now. not because i started drooling, but because the ‘platinum’ sushi place is 50% off sunny days (i’m there every saturday, ugh).
you can walk the beach here-sometimes it’s perfectly happy, just jogging along the sand. other times? i’d rather not explain to my cat why it’s raining glitter.
i heard locals say this coast has a sick seafood market. big mistake. asap’s tuna chowder costs more than sushi you can actually afford.
...here’s a weird joke i made to a stranger in the food stall: ‘is your broth spicy?’ ‘yes,’ he says, then slides a tiny spoonful of his last drop of ponzu sauce. so that’s what you call ‘spice’?
i’ve done one marathon here, and it felt like running through an indoor hot spring. not that i’d recommend it.
one unspoken rule here: it’s rude to buy a bao bun without asking how it’s made. one girl cried at me today because the pork sauce was too sweet.
it’s safe enough, but you’ll still get checked by the local guys out in the slums. something costs them nothing, or i wouldn’t know.
i’ve spent more time this week just disliking the people who pretend they haven’t already visited. here’s your week 2 document: you’ve got zero unique finds, and your camera battery died saving a 5k photo of a pile of seaweed.