Long Read
fouce : photography in place i hated
got here at 3am because the bus schedule was a rejection letter. it’s 26.79°c but feels like 28.08°c because the humidity is trying to evaporate my soul. i wore shorts despite a local’s warning that ‘the air will cling to you like a bad memory.’
by now, i’m sitting on a rusty bridge with a camera strapped to my chest like a guilty gym sock. why? because i wanted to capture ‘the soul of this place.’ what i got was a crow stealing my lens cap and a sign that said ‘no tourism’ in crayon. ironic, right?
q: is this place worth visiting?
a: depends. if you’re here to take photos of photogenic chaos, yes. if you want peace, no. i heard tourists here are like hungrier mosquitoes-they’ll bite anyone, anytime.
q: is it expensive?
a: cheaper than a cry. hostels run for $2-$5/night. food? forgettable. tried a ‘local dish’ once. tasted like regret and salt. but hey, it’s free if you forage in dumpsters.
q: who would hate it here?
a: anyone who values calm. monks? probably. also, my ex. she sent a text saying ‘you’ve ruined our photobook.’ true.
q: best time to visit?
a: at night. by night, the temperature drops to 24.86°c and the chaos quiets. unless it’s tax season. then everyone’s here.
i’ve had three insights so far. first: this city’s sunlight is too harsh for most cameras. second: the locals distrust tourists. third: trash here is 80% snack wrappers.
another thing-weather’s a liar. the ‘feels_like’ temp (28.08°c) matches the vibe. it’s not just hot, it’s overwhelmingly hot. like sitting in a microwave that forgot to turn off.
pro tip: avoid the main square during 12pm. it’s like a food festival for mold. i saw a squirrel argue with a moth over a chip. classic.
insert 1: a local told me the best photos come from accidents. i tried photographing a broken crosswalk. got a bird mid-flight in the shot. it’s now my instagram highlight.
the data says humidity is 64%. i feel it in my ears. my left ear swells like a grape. maybe it’s poetic. maybe it’s a symptom. who knows?
someone posted on yelp that this place has ‘the worst street parking since 1999.’ ignored them. parked next to a billboard that reads ‘welcome to nowhere.’ ironic, since it’s called ‘somewhere.’
insert 2: i heard the city council once debated renaming it ‘fouce’ because of a historical misprint. now the name’s stuck. it’s like a typo that became a brand. annoying, but effective.
the weather data also says pressure is 1020hpa. doesn’t mean much. but it’s the same as when i last visited. coincidence? probably. fate? maybe.
i tried taking a selfie at the beach. the waves looked like they were judging me. the water was 27.76°c. my skin felt the same. lukewarm and judgmental.
another insight: this place hates clear skies. the few times i saw the sun, it was through a haze of construction dust. makes sense. nobody wants to photograph a fake paradise.
bold: if you want to blend in, buy a ‘world’s best place’ t-shirt. i wore one for a week. locals stared. tourists thought it was authentic.
map here:
photos:
insert 3: google maps is wrong. it shows palm trees. there are none. just palm-shaped palmettes in a botanical garden. a tragedy. i tried to plant one. it died in a week.
reddit users say this city’s true name is ‘faux’, but nobody cares. even the locals laugh at the irony.
yesterday, a guy asked if i was a tourist. i said ‘yes, but i’m here to photograph the confusion.’ he handed me a map. it led to a construction site. i took a picture of a cone. it’s now my portfolio piece.
q: who would hate it here? (revisited)
a: photographers without a three-year supply of bandaids. this place is a germ factory. i got lice from a stray dog.
pro tip 2: use a polarizing filter. the humidity makes reflections everywhere. took six hours to find one spot without a puddle or a banana peel.
i’m leaving tomorrow. stayed here 12 days. learned two things: 1) this city is alive. 2) my camera hates it.
next stop: a place that respects dryness. probably. 😏