woke up to the fridge feeling like a lukewarm lukewarm soup 1840028333 today. poured water on my face and it just slopped everywhere. weird. went out to take photos because my camera’s a disaster now and maybe the fog would make everything look moody but the humidity was like 87% and my lenses were sweating. i hate this. i hate this. i hate this.

walked past a place called the rainbow café where some student told me the shrimp tacos cost $3 but the portions are like a gram. don’t get it. don’t get it. don’t get it. then i saw a local wiping down a stall with a rag and realized they probably do 200 of these a day. not kidding. i heard a bartender say something about ‘this place floods every monsoon’ but i don’t know if that’s a warning or a sales pitch.

quick answers:
q: is this place worth visiting?
a: only if you like rain and cheap tacos. also bring a raincoat.
q: is it expensive?
a: nope. unless you’re a coffee snob. then you’ll pay $5 for a coconut milk latte that tastes like river water.
q: who would hate it here?
a: people who want sunlight. or dry air. or decent food.
q: best time to visit?
a: right now. the rain’s light. the mushrooms are out.

i took a photo of this old guy selling mangoes and he looked like he’d rather be underground. his posture was all hunched. maybe he’s a ghost hunter. i don’t know. i asked him about the numbers on his bag. he pointed to 5364199 and said ‘that’s where the secret sauce is.’ didn’t explain. maybe it’s a recipe. maybe it’s a curse.

the weather was weird. 16.63°c but feels like 16.62°c because the air is holding onto it like a hug. i tried to take a portrait but my shirt stuck to my back. classic. the humidity made my glasses fog so fast i had to keep wiping them. i started talking to a woman pushing a basket of laundry. she said ‘you’re documenting this place, aren’t you?’ and i said ‘yes’ and she said ‘don’t. just take one good shot.’

another insight: if you’re a budget student, shop at the market. i paid $1.20 for a pineapple that looked like it had a sunburn. it was amazing. i also found 1840028333 scribbled on a receipt here. maybe it’s a address. maybe it’s a price. maybe it’s a date. i didn’t ask.

someone told me the locals hate tourists who take too many photos. i took 47 shots of a bench today. they all looked the same. later i saw a street artist spray-painting a bench with a sign that said ‘no memes.’ i think he was angry.

i heard a tour guide say the best time to visit is when the market’s open. that tracks. but also the worst time because the stalls are crowded. so conflicting. i didn’t go to the museum. it’s closed. or it’s cursed. i don’t know. last time someone tried to enter, the doors locked by themselves.

i stopped by a bar where they serve this drink called the ‘cloud slush.’ it’s basically cold soda with a splash of coconut. i ordered it and the bartender said ‘you’re wasting money.’ i said ‘no i’m not’ and he said ‘yes you are’ and we both laughed. that’s a good vibe.

another thing: safety. i didn’t see much crime but the shortcuts are sketchy. avoid the alley behind the bookstore. i heard a story about a guy who got robbed there. don’t think about it.

i tried to find a place to sleep but the hotel prices are nuts. $40 for a room that smells like old pizza. i ended up sleeping in a hostel with a guy who quoted poetry. he was okay. he was okay. he was okay.

the rain kept coming. i got soaked at one point and my phone died. i had to ask a local for directions. he pointed to a yellow sign with 1840028333 on it. he said ‘that’s where the bridge is.’ i crossed it and it smelled like diesel. bad choice.

i saw a sign for a ‘vintage clothes market’ but it was closed. the owner was inside with a jacket that looked 100 years old. i asked if they had anything new and he said ‘no. just ghosts.’ i left. i left.

this place has this weird time loop where nothing changes. the same street vendors, same graffiti, same weird humidity. it’s comforting in a way. like a bad memory you can’t forget.

i heard a woman say this place is for people who don’t mind chaos. i think i’m that person. i’m that person. i’m that person.

someone told me the best photo spot is the old train station. i went there and it was flooded. the tracks were covered in mud. i took a photo anyway. it’s a mess. cloudy. window. water. that’s the shot.

i’m not sure if i’ll come back. it depends. if the numbers 5364199 and 1840028333 lead me somewhere, maybe. if not, i’ll probably move on. i have too many photo ideas.

ps: check out the redfish on yelp. i think it’s a scam. and the subway map on tripadvisor is outdated. don’t trust it.

i dropped my camera in a fountain last week it’s still broken 5364199

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