Skateboard Diaries From Santiago Sur: Heatwaves, Gnarly Corners, And That Time I Lost A Trick To A Goat

woke up at dawn with the usual existential dread of a skateboarder chasing phantom lines. GPS says Santiago Sur’s got ‘rivers’ of gray tar on the main avenue-just puddles that swallow your wheels whole. local kids call it ‘core de hierro.’ not sure if that’s metaphorical or literal. i just checked and it’s 31.38°c here, but feels like a live sauna. hope you like sweating through your gloves while grinding curbs.

metaphor city: here, the architecture’s all jagged angles. like concrete jagged angles. tried ollieing over a speed bump today and it felt like i was trying to pop a tire on a tank treadmill. also, if you get bored, La Estructura’s a 20-minute drive away. never go there. heard a barista rant to their plant about how their dog chewed up a ‘safety manual’ from some construction company. why people here trust authority ‘when the dogs chew the safety manuals’ is Santiago’s great mystery.

transpo is the real trick. taxis are vultures. tried the train to Santuari Beach and ended up in a village where the only grocery store sells expired mango juice and regret. Yelp listed a ‘secret spot’ in Barrio Verde’s ‘ruins’. 5-star review: “worked for 30’s reconciliation”???? must be ’ FALSE ’. pro tip: skate to school in Barrio Lectura. less cops, more stray cats to photograph. app says “dog-friendly” but the dogs here bite concrete. not a joke.

coffee culture: tried the ‘artisanal cold brew’ at Beanery “Aria”. tasted like regret and the ghost of a chia seed. TripAdvisor called it “‘authentic grim’”. took me. drank it on a metal bench by the river where an old man in a refrigerated truck plays mariachi beats. dude’s truck sprays “cola” on pedestrians. legal? maybe. thirsty? yes.

i’ve got ‘‘’ ‘‘’ skateboard struggles. yesterday, tried a kickflip over a manhole cover. failed. the drizzle from the broken manhole gave me rain boots soaked through. locals just called it “‘futbol’”. seriously. like, “your style is soccer” they said. “no, my style is public humiliation“ I laughed. “i went broke at the mercado flea market trying to find a skateboard grip tape that’s not literal asphalt. sold my soul to a guy named Jose for $3. now i’m abstinent from vertical surfaces.

met a street artist who spray-painted “‘SK8’’ everywhere. tried to copy him. sprayed “‘Meh’’. woke up with a ‘‘’ next to my elbow. locals said it’s a “‘message’”. i said “”no, that’s just my therapist””. ¯\\._.\\/_”




















































































































































’pass it along”. ‘“’ ‘’, sure.




































































’‘“’ ‘“’ ‘“’ ‘“’ ‘“’ ‘“’ ‘“’ ‘“’ ‘“’ ‘“’ ‘“’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘‚’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘‚’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘‚’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘‚’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘‚’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘‚’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘‚’ ‘’ ‘’ ‘‚’ ‘’ ’’ ’’ ’’ ’’ ’‚’ ’‚’ ’‛’ ’‛’ ’“’ ’“’ ’“’ ’“’ ’“’ ’“’ ’“’ ’“’ ’“’ ’“’ ’“’ ’“’ ’“’ ’” ’” ’‚‚’ ’‚’ ’‛‛’ ’‛‚’ ’“‚” ’“‛” ’““” ’” ’’ ’’ ‚‚’ ‚‚’ ‚‛‚’ ‚“‛” ‚““” ‚“” © ‚” ’ ‚’ ’ ‚‛‚’ ‚“” ‚“” ‚” ‚„‚’ ‚‚’ ’ ’

You might also be interested in:

• https://votoris.com/post/finding-an-englishspeaking-doctor-in-soweto-my-brain-hurts-and-my-wallet-does-too
• https://votoris.com/post/crime-statistics-in-hachiji-is-it-getting-safer-a-totally-unqualified-look
• https://votoris.com/post/average-salary-in-charlotte-are-the-wages-worth-the-costs-seriously-like-really
• https://votoris.com/post/colombo-sweat-tuktuks-and-the-numbers-that-haunted-me
• https://votoris.com/post/detroit-rust-rain-and-really-weird-vibes