aurangabad: where the heat meets the humidity and my green thumb meets my ex

woke up to the smell of monsoon dust again and figured hey this place is gonna test my patience or my foliage. 1445310 and 1356097157 are probably my new phone numbers now because the landline died mid-rainstorm. i just checked and it's 20.64 degrees out there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. not the sweaty kind. the 'should probably hydrate constantly' kind. 88% humidity is basically a villain here. it’s clinging to my skin like a bad cult leader.

last night i heard someone yelling about a ‘mango smoothie that tastes like regret’ at the corner vendor. turns out it was my neighbor, a guy in a sarong who also owns a second-hand toucan. weird combo. but hey, if you get bored, aurangabad is just a short drive away from places that actually have sun. or maybe that’s a lie. who knows.

the weirdest part? i swear i saw a group of kids riding bicycles shaped like giant chili peppers. or was it my imagination? 1356097157 might’ve been a timestamp for that. i doubt it. probably just my cat judging me for buying another succulent. the one with 5 leaves. the one that’s gonna outlive me. probably.

someone told me that the old café down the street serves the best chai, but i heard another rumor that they play loud sad music to discourage tourists. i didn’t believe it until i went there. now i’m 60% sure the band is just a cover band for a funeral. the owner, a woman with a nose ring and a permanent frown, told me once that she doesn’t trust people with white shoes. weird. i have beige sandals. i left immediately.

i tried to take a walk through the local park to people-watch but ended up tripping over a particularly aggressive snake plants. not the kind you can step over. it had a thorn thing. i think it was judging me too. 22.15 degrees is supposed to be the max, but honestly, it feels hotter. maybe because i’m sweating. or maybe because i’m not sleeping well. either way, the heat feels personal.

the neighborhood is very… loud. not in a good way. the AC units sound like they’re having a revolt. every time i close the window, there’s this weird gurgling noise. almost like a witch’s cauldron. my new neighbor, a man in a flask and a hat made of bottle caps, keeps playing bagpipes at 3am. i don’t hate him. i just hate the bagpipes. they sound like a dying cat.

i posted a photo of a rare orchid i found on the street to unsplash. the captions were all people telling me to embrace the chaos. which i did. then someone commented asking if i’ve ever met my doppelgänger. i don’t know. maybe that’s the weirdest part about aurangabad. everyone’s either trying to be someone else or just really good at pretending.

i found a map that showed the city’s hidden water channels. allegedly, if you follow them at dawn, you can find ancient ruins or at least a cool spot for Instagram. i’m 70% sure it’s a urban legend. but hey, i tried. the map’s iframe here is probably broken, but who cares?

just checked the weather again. it’s 20.64 still. same temp. same vibe. i’m starting to think this place is like a metaphor for life. or maybe i’m just stuck in an episode of The Office where everyone’s stealing your stapler.

i came across a vendor selling ‘mystery herbs’ in a plastic bag. no labels. no instructions. just a guy whispering in hindi. i bought it. paid in monsoon-damaged rupees. later, my plant died. probably from overwatering. or maybe it was the herbs. who knows. the point is, aurangabad gives you options.

here’s another photo from unsplash. a street scene that looks like it’s from a film noir. or maybe just a really grungy city.

if you ask locals about aurangabad, they’ll either lecture you about its history or tell you to leave. i got both. one guy called it the ‘city of forgotten dreams.’ another said it’s just a stopover for people who hate themselves. i’m leaning towards the second one. but i stayed anyway. maybe because i wanted to see if the rumored ghost train actually existed. turns out it’s just a regular train with a neon sign that says ‘ghost train’ for some reason. prank. probably.

here’s a pro tip: if you’re here and you’re into plants, go to the botanical garden. it’s not fancy. it’s more like a chaotic love letter to greenery. they have a tree that’s 200 years old. or maybe it’s 199 years. we’re not sure. what we do know is it’s humid. and it’s loud. and it’s magic. aurangabad tourism board says it’s free. probably.

the weather app keeps flashing 21.06 degrees. i think it’s lying. because i’m too sweaty to trust it. but the ‘feels like’ part is accurate. it feels like a sauna in a subway tunnel. 88% humidity. 1015 mb pressure. sounds like a science experiment gone wrong. or maybe a very specific kind of meditation.

someone told me that the best way to experience aurangabad is to get lost. which is ironic because i’m terrible at that. i keep following signs that say ‘south’ when i really meant ‘east.’ but hey, at least i found a stray mango tree. it was wild. it had no leaves. just a bunch of roots growling. i named it gurga. after my ex’s dog. he’s still mad. i think.

overall, aurangabad is the kind of place that makes you question your life choices. or maybe it’s just hot. hard to tell. either way, it’s memorable. if you ask me. and if you ask the neighbors. definitely. they’ll just glare and say ‘get out.’ which is… fair. local yelp has 1 star reviews from people who afirma. but honestly, 1 star is just a cry for help.

i’m leaving tomorrow. probably. 1356097157 might be a countdown. or maybe it’s the last call at the local pub. who knows. either way, i’m taking a suitcase full of dead plants and a flask of questionable chai. stay weird, everyone. and hydrate.

aurangabad: where the heat meets the humidity and my green thumb meets my ex

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