kota bharu: sweating through ancient sidewalks with a runner’s paranoia
the air here tastes like someone left a wet towel in a microwave-30.16°C my ass, my skin’s reporting 33.56°C minimum. just checked *pantai cahaya bulan’s weather app and yeah, it’s Basically A Sauna With Palm Trees out there right now. if you survive the humidity, you’ll earn bragging rights at whatever sad gym you frequent back home.
i heard from a dude selling teh tarik at the night market that "foreigners run here for fun, but locals run only if chased by dogs." fair. also, someone whispered that wat photivihan has secret tunnels where monks bet on cricket matches-but that might’ve been the heatstroke talking. if you get antsy, kuala terengganu’s salted fish markets and pengkalan kubor’s borderline chaos are yelling distance away.
pro tip: hydrate like you’re bribing your kidneys. found this sketchy-but-delicious nasi kerabu spot (blue rice cult?) near the river after following a stray cat. trust animals more than google maps here. overheard a batik seller arguing that the 4pm sun "isn’t that bad"-ma’am, my shadow just evaporated.
anyway. if you’re dumb enough to jog here like me, hit up taman bandaraya* before dawn. it’s the only time the air doesn’t feel like soup. and check this paranormal ferry ride if you wanna sweat for non-fitness reasons. someone told me the ghosts here are friendly but bad at directions. typical.
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