Medan's Sticky Secrets: A Street Artist's Messy Love Letter

so here i am in medan with paint-stained fingers and that specific kind of city sweat that only happens when the air itself feels like it's conspiring against you. i just looked outside and it's...that steamy 31 degrees that makes your eyelashes stick together, hope you brought extra water bottles. my can caps are sweating more than i am.

first thing you notice? this city's got a serious case of floral schizophrenia. like someone went wild with a paintbrush and nature just shrugged. check out these explosions happening everywhere:

makes you wanna tag a wall with petals instead of spray. almost. almost.

the walls here? man. they're talking. but they're not saying nice things. if your creative well runs dry, binjai's just a short bus ride away. heard they've got better alleyways. or is that just a rumor? who knows.

the real tea though? it's always in the shadows.

some old dude at the warung swore the mayor's nephew owns the only legal wall commission company. said they're doing 'beautification' by covering everything in this sickly beige paint. called it 'urban cancer removal'. sounded like corporate bullcrap to me.

overheard two hipsters arguing about whether that mural near the train station is 'authentic underground' or just commissioned by some hotel chain. one of them looked like he hadn't slept in three days. the other had designer sneakers. probably both wrong.

this kid with a sketchbook told me the cops here have secret codes for street art nights. like 'operation butterfly' means they're gonna do a sweep at 2am. but then he asked me for money for noodles so who knows if it was true.

gotta fuel the creative chaos though. hit up this *warung near the central market - their nasi goreng is so good it'll make you forget about the humidity for five whole minutes. seriously. check the reviews but ignore the haters. they probably can't handle the heat.

for caffeine that doesn't taste like regret, try kopi medan* near the old mosque. the locals say their kopi tubruk will put hair on your chest. or at least keep you awake while you're dodging security guards at 3am.

and if you wanna see the real unfiltered mess? the medan street art collective has this insane map showing all the hidden spots. just don't ask about the 'unofficial' ones. those are for locals who know how to run.

it's all temporary walls and temporary friendships here. medan doesn't give a damn about your plans. it just gives you sweat and stories. and maybe some paint on your shoes if you're lucky.
peace out, messy souls.

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