Santa Maria: Humidity, Coworking, and the Ghost of a Broken AC

i've been in santa maria for three days now and i'm still not sure if i love it or if it's just the sleep deprivation talking. i flew in from lisbon with a backpack full of chargers and a vague hope that the internet would be decent. first thing i noticed? the humidity. holy cow, it's like the air's made of soup. i checked the weather app: 25.01°C, feels like 25.76, humidity 84%. the numbers are bad enough, but the feeling is worse. i'm sweating through my t-shirt and it's only 9am. i'll drop a map here so you can see the layout:



santa maria isn't on most nomad lists, which is either a blessing or a curse depending on your tolerance for weird small cities. i'm typing this from a cafe called 'cafe do mercado' that somehow has power outlets and wifi that doesn't suck. the coffee's strong enough to wake the dead, which is good because my body still thinks it's nighttime in europe. the building i'm sitting in is a dull concrete block that looks exactly like this:

i heard there's a coworking space called 'workful' near the university. i wandered over there yesterday and the place was empty except for a guy who looked like he was coding in assembly. the owner told me they have fiber optic, but i overheard someone else say the actual speed is throttled after 5pm. typical. i'm still trying to get my rhythm. when i need a change of scenery, i head to parque da medalha esperança, a small park with big trees and a little lake. the green canopy near the concrete buildings there makes me forget i'm in a city. check this out:

the weather here is a constant companion. it's not just the heat; it's the way the humidity makes my laptop fan sound like a helicopter. i tried to work outside at the praça central and my keyboard got slick with condensation. note to self: never trust a breezy spot when it's this muggy. i just pulled up the weather app and it's not exactly refreshing: 25 degrees, humidity off the charts. the feels-like is even higher, which is just insult to injury.

if the boredom sets in, i can hop on a bus to porto alegre in about two hours. that's where the big nomad meetups happen, or at least that's what i've read on the forums. also, the wine region around caxias do sul is a short drive away and promises cooler temps, which sounds like heaven right now. i've considered renting a car for a weekend just to taste some of those italian-influenced reds.

i asked a local about the best churrascaria. someone told me that 'churrascaria do gaúcho' is the spot, but the guy at the hostel reception warned me it's a tourist trap with prices that'll make you weep. i ended up going to a tiny place down the road that wasn't on any map, and it was the best steak i've ever had. you can't trust those reviews, they're all paid for. i generally trust the word of mouth from other travelers i meet at the hostel bar over anything on tripadvisor. but i still use tripadvisor to gauge the overall vibe. for instance, their list of offbeat attractions in santa maria includes the museum of aviation, which actually exists and is weirdly fascinating. i'll drop a link: TripAdvisor - Offbeat Attractions in Santa Maria. yelp helps when i'm hunting for coffee; the top rated spot is 'espresso & algo mais' and they do have that hipster vibe with swedish furniture. here's the Yelp page. there's also a local facebook group 'santa maria expats and nomads' where people trade tips on apartments and visa runs - it's been a lifesaver. join the group here. for the boring facts, the wikipedia page gives the population and history, but who cares about that when you're living it. Santa Maria Wikipedia.

after a few days, i finally explored the riverfront. the rio jacuí is surprisingly pretty, with palm trees lining the bank. it was the perfect spot to watch the sunset and let my feet dangle in the water. the palm trees looked exactly like the ones in this photo:

i've got to say, santa maria is growing on me. it's not the most glamorous destination, but there's a rawness to it that feels real. the people are friendly, even if we don't always understand each other's portuguese. my portuguese is limited to 'obrigado' and 'uma cerveja, por favor', but they appreciate the effort. the digital nomad scene is tiny, which means less competition for café seats but also fewer events to network. i've been spending my afternoons at the coworking space trying to meet deadlines, and my evenings wandering the streets, sampling the local cuisine. there's a particular bar that serves the best coxinhas i've ever tasted, but i'm keeping that one secret.

i'm writing this from my hostel bed with the fan rattling above me. the humidity has finally broken a little, leaving a light drizzle that taps on the window. i've got a deadline in six hours, but i'm too busy reminiscing about the past few days to work. maybe that's the charm of santa maria: it makes you slow down and actually feel the air, the heat, the sweat, the taste of the food. it's not instagram-perfect, it's messy, it's human. and honestly, i'm not ready to leave just yet.