this city is so weird but i kinda love it

734077. that's the code i had to type into the machine to get into my hostel. no joke. it felt like i was hacking into a secret government facility instead of just trying to find a bed for the night. the place was...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. it's not exactly tropical, but it's not freezing either. just enough to make you want to wear a light jacket and complain about it.

i just checked and it's 14.73 degrees with 77% humidity. i'm sweating but also kinda cold? i don't get it. the pressure is 1005, which sounds like a lot but apparently it's normal. whatever that means.

anyway, the city itself is wild. i walked around for hours and felt like i was in a movie set. everything is so clean and organized, but also kinda empty? like, where are all the people? i heard that locals don't really hang out in the center, they just come here to work and then leave. someone told me that the best coffee is actually in the suburbs, but i haven't ventured that far yet.

if you get bored, [cities] are just a short drive away. i'm thinking of renting a car tomorrow and checking them out. maybe i'll find some hidden gems or at least a decent place to eat.

i tried to take some photos but the lighting was terrible. i'm a freelance photographer, so i notice these things. the sun was hiding behind clouds and everything looked flat. i did manage to snap a few shots of this weird statue in the park. it looked like a giant metal spider, and i have no idea what it's supposed to represent. i'll post them later, maybe someone can explain it to me.

i also went to this museum that was supposed to be amazing. it was okay, i guess. the exhibits were interesting, but the place was so quiet it felt like a library. i couldn't even take photos inside, which was a bummer. i did buy a postcard though, so that's something.

i'm staying in this neighborhood that's supposed to be the artsy part of town. there are a lot of murals and graffiti, which is cool, but also a lot of tourists taking selfies. i tried to find a local bar to hang out in, but everything seemed either too fancy or too divey. i ended up at this little cafe that had free wifi and a decent latte. it'll do for now.

i keep thinking about how different this place is from home. everything is so...clean. and efficient. it's like they've figured out how to make a city work without all the chaos. but then again, maybe that's why it feels so empty. i don't know. i'm still processing it all.

i'm gonna go explore some more tomorrow. maybe i'll find the heart of this city, or maybe i'll just keep wandering around feeling like an outsider. either way, it's an adventure. and isn't that what travel is all about?

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