sometimes i end up in a strange country, not having had any purpose while wandering. i’m not entirely displeased with where i am, tasting unfamiliar fruit and sampling unconventional scents. there’s no consistency here, nothing that heralds a typical, ordered beauty. this land shines from unusual facets, plaster applied in arrangements that seem unordered from a distance, but up close reveal artistic flourish.
i find myself in such a place now, supping on food with a texture that feels unfamiliar but comforting, basking in a magenta sun whose color doesn’t exist in the traditional spectrum, smelling citrus and salt and something from my childhood that i don’t recognize because it’s simultaneously novel and deeply personal.
this is a ticket to that country. it is not a paradise: there is conflict, uncertainty, refugees who left behind everything but their doubt and distrust. but overall it is pleasant here, on a veranda overlooking the winding alleyways and welcoming boulevards of a city that grew with no guidance but desire and whim.
join me if you will. the drinks here are cool and complex and refreshing.