A pot of something simmering sits in the middle of the table, and nobody asks whether you are hungry before filling your plate. Meals here are where islanders trade news, argue about football and drift into song, with the sea never far from the window. Each island has its own character.

The climate is arid and warm all year, with little and irregular rain, a bit more on the higher islands. Pack light clothes and a hat. A Local Friend sits down with you at a table you would not have found alone, and an ordinary dinner becomes the story you tell afterwards.