Market stalls spill onto the roadside with woven baskets, carved wood, bright cloth and fruit, and much of it was made by someone you can meet. Craft is part of daily life, from weavers in a doorway to cooks over a small fire, and each region has its own materials and patterns.

The climate is tropical in the east and drier in the highlands and the south, with a hot rainy season and a cooler dry one. Expect long drives, forest walks where lemurs may appear overhead, and market mornings. A Local Friend opens a door you would not have knocked on, like a workshop behind a courtyard wall.