Every street has its own soundtrack: a stall setting up before sunrise, children cutting through an alley, neighbours calling across open doorways. Walk a few blocks and the mood shifts, from a crowded avenue to a quiet lane where people remember your face by the second visit.
The weather is tropical, hot and humid, with a rainy season, a drier and cooler stretch, and milder highlands. Walk in the morning and evening, and keep the hottest hours for shade and a cold drink. A Local Friend introduces you to their own neighbourhood, so a stroll turns into shortcuts, new faces and a table already waiting.
