Walk any neighbourhood and the street talks to you in colour: hand-painted signs, canvases propped against walls, and the smell of something simmering on a charcoal stove. Conversations in Creole spill from doorways, music drifts from a radio somewhere, and green mountains stand behind the rooftops.
The weather is tropical and warm all year, with two rainy seasons and cooler air in the highlands, so mornings suit long walks and hot afternoons suit shade. A Local Friend introduces you to their own neighbourhood, to the cooks, the artists and the neighbours on the next block, and a map of streets turns into a map of faces.