The church of San Francisco de Asis in La Montañeta In the pretty hamlet of La Montañeta the church only has four pews inside the small building; the rest are under a roof but exposed to the elements on three sides.

You can be pretty sure that on cold January mornings you’ll be killed in the rush to get to mass early. But when the temperatures soared into the 40 degrees in May’s intense calima as I explored the hiking trails of the upper reaches of Isla Baja, the shady open air pews of the church of San Francisco de Asis were as close to heaven as they were no doubt intended to be.

In June’s Walkabout you can find out how I coped with the heat and why, having been outpaced by a tortoise, I now have a yearning for carrot cake.