It's raining how it does this time of year - constant shelling, so smooth it sounds like one drum beating.

July 18th, 2013, 10am

It was 25°C with few clouds. The wind was calm.

Rain falls differently here than in other countries. Even the loudest storm holds a perfectly still silence, a tempo that was made for sleeping in and cuddling up with a good book. It sounds almost like the gentle sha sha sha of sand sometimes. If you’re outdoors, it’s impossible to stay dry - the rain comes down in buckets, and puddles lie in wait between roads. Water is life, and you really see this city come alive best in the season of monsoons.