I was in an air-conditioned taxi talking to a colleague and only dimly aware of where we were. Suddenly I knew we were close to where I was going to get out and could easily walk whereas the driver would have to navigate a series of one-way streets.

When I stepped out of the air conditioned cab and onto the curb suddenly I was surrounded by office workers all, it seemed to me, cheerfully having lunch at a range of different shaded outdoor cafés and coffee shops. I was standing in the bright equatorial sun. Youngish looking men in shirts and ties and smart women in the office dresses streamed by. I felt like I was watching a fast flowing river.

Across the street from me was a three story high restored shop house arcade partly covered over by a plexiglass sky. I knew the bright sun would defeat me soon but I wanted to walk amidst the energy. I didn’t know whether to go left toward open air bars or across to the plexiglass sky, or perhaps walking forward chasing whimsically after the beautiful people. All paths seemed light and possible.

I’d made a discovery of a part of the city that was new to me, in a city that seems often predictable; freshness and energy.