Check for oddities, like all the civil servants being sacks of leeches shaped like humans. Or all the parking meters change position each night, slowly forming the subtle orbital patterns of an ancient babylonian incantation.
When you get off the beaten path and into the rural areas, shit gets real. The gastro issues and worms are the worst. One friend's taxi drove off a cliff, but was stopped by a tree. We did some drugs I don't think the modern world is aware of still. 9/10 trip. No one died.