I used to travel to Mexico to ride in Masters-age stage races. The guy who sent me there initially, Jose, was an old guy who lived in Vancouver (in an apartment with walls just lined with cycling trophies), but had lived in Mexico City for much of his life. He travelled down there with me one year, and he liked to travel light.
One day, after a stage, Jose was looking at my modern equipment, the technical racing shoes made of leather and ballistic nylon with big cleats that matched the clipless pedals and made the shoes unwalkable. He showed me his own rather modest shoes. They were the very old, archaic Detto Pietro-style shoes made of thin leather, but without any holes. The soles were quite thin in comparison to the plastic soles on my shoes, and they were quite flexible. They had leather cleats attached (he still used toe clips), so he was able to walk around in them. It was the only pair of shoes he had brought with him!
I think I had at least brought a pair of Adidas track sandals I could walk around in. Especially on the sandy beaches!
L.