Shoes

I have never been a shoe collector. I don't have a pair to match each my outfit or handbag, but in Asia I understood the meaning of shoes more clearly and I do appreciate my nice pair of El Naturalista sandals here.

In 2006 I was travelling in South East Asia. While in north Thailand, in a small but touristic village Pai, my sandal broke. It was the only pair I had, as I tried to travel with as little as possible. It was hard to find fitting shoes as my European feet is a bit bigger than the Asians sisters pretty small feet. I was walking bare foot for few days. One day a local girl stopped me, and asked quite angrily why i was not wearing shoes. We ended up having a good conversation.

In Asia, only poor people walk without shoes. If you can afford a pair, you will wear it. Well maybe some religious fellas, sadhus, go without just for the religions sake. But in many religions here you go only to a temple without shoes, and you have to be sure your feet are clean. So for locals, me walking bare foot is offending. I am a rich white girl, and for sure i have money to buy a pair...or even ten pairs.

So I quickly went and bought a pair. I did not like the ones i found and they were very uncomfortable to walk in aswell, but I understood the point. I do see quite a few (wannabe) hippies walking around here without shoes too. Sometimes I have shared the above. I do understand it until some point, I do like walking without shoes as well. But please all you beautiful hippie souls...maybe consider leaving the shoeless life to the west? Besides, my dear old room mate Jess from Kathmandu could tell you few stories about nice worms that can enter your body through your feet without you even noticing... (if you are interested check wiki )

Today I witnessed something that made me remeber the above. There has been a small indian family lately on the Sudder Street where I stay at. There is an old 70+ man and his daugher and granddaugher. They play (religious hindu?) songs and this is a way for them to earn living. They are not that rich. Woman is wearing cheap white plastic sandals, and man plastic shoes. But the small girl has been walking bare foot. Until two days a go, a korean woman had bought her a new outfit. That included abeautiful new pair of leather sandals decorated with flowers. The girl had them on when she came next time, but everytime she sat she took the shoes off and after an hour she was walking without them. When you get used to going bare foot, it is difficult to learn to wear the shoes again.

Same goes in the slum. The children often have colds and such, and especially in the winter it can be actually even cold here. We have reminded them many times to wear at least simple plastic sandals, but still you see almost each and every kid running around with nothing in their feet.

Responsible Charity has done a donation in the past by giving 400 pairs of shoes together with the Goodman Project for Krishmont School where some of the kids from the Slum also go.

Keep your shoes on :)