Salicylic Acid

I've found a flaw in my pretty-much realized goal of wearing only sandals on my feet. There have been only a handful of days in the last few years when I've had on shoes and socks. I accomplished my goal of foot-found freedom due to winters spent in tropical locations.

Unfortunately, I have developed a couple of plantar warts on my right foot.

I picked up this medicine at Walmart today. I expect it will quickly rid me of the annoying small lesions. Importantly, I don't expect to return to trudging about in typical footwear anytime soon.

Closed-Toe Hiking Sandals

I'm a happy man today, sandal-wise.

For the past three weeks, I have been thinking it'd be good to get some new sandals before our month away in August and September. A comfortable, shiny pair would be good for walking around Rome, and for the Adriatic and Mediterranean ports which we'll be visiting on our Holland America Lines cruise. Earlier this week, I noticed the calendar said our flight leaves a week from tomorrow. There was little time to delay, procrastinator Dennis!

On Tuesday I made an online order for a pair of Keen Arroyu II sandals from Mountain Equipment Co-op. They were about 10% cheaper buying through the co-op and prices were close to what US prices are, given the exchange rate and free shipping. The box arrived by Canada Post this morning.



I like how the Canada Post's expedited-delivery packages are left right in our apartment buildings' postal boxes now. The delivery guy leaves a key in our letter box with a tag indicating which parcel box the item is in. After grabbing the box, I had to leave the keys back in the small, personal box. That is so much better as no one needs to be home to accept delivery. Yahoo. I'm set! They shouldn't require much 'breaking in' either.

Shopping Should Be Easy

I find myself shopping for sandals, again. That really doesn't make me very happy as I bought a pair less than a year ago uptown. I really hadn't heard of the Khombu brand but they looked fine and the price was right. As it turns out, they are crap. I've resorted to a whole stick of glue and the glue-gun to keep them together temporarily. They probably represent the worst experience with footwear I've ever had. However, sandals are important to me for we often spend a lot of a typical year in places suitable for their use. I will soon need a good pair while traversing Greek islands.

I know exactly what I want. Let me buy a pair of Keen Men's Orroyo II, size 8, in black olive and Bombay brown, please.



Shopping should be easier here. My only option is to cough up list price on the Keen Canada site. I simply cannot find a cheaper option on this side of the border. The local SportsChek doesn't seem to carry my desired model of Keens. Mountain Equipment Coop doesn't carry the colours I want. The Canadian version of Amazon doesn't have any bargains at all and, unfortunately, there are few other viable, online shoe-store options here.

I've never had to spend the equivalent of over $US 100 for a pair of sandals before. Yet, it looks as though I am probably going to have to.

They Deserve Cremation

I loved my original pair of Caterpillar™ sandals. I'm going to feel a fair bit disrespectful wrapping these in a plastic bag and throwing 'em down the garbage chute.

It surely seems as though I should start a little bonfire on the balcony and place them deeply within the flames and embers. That would be a more honorary disposal.


This pair of footwear has been with me, nay nearly a part of me, for four summers. They were on my feet along the sandy beaches of Puerto Vallarta. These protected my toes when walking through tea plantation in mountainous Sri Lanka. They've felt the streets of Bangkok, the trails amongst the Began Temples of Burma, and thoroughfares in Saigon. These Capitillars helped me tread the banks of the Nile, the ancient pavement of Petra, and the cobblestone paths in Jerusalem.

I tried replacing them with new ones once already, but it just didn't work out.

It is with heartfelt sadness today, I paid for a new pair of Khombu sandals. The impostors feel cheap and insignificant on my feet and in my heart. I know, however, I must move on.


In Memoriam:

In the store on the date of purchase on July 27, 2012.

Old Soles - Day 55

Even though they've been in the sun all day, it's still going to take a while longer for my sandals to dry. I gave them a bath today after getting them pretty dusty in the hike to Playa Colomitos and back yesterday. I will add that they have been the only footware I've had on since the day after the US Thanksgiving. That is also the date when I last wore socks!

I love my CATS. Actually, these are the second pair of Caterpillar sandals I've owned. I broke out this pair especially for this winter.

I couldn't bear to throw away my older ones though. I am not sure how many years I owned my former favourites, but they spent at least one winter of continuous wear in Sri Lanka. I am sure I walked among the ancient temples of Bagan, Burma in them. They most recently took me around the archaeological sites of ancient Egypt last spring. They may have even taken me to the largest religious monument in the world at Angkor Wat. Maybe I'll have that set bronzed.

Wearing Sandals is Logical - Day 38

People are amazingly adaptable. In fact, that is probably the reason we, as a species, have done so well. Quite often though, humans merely survive rather than live comfortably.




For example, I have always wondered why humans ever choose to live in places where the climate is often harsh. I suppose individual temperaments can vary. It seems to me that, naturally, our species would chose to be in places on the planet where clothing were somewhat optional. I've nothing against clothes. One must protect oneself from the baking sun or freezing sleet. Yet, I find it odd that people voluntarily exist where their very shelters have to be artificially cooled or heated.

Some live in deserts, but living in most of these locations can only occur because of massive amounts of technology. In places too hot or dry, it seems as though nature is vanquished. Secondly, I know that there are millions of people who love skiing, but maybe that's just because they've never tried surfing. Shovelling a car out from under a mountain of freshly fallen show might have a one-time appeal, but having to frequently do so in order to get to work is just plain crazy. No?

I guess I should be happy that people don't seem all that logical to me. There are simply not enough places for most of you at latitudes conducive for easy living. Stay there, and for four more months, I'll post pictures from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Day 29 - How Many Steps?

My sandals have been literally worn out from this trip. Today, we took a little more rubber off the soles. We walked the markets and continued walking the streets to get a better feel of the place. I met up with a relative I'd not seen in over 40 years; that was a hoot as well.





Of course, we ended up at the beach numerous times.




Tomorrow is a holiday in Israel meaning that lots of things will be closed. Yet we have plans for lunch and the beach is always there!

Keen on Keens

I used to be a man with simple tastes.

Over the more than five decades I've been around, I've slowly come to a realization that there are some things one shouldn't skimp on. One, for example, is shampoo. Buying a cheap bottle of shampoo seldom works out to be a bargain if one gets an itchy scalp. Ditto, for carpeting; if it's gonna last, it's best not to cut corners, so to speak. The same holds true for instant coffee, although I usually brew my morning java fix. Cheap coffee is really no deal.



I am beginning to feel the same way about things strapped on my feet. It really doesn't make sense to buy sandals which will last only a month before giving up the ghost. Today, I noticed the soles of my current ones are splitting.

Lynne Thomas, I now have you to blame for a desire to own a pair of $100 Keen Newport's. Really, $50 for some straps which hold a single heel? (It's not like I have the option to buy only one at a time!) I do think it is inevitable that I will settle on a pair of Keens though as I'd be able to wear them for the whole upcoming winter. I want a pair strong enough to hike in Sri Lanka, Burma, and South-East Asia. Thanks, Lynne for broadening and refining my tastes!

The Colour of Money

For most of my working life, I've carried colourful money in my wallet. Actually, due to the use of debit and credit cards, I haven't really used cash in Canada for more than a decade.



Yet, an important part of getting ready for an overseas trip is picking up a little cash to use on sundry items. Today, we stopped in the Merlin Travel in Metrotown just to get some US dollars and a few Costa Rican colones. These, along with the cards for bank machine withdrawal, will be used after next Saturday's flight, and for the remainder of the month. I've already thrown a few shorts and Hawaiian shirts, and sandals into a backpack along with my passport. Almost set!

Trip to Italy - Day 15

Sunday: Doing the Five Villages.  We had the pass.  We had had bread, jam, cheese, and juice in the room.  We were ready to join all the other tourists who'd already headed onto earlier trains.  It was after nine o'clock.

We figured it'd be easiest to start from this end.  So we disembarked in Riomaggiore first.  We walked back to the inital part of the town through a tunnel and explored by walking the sea-side trail back.  It was nice, but we'd already been spoilt by the next town.  We decided to walked the lower trails to Manarola.  This was definitely the 'fat tourist' part of the trail with easy broad hard paths.  The reason so many decide on this part of the route to experience the view is that it was only a 20 minute walk.

As long as we weren't winded, we figured we'd take on the next village.  A brochure said it would take one hour and ten minutes.  The path was a little more like I expected a path to be.  Still, it was not at all difficult in sandals.  We found that Corniglia was a hill top town.  We walked to the station area right when a bus was due to take tourists to the top.  I'm not one to ignore fate.  The pathways between buildings in Italy are by now nothing new.  I still found them interesting between the buildings nestled together at the top of a mountain facing the sea.  It was, by then, after 1:00 pm.  We were ready for something to eat.  Oh mama mia, a shared pizza was masterfully created before our eyes.  We also availed ourselves of reasonably priced gelato.  Everybody was; it was warm outside.

At last, to board a train seemed like the right thing to do.  The trail to Vernazza would have taken too long.  I was impressed with the easily accessible station and the picturesque walk to the harbour.  This place had a small beach making it perfect.  I'd probably have to vote for this town or Manarola as those I'd like to see again. 

We continued back to Monterosso just to make it all Cinque Terre towns in one day.  It has extensive beaches but it a little too crowded and new.

Coming back was a bit of a zoo.  The train was late in arriving so the tourists got backed up.  As it was the weekend, there were many local Italian visitors making enormous crowds today.  By the time we got through all five cities were were nearly an hour late.  We're back now and have eaten.  We even paid for the hotel tonight, so we won't have to goof around in the morning.  We have reservations on the train to Naples.  It leaves at 7:59 the earliest we've had to be on the road on this vacation so far.

To the East for a Day

This was our last breakfast near the canal. We checked out of the hotel although my MasterCard didn't work. I think the receptionist did something wrong when trying to verify it. We then talked to the local bus station (up and around the corner) and grabbed a local bus to Kaduwalla's larger bus stand. We have decided to stray from the triangle and go to the eastern town of Batticaloa. This area was strictly off the visitor's path during the war years.

It was a long-distance bus, so we ended up sitting around for 45 mintues before it started to move. On the trip, I used my GPS, so I know we traveled 90 kilometers. Yet lest you think it was an hour's journey; I have to inform that it was more than two and a half. The road, you see, hasn't been maintained since the ethnic troubles started in the early 80's.



Upon arrival, a 3-wheel took us to the Lake View Inn. It was a short walk across a bridge which we'll walk for tomorrow's bus. We walked around town and saw that the Dutch Fort although unknown by name to the locals . . . is where many government offices still function. A second walk confirmed that this is definitely a stray puppy city. I shaved off my hair and I sort of miss my tail. As my sandals lost a strap, I thew them away for a pair of new Battas.

Cariboo Heights

I'd never stepped there, although
it is within a eagle's sight
away.

Usual life seems to boil down to
just running between places I already
know.

Today, it took a dogged focus to
hit a different
path.

That trail was hardly new, just new in
stride for my own
sandals.

I'd never stepped there and I’d never
stopped there. Yet today, I
did.