The above ‘shoes with a view’ photo was taken during some splendidly mellow downtime on one of my best-est, most favourite-est days of 2009 (November 25th to be exact). It may sound silly but I had quite the epiphany lazily contemplating those clodhoppers. I’m not one to go ga-ga over any brand, but I’ve gotta hand it to that practical pair of Merrells.
The late November morning started off quite solemnly at dawn watching novice monks on their daily alms procession through the relaxed and lovely little UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang. After that, it was off to Elephant Village on the banks of the bucolic Nam Khan River for a day and a half of elephant trekking.
While lounging around after a filling lunch at Elephant Village’s main camp, I propped my feet up and took notice of my shoes, a pair of Merrells I’d purchased much earlier in the year. I realized they’d been the ideal footwear for just such a jungle-y, tropical adventure. I also remembered that a few months prior, my lightweight, breathable mesh Merrells had provided more than adequate support for my urban exploits in Lagos, Nigeria. After putting plenty of miles (not to mention lots of wear-n-tear) on these rubber soled puppies, I must admit that surprisingly they’re still in excellent condition. I reckon I can get another year or so out of ’em easy.
If you’re heading somewhere hot and humid and want to do more than merely mope about in flip flops, I highly recommend considering a pair of Merrell walking shoes.
After admiring my sturdy yet flexi-light shoes, I nodded off for an excellent midday snooze, saving up my energy for later when back atop my trusty new found pachyderm friend (along with an even more trusty elephant trainer) I trekking back into the forests of Laos (culminating the next day with some early morning bath time fun in the Nam Khan).
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