Heels In Hanoi

I grinned at this particular headline about drainage on Viet Nam News this morning. It's been alternating between blazing sunshine and dreary heavy rain. Of course the streets puddled up and in many places, flooded ever so gently. :p Not too bad. Top that with the humidity and it feels almost like home.

When the friends in Hanoi heard that I'll be in town this week, and knowing my penchant for flip flops or birkies, they advised me against it because it's been raining every day. They told me to wear covered shoes. "Covered Crocs would be the best." But I don't exactly want to wear open-toe shoes here or in most ASEAN cities for that matter. I'm not keen on getting the feet grimy after a day of trooping around the little streets.

I brought a pair of grungy comfy El Naturalista heels. To my surprise, they haven't killed my feet. The rubber heels and sole absorb alot of ground impact. Considering how uneven the streets are in Hanoi, the shoes have held up really well. I can walk fast in them too. I love travelling with shoes from this label.

On the streets, I was quite horrified when shoe-shiners kept offering to polish my shoes. After being annoyed by the nth offer, I told off this one persistent guy. He trailed me for a good way and kept insisting that my shoes would look good shiny. My leather shoes look best distressed and dirty, and I fully intend to keep it that way. I don't even bat an eyelid if for some reason, I step into an eeky brown puddle. The rubber heels are doing a great job in keeping my feet dry.