travel

Sole Searching

If you are living north of the Rio Bravo and I were to ask you if you have sandals, you would most likely run to your closet, begin rummaging around, muttering, “Where are those things? I know I have a pair somewhere.”

Ah, but here in Puerto Escondido the sole huggers attached by straps of some fashion are a way of life. Your sandals will always be close afoot. You will be challenged to see any other kind of foot wear as you look amongst the crowds. Staying here longer than a 10 day vacation will lead you to sandals and shorts as a way of life. A way of survival. If your feet are cool, you most likely will be cool moving up from there.
We have been thinking a lot about last minute advice to give to Anita’s brother and his partner. Her brother is no stranger to Mexico; in fact he is bilingual and of Mexican lineage. His woman is another matter – strictly gringa.

If you have been reading along you may recall they have chosen to sell out of their position in the United States and head to Mexico to take up residence. A bold decision.
At this point they are not sure whether Xico or Puerto will be the soft landing – perhaps they will discover another part of Mexico to live once they get down here? But for now they are packing up all their stuff. Their motorcycle is loaded up in a trailer. They are just days away from beginning the long trek down here, where they will meet us in Xico.

Since we are probably as guilty as any for having encouraged the move, we have been trying to impart our wisdom regarding what they might experience here – especially early on.

With a little soul/sole searching we were quick to suggest they invest in a lot of shorts and sandals. Whence last in Las Vegas we stormed the thrift shops scouring their selection of shorts and sandals.

Our Reefs When New

After six months with the Reef sandals the report is mixed. They are without a doubt one of the most comfortable sandals we have owned. The bad news is they started falling apart pretty much from the onset. They seemed to shred their snazzy gray coating within hours – but they operated fine without the coating.

Our Tattered Reefs This Morning

We actually did transport some tequila in them to demonstrate the novelty a few times. Here in Mexico there is little call for hiding your tequila bottle, flask or bota bag. After a couple months one shoe bottle cap went missing. Shortly thereafter the other cap was left in the sand somewhere. Then the plastic housing started to crack and make a strange crackling noise.

After a while the annoying crackling noise stopped, but no more sealed vessel capacity. The sandals had turned pretty ragged. However because they remain comfortable they are still around. The Booze Reefs are generally NOT recommended. All still there is a feeling that Reef Sandals sans the libation gimmick are pretty terrific Puerto Escondido footwear.

Reef Sandal company visitor(s) take note: ‘Would be happy to review another pair or two for you.

We recall the very common north of the border sign: No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service. In Puerto you will NEVER see that sign. You will be out of place with sneakers or street shoes – that is a guarantee. Grab your sandals, shorts, and surf boards; and head on down here. We will continue doing some sole searching to find as comfortable but sturdier sandals.

¡Manténgase Sintonizado! (i.e. Stay Tuned)

John Calypso lives outside Veracruz, Mexico, as well as in Puerto Escondido. Back in the 60s, he was a very hip guy living in Hollywood and rubbing shoulders with Beatles and Monkees. Read lots more in his blog, Viva Veracruz.

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