Boots - Blogabond

Beijing, China

I packed an old pair of boots on purpose. I thought I could use them for a hike then leave them behind in China giving me more more luggage space for my return trip. WRONG! They are LL Bean boots meaning I can return them at ANY TIME, in any condition for a refund. But I can't return them if I leave them behind in China. That was miscalculation #1.

Miscalculation #2? [Tu?] They are crumbling under foot and I haven't even started the hike. I took them to a local shoe repair man and he did a great job getting the tread under the toe to re-adhere but the right boot is loosing chunks of the sole from the side & under the heal, not the bottom sole, the cushion between the sole and foot part. Not fixable, he said.

There are actually not that many Miles on these boots. I used them to tramp in Australia & New Zealand [down under 'hiking,' if I remember correctly, is thumbing for a ride and 'tramping' is a walk in nature], hike in Chile and not much more. I think my longest hike/tramp was 80 kilometers in 6 days. Sneakers work fine for most of my woods walking.

Any hoo...

Now I need to run out and buy new hikers before I fly to Yunnan tomorrow AND decide if I want to lug the faulty boots back to the US for the money-back guarantee. :-/

written by

prrrrl on February 28, 2012 from Beijing, China

from the travel blog: Beijing I, 2012

tagged Boots, Tread, Hikers, Miscalculation and Tramp

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Lijiang, China

My routine is to get up early to wander the maze, getting pictures before the crowds descend. I stop for breakfast early in my wanderings and stop for lunch at the end. Breakfast - check! Wandering - check! Lunch - no check. Where are the restaurants?? Not find a restaurant in China? Weird! I finally stop a smiling gentleman and ask him. I also tell him I prefer cheap, having heard earlier that the restaurants in this World Heritage Site are pricey. He suggests some snack eateries and even walks me to the street as that's the direction he's headed any. Perfect! I enjoy a nice lunch in a local eatery, not a tourist trap. Now to find my way back to my hostel. I think I'm south of the Old Town and my temporary abode is on the east side. Just walk northeast, right? I walked & walked and was eventually totally outside the Old Town. Oops! I can either back track or go around this huge athletic Field. I go around hoping I can reenter Old Town on the other side. Despite one dead end alley that I had retrace my way out of, it worked, obviously, as i'm here to type my Story. But I put many kilometers on my new hiking boots that day.

Miscalculation multiplied by Tu

Beijing, China

Rat in maze test 3: FAIL!

Lijiang, China

Heading South?