Yeah....right...

Even though I’m lazy, pharm I can muster the energy to go shoe shopping when I’m in the mood and especially when I’ve been out in the countryside for a while.  Just off of Nimmanhaemin Road (a really cute neighbourhood with relatively few tourists loitering around) in Chiang Mai is a shoe store called Ballet that sells hand-made, artificial leather shoes.  I’ve popped in several times to check out their selection and yesterday, decided to actually try on the shoes.  I was sold!  It’s difficult to find good quality, orthopedically correct shoes that are also attractive, in Thailand.  Bangkok has an incredible selection but the styles are rather trendy and fashiony, so I’ve always had difficulty finding functional yet pretty shoes there.  Many girls in the city wear inexpensive but trendy heels and flats that cost about $3 but probably won’t last through a rainstorm (because the soles are glued on) and are so uncomfortable after an hour (I’ve had my experience with shoes like that!).  I came to Thailand with my trusty Birks (still love them), Chacos and Blundstones (ditto, ditto) and Old Navy flip flops (yes, I know…why bring flip flips to the land of flip flops?  They were silver…?!?).  Everything was totally functional and not pretty, especially for those days when I need to feel like a woman!  So, I bought a pair of forties-style espradille wedges in green suede, T-strap heels in grey and funky T-strap sandals in metallic purple – all for under $70.  At the store, Jan made sure to stretch some stiff leather sections and to punch in extra holes in my straps.  Wow, that’s service.  She told me that some of their styles are always bought out by their Royal customers (as in related to the King) and I was like, I’ll bet!

Now, reality check: these shoes will not be wearable in Fang (too fancy, will get dirty easily) and relative to the wages the folks around me in the villages receive for a day’s labour in the fields, I spent a fortune on these shoes.  This is the dichotomy (I’m not sure if that’s the proper application of the word) I experience being involved in development work to benefit the Palaung people and being a Westerner who has disposable income to spend on the “finer” things in Thailand (and also a taste for it at times).  I’m not experiencing buyer’s remorse, but I am reminded again and again of the opportunities and experiences available to me because of my background, education and socio-economic status.  Some of my friends in the Palaung villages can’t even leave Fang to travel to Chiang Mai because they don’t have Thai ID cards, nor can they read nor write.  They still prefer to forage in the forest for bamboo shoots and other plants instead of paying for vegetables in the local markets.  Shoes for thought, perhaps?