my shoes

It is a sad day. My favorite pair of shoes have finally worn out and no amount of glue or duct tape could come to the rescue.

I shouldn't be so sentimental, but I purchased these shoes about 8 years ago and they've been a staple on all of my Africa trips. They have slogged through the muds of the forest region of Guinea during the rainy season; they have kept my feet cool on the hot sands of Timbuktu, Mali; they have met the pygmy king of western Uganda; they've been with me on safari in Kenya and South Africa; they have protected my feet from the mines of southern Sudan (ok, that one is a stretch!) and even kept me balanced on the rough cobble stones of Boston.

And now, they are lying in a trash heap in Wau, S. Sudan, because it wasn't worth bringing them back from their last trip.

The worst thing about it...only one of the shoes was ruined!

RIP.