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Total entries in this blog:
Total entries in this category: 51
Published On: Mar 07, 2006 03:02 PM
Total entries in this category: 51
Published On: Mar 07, 2006 03:02 PM
Walk a mile in my shoes
Dali is a tourist town, popular with both
Westerners and Chinese. Walking down the street and avoiding the pleas of
vendors is difficult at any time. When, because of the the quirky lunar
calendar, two major week-long festivals occur at the same time, it becomes
impossible.
As Deb and I made our way to dinner on a busy
street, a man tapped me on the shoulder and pointed at my shoes. I thought he
was one of the countless shoe shiners who pay particular attention to the
high-rollers eating in restaurants. I felt sure that I could escape him by
pointing out that my suede hiking boots could not be
polished.
But he had a new scam. He pointed out (correctly) that the rubber flap at the tip of my toe was pulling away from the leather. I never considered this a problem, but he took these things much more seriously. To demonstrate his concern (and to make the problem worse) he repeatedly pulled at the loose rubber. He did this while I was walking, which made my passage through the crowd all the more difficult, not to mention embarrassing.
The worst of it was, the direction he wanted me to take and the direction we were heading was the same. I assumed he had a shop where he would make the repairs, and I figured I didn't have to go in, so I still felt confident about avoiding his services. Wrong again.
When we reached the jammed intersection with the main pedestrian street there was a confusing flurry of activity. The shoe man was reuniting with two of his accomplices, shouting to one that he'd discovered a customer, and alerting the other, who was rushing up to me with a freshly dipped brush of glue. From their excitement, I felt like I was the first customer they'd ever seen.
I have been in countries where people daub globs of polish on your shoes in anticipation of getting your business. I could see no good coming from this encounter with contact cement. As they distractedly contemplated their good fortune, I slipped anonymously into the crowd.
I still wonder if they talk about the one that got away.
But he had a new scam. He pointed out (correctly) that the rubber flap at the tip of my toe was pulling away from the leather. I never considered this a problem, but he took these things much more seriously. To demonstrate his concern (and to make the problem worse) he repeatedly pulled at the loose rubber. He did this while I was walking, which made my passage through the crowd all the more difficult, not to mention embarrassing.
The worst of it was, the direction he wanted me to take and the direction we were heading was the same. I assumed he had a shop where he would make the repairs, and I figured I didn't have to go in, so I still felt confident about avoiding his services. Wrong again.
When we reached the jammed intersection with the main pedestrian street there was a confusing flurry of activity. The shoe man was reuniting with two of his accomplices, shouting to one that he'd discovered a customer, and alerting the other, who was rushing up to me with a freshly dipped brush of glue. From their excitement, I felt like I was the first customer they'd ever seen.
I have been in countries where people daub globs of polish on your shoes in anticipation of getting your business. I could see no good coming from this encounter with contact cement. As they distractedly contemplated their good fortune, I slipped anonymously into the crowd.
I still wonder if they talk about the one that got away.
Posted: Fri - May 14, 2004 at 02:20 AM