Becca vs. India: Distance Walking
My right flip-flop breaks apart as I am crossing a busy intersection in Mumbai. I dodge a cab and hobble on the hot asphalt, shoe foot/bare foot/shoe foot/bare foot for a couple of blocks until I find a sandal vendor.
Now, the best way to haggle for something is to act like you don't really need it, but I am literally hopping towards this man with a broken shoe in my hand, so that strategy is blown. It takes the chappal wallah quite awhile to unearth a pair of sandals large enough for my huge Western feet. As he digs through his stock, he keeps remarking on how big my feet are. His co-worker just stares at my toes and laughs.
The man's stall is filled with delicate, bejeweled ladies' sandals. The only pair that fits me are the sort of wide, straw-bottomed flip-flops generally sold at American flea markets for a dollar. As soon as I step into them, the vendor demands $10 U.S.
I try to bargain, but the asphalt is sizzling and he's already thrown away my other shoes. When I refuse to pay so much, he pontificates at length about how, since my feet are SO LARGE, it's taken him much more material to construct these shoes. (As if he personally handcrafted these "made in china" specials.) His co-worker continues to giggle helplessly at the sight of my feet. I pay $8 to escape humiliation.
Distance walking challenge winner: India again
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