You get what you pay for

Spiffy new flip-flops
Not so spiffy crooked toes ;-0

We were out one night after Carnaval was over, but the achines* (street vendors) were still there. I needed a pair of flip-flops so we stopped to take a look at one vendor's stall. The selection was pretty shabby − everything from China, I think, and their extra special quality for the third-world to boot. I only found one decent pair in my size: Those sparkly, spangly ones in the photo above.

The price was right. I took that photo a few weeks ago to brag to you about spending L.20 (US $1.06) for a pair of flip-flops. Hah! The joke was on me. The shoes actually cost a dollar per day, because that is exactly how long they lasted! I wore them one day plus two hours the next day. The soles weren't even dirty yet.


I'm going to glue them to see if I can get another week or so out of them. Right now I'm back to wearing my shabby ones.



* Achines is related to the word achinado which means oriental. Not that the vendors were oriental, just the junk they sell.