Preparing

A while a go, my husband who LOVES shopping, and also LOVES outdoor gear, put an airsoft gun to my head, and forced me to buy some chacos.  Secretly, I think he just wanted us to have matching shoes. For all of you non-chaco peeps, chacos are a type of outdoor shoe for hiking, getting wet, and pretty much anything else one does outdoors. My chacos are some of the cutest I've ever seen.  Their much girly-er than many of the styles that are typically sold. 

BUT they sometimes give me blisters. I have super sensitive feet though. Its not normal for chacos to give blisters. So I was concerned about having them as my MAIN shoes while traveling.  If I get blisters then I'd pretty much be up a creek barefoot.

So I started looking at other outdoor shoes to compliment my chacos.  And on a random day out and about, I found these: Merrell Hiking shoes. Not only are they ADORABLE outdoor shoes, but they also are closed toe, waterproof, breathable and extremely comfortable. I payed WAY more than I wanted to.  The pain is even more acute and sharp because I paid more than the retail price in the states (because of import tax). I hate buying expensive things, but sometimes you just have to break down.  I almost always look for sales, but I wasn't sure I was going to find a sale before we left for traveling, and its getting cold.  I don't like shopping in the cold. So I just bought them. I'm very happy with them so far, although I haven't gotten to wear them much because fall has abandoned us to the harsh grasp of winter, but every time I slip them on, they feel like walking on clouds.