Monsoon Shoes

SitaParityaga

Please help settle an argument between Ed and Sita.

Neither of us have been to India during monsoon, and Ed is off to Mumbai, Nashik and Aurangabad in 2 weeks. He will be in rural and city places.

I keep having visions of flooded streets, wading around up to your knees, and all that goes with it, swirling around and through your sandals. Or rather, HIS sandals.

He doesn't want to carry around boots.

What do you do to get through the water in monsoon, especially in the cities?

I'd love to hear from you all on the topic, including IMer's from India. What do you put on your feet?

Bigzero

boots if you are that concerned about water and whatever is in it..

for me i prefer the plastic sandals. It is impossible not to get street water around your fingers with a sandal, but i guess after the initial discomfort you will get used to it.. Keep washing your feet whenever you get an opportunity.

infections could happen once in a while though. especially between the toes.

avoid puddles as much as you can. goes without saying.

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kandroma

i was in the south during the thick of the monsoon last year and some of my friends found galoshes very helpful- they just put them on over their shoes. I couldn't find any galoshes my size, so I often ended up taking off my flipflops and just walking barefoot, and then scrubbing my feet when I got home. However, I was in a rural village. I would not recommend doing that in a city. My sneakers ended up getting ruined so tell your friend not to bring any shoes that he cares about.

SitaParityaga

Great answer! There is the bottom line: are the boots or the actual concern itself the heavier item!

Same for you, Kandroma....we'd really like to just hear what everyone else does.

It's just weird to be the one who shows up in flip flops and everyone else has on boots! You know the feeling, when you realize everyone else has long ago figured it all out and you are the one without a clue.

Nick-H

I'll certainly be buying wellies before the rainy season here.

My Gortex-lined walking boots were fine for an inch or three of water, but once it gets over that they fill up.

Nothing can protect against falling down an open manhole, except perhaps walking with a stick. I wonder if rubber boots would be sufficient protection from electrocution from a broken electric cable?

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SitaParityaga

Sooooo sick Nick! Now I'll be having nightmares about water and electricity!

Ed and I actually saw a kid fall down an open manhole in Udaipur. Kid was ok...daddy jumped down and got him out. Hey, it happens.

What are wellies?

goangoangone

"Wellies" are Wellington boots. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_boots
Flipflops are too slippery. Wear some strapped sandals that will dry easily.

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amyl

yes what are willies??

btw manholes are dreadful really! i read some really horrible stories during the last monsoon in mumbai...ppl sucked and ppl drained!!! horrid!!!

and hey what kind of shoes wud be good for wet conditions in the mountians? the woodlands like stuff are the best on dry terrain but in wet conditions i had a couple of terrible experiences in the mountains last monsoon. so what for wet trekking?

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amyl

oh ok...we were typing at the same time it seems got that ..thanks!

goangoangone

Willies or wellies?

amyl

oh! slip of finger on the keyboard there

wellies are called 'gum-boots' at my place... donot know if thats correct or if its spelt that way but thats what i have been hearing and we used to have fun during our school days.. tho at times when getting mudded in those shoes i did feel willies in the wellies .. corse soil in and hurting the feet...they were meant to keep the feet dry but who wanted!?!

kandroma

if by everyone else you mean the local people, i never saw an Indian or a Tibetan with anything on their feet other than flip flops or lace up leather shoes. if by everyone else you mean westerners, then galoshes or flip flops are the way to go. you can buy galoshes in any halfway decent shoestore in india....

really though, you may just want to blend in, but halfway through the monsoon, when everything you own is soaked through, and your feet are red from the cold and the damp, you'll just want something that will keep you dry- i'd go with the wellies...they're just plain rubber, so you don't have to worry about the weight or anything...

Nick-H

From monsoon footware to willies? Oh well....

Sorry to be scary. These risks do exist, and Mrs N tries to stop me going out when the streets are flooded.

Rhino25782

Hey everybody,

how do people get to their offices during the monsoon and still don't look filthy? Any chance? I am a bit worried about my shoes and trousers here ;-)

aadil

You do get monsoon footwear that looks like leather but is made of rubber and is pretty good for the normal rainy conditions except that when the water is too high then nothing can save you not even the Wellingtons or gumboots as they are called in India. Wearing sandals in the water is fine if you don't mind the mucky feeling inbetween your toes!!! You will need to get some water resistant sandals and not the regular leather ones for the monsoons or else they will not dry out soon and be a pain to wear when they get wet and heavy.

Cheers,
Aadil.

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