A Tribute to my Vans

I never intended to get so attached to a pair of shoes before, until I recently realized an ache in my feet. That then it finally dawned on me that my Vans Velcro shoes were hitting it’s last stroll in Asia. With the canvas ripping, the inner sole broken down, and the integrity of the heel almost nil, this realization occurred while I was making my way down to Tokyo to hop on a plane to Singapore. This event also sparked something in me to start recording my travel adventures. So with that, I think this is a good place to start my travel blog by writing my (quick) tribute to my Velcro Vans.

I first purchased these shoes when I went home for Christmas in 2009. Due to the nature of my job, I move a lot and sometimes my job will take me overseas to work. It was the first time I’ve been home since I left the U.S. and after a year I thought it would be a good time to come home for the holidays. So as a gift from my mom, she bought these shoes for me (she insisted). Once I returned back to Europe in January 2010, my friend wanted to go to Greece for her birthday and later to Rome, Italy. Wanting to show off my new kicks, excluding the U.S., my shoes already walked through 3 countries (Germany, Greece, and Italy) in the first month of 2010. I can’t really back track on the exact dates of all the places they’ve been to but in a general sense, they have travelled through: Germany, Greece, France, Italy, Finland, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Hungary, Ireland, Switzerland, Iceland, Portugal, Malta, and now Japan. They have also been to seven states: California, Hawaii, Alabama, Washington, Florida, Michigan, and Mississippi.

Izu Oshima, Tokyo, Japan

Reykjavik, Iceland

Michigan

For being such a lightweight, canvas type of shoes, I have definitely put them through a lot. From the thermal baths of Budapest or the Blue Lagoon of Iceland, to the exploration of castles in Spain and Germany, to the extreme snowstorms in Japan I would definitely take these over my Chucks. Why? For one, they are Velcro and easy to put on and take off. No laces to put the bunny through the forest and since I frequently take my shoes off (in the house), they are just as good as my slip-on Vans but more secure! Oh, and even astronauts rely on them!

My Vans have been through about 50% of all the countries I visited. Unfortunately, pair #1 has reached its last stroll in Singapore, Singapore.  With Australia, New Zealand, S. Korea, India, Nepal, and China on the books before I move back to the United States next year; my new pair of Prisoner Issue #23, pair #2 will have to get me through my next set of adventures. Ready for a stroll?

Intro

Hey all! I'm Joyce (or JJ) for the folks that don't know me. I finally decided to start a blog of all my travels. Why now? Well, it's mainly for myself but I thought it could help out my fellow travelers, too.

A few things I want to mention. I have a pretty short attention spam so my traveling duration are usually short, but the hours in the day are never wasted! One of my goals is to have a chance at the "Amazing Race" and once I have explored the Earth, I want to venture out into Space. I do like to see the "touristy" places but I prefer "off the beaten path" kind of things. So how do I choose my locations? On my lunch breaks I look at travelling websites like budgettravel.com or news websites and skip the news and go straight to the travel section. Don't worry, I'm still in the "know" in regards to the current events (for the most part). Or if I see a movie that has a great scene I would like to travel to, I will research on it. For example, when "The Beach" came out I've always wanted to go to Koh Phi Phi, Thailand. I was finally able to make it there last November! 

So, thank you in advance for reading. I hope you enjoy my adventures as I always do. Oh, the goofy guy in majority of the pictures is my husband, Mike. He's usually the brains in making my trips possible. :)

Angkor Wat