About to be published: “Barefoot in Asia” – please contribute!

I’ve spent the past few years “on the road”, exploring India, Nepal, Bangladesh and other parts of Asia. It’s my habit to travel barefoot and I’ve met quite a few like-minded souls! I’ve also met people – mostly online – who are THINKING about a barefoot-trip but aren’t sure if it is a good idea. I’m writing frequently about my own experience, health issues, problems like hot roads and the reactions of locals – and I’m trying to answer EVERY question, to reply to EVERY email I receive. But it’s time to try something different: I’ll compile a PDF-brochure “Barefoot in Asia”! I’ll include a collection of my own trip-reports as well as some stuff from the web and some helpful advice… BUT: What’s the use to read about ONE guys adventures on bare soles? That’s why I need your help, folks! Please: DON’T reply if you think travelling barefoot is weird, dangerous, offensive or just uncomfortable. DON’T reply if you think “That dirty hippie”! There are other corners in cyberspace where you can express your opinion. ONLY reply if you’ve done some serious travelling in India, Nepal, Bangladesh or other parts of Asia and if you’ve done it BAREFOOT – at least for some time! You can send me a mail or, even better, you can visit my Yahoo-group, the “Barefoot Traveller’s Tepee” and post your trip-report. You can attach photos (or post them in “Photos – Barefoot in Asia”), you can mention links… Most important is: Write about YOUR OWN experience! How did you bear with hot tarmac, dirty streets, joking kids… Was there any “health issue”? Did you feel comfortable all the time? – These are exactly the questions I’m hearing from interested “newbies”, and I think it’ll be extremely helpful – and inspiring! – for them to go through a collection of first-hand reports, garnished with photos and links! Again: If you wouldn’t even think about travelling barefoot, especially in ASIA – please don’t mind! Travelling barefoot is just ONE out of a million things we can enjoy in life, and nobody says it must be everyone’s “cup of tea”! Also: It’s not the only thing I do, not even the most important, but a habit I share with others!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/barefoottravelling/

 

In reply to your post, I don't have much to contribute about extended travelling barefoot over there. But I don't know how many people have ever done it, I think very few. I travelled to south India in 2000 and was there for four months.

I had wanted to be without shoes more (well actually I wore sandals all the time not closed shoes) but I was really affraid of the health hazards. I'm not one of those people, no... I'm not affraid to go barefoot out in public in the U.S., but the things I saw in India were beyond scary when it came to health reasons. Ask me for details if you are curious, but if not, I'll at least describe the few times I was brave enough to leave off my sandals:

In all temples, mosques and palaces we visited, and in a few instances, places that were considered religious places, I didnt wear shoes for reasons of respect. I loved the palace in Mysore because the floors were worn so smooth by centuries of other people doing that, and I always wore shorts like you did ha so well, it accentuated the bareness of my legs and Indians are always a little
tend to stare at white people, especially pale ones like me. One evening when we went to a Badagas village in Tamil Nadu, we left our shoes on the bus I think, and went with the locals to their temple, after a dance performance put on by their children. One of the men there asked me if I liked being barefoot and I was really shy and said "yes!" and he seemed sooo happy and giggly about that. They weren't laughing at me, they were almost honored, that we did what they did.
My observation is that in India, people are so amazed when you adopt a part of their culture, or like their food, or take part in divali, or things like that, because THEY want to be like US, and seeing us be like them, it amazes them, then they are always so curious and asking...
If I ever went back to India or anywhere else in asia you are definitely the person I would want to travel with.. someone open minded and 'down to the earth' literally, feeling it, and all...