I bid a sad farewell to my friend and long-time travel companion: the greatest Single-Plug thongs to have graced god’s green earth (affectionately known to me as, SP).
SP’s departure was typical of a shoe that loved to travel: they took their last step in the departure lounge of the Ho Chi Minh Airport, Vietnam.
SP was born in central China and it was clear from an early age that they were imbued with a strong sense of wanderlust. So it came as no surprise when SP embarked on a treacherous month long sea journey aboard a cargo ship and arrived on Australian shores in 2007.
SP’s early escapades in the wide brown land proved to be far less fruitful than expected. Down on their luck, SP ended up languishing at the bottom of the bargain bin of the Gold Coast Payless Shoes.
Happily, it wasn’t long before fate intervened and I happened past. As soon as I saw their plight I posted bail and SP were free. It seems ludicrous to me now that the paltry sum of $1.69 was all that was required to gain a trusted travel companion for more than a year and a half. I would have paid that sum a hundred times over.
The fact that SP was able to overcome their humble begins was testimony to their sturdy character and moral fortitude. SP and I embarked on the first of many adventures.
We wandered the lanes and alleys of Melbourne and strolled the white sands of Perth. We explored many a Mekong shore, braved the flooded roads of Phnom Penh, trekked the jungles of Cambodia and Laos. Marveled and mocked the clean of Singapore. Risked death on the streets of Vietnam. Struggled to grasp the ordered chaos of KL. Slapped around numerous beaches and bars of South East Asia.
Throughout our time together SP always kept me out of harms way, protecting me from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (well mud, rocks and dog shit). They even provided protection (from the harmful rays of the sun) for a centimetre thick V shaped strip on the top of both feet.
At the time of their demise SP would have to have been considered one of the most durable exponents of discount single-plug footwear to have graced the footpaths of Australia and South East Asia in the past decade.