traveling salesmen

She greeted me not far from my gate, bottles of shampoo piled in a box she clutched,

wondering if I would like to buy some?

Shampoo.  

Just what I was hoping to buy out on the street in front of my house.

Then again, maybe not. 

I'm ceaselessly amused by the items sold on the streets in this town.

Bottles of water, sunglasses, oranges, jewelry, stick brooms - 

I saw all of these being sold on the street just this morning.

The neighborhood corner (above) became a casual jacket shop for about a week.

It's gone now. Maybe next week they'll be selling stainless cookware.

But then, I guess could just visit this new neighborhood lot full of stainless kitchenware for sale...

Vendors (above) walk the streets daily from early morning til late at night,

 hawking food like rice porridge, sweet corn, balut and pandesal, or bread.

These venders (above and below) strategically park their ice cream carts

right outside of schools at the end of the school day.

Every American kid's dream;

an ice cream man at the school gate.

We've seen many like these sales guys above (and below).

They are selling...shoes.

Yes.  Shoes.

Bet you could get a good deal - 

though whether they have your size or not is debatable.

 Or need those shoes repaired?

Sit down and visit awhile as they get stitched at the side of the road!

No city would be complete without 

a street vendor of saint dolls.

Forget your mattress at home?

No problem! 

This guy has got you covered.

 Family movie night?
I'll bet you could find Frozen for 50 cents here.

Yo ho ho...yes, they are pirated.

And if you need a quick snack after all that shopping,
you can buy a bag of boiled peanuts (above)

or pick up a fresh coconut or a sweet pineapple in a bag

at a portable storefront.

Who needs Walmart?

as good as used

Michael found a great bargain at the community garage sale last spring:

a pair of Adidas cleats for 75 pesos.
That's less than $2.

Unfortunately, the sole ripped off yesterday during after-school sports.

Fortunately, Mark knows where to take broken shoes.

In a society where labor is cheap, it's worth trying to fix almost anything.

Mark dropped the cleats off here at this counter at 11 this morning, 

and they said, 'Come back at 2.'

For just $2.50, the soles have been stitched to the uppers; not quite new,

but ready for miles more soccer action!
(And a whole lot less money than a new pair of cleats!)

down to my toes

A few friends stopped by last week looking for work.

They did some weeding and sweeping and watering for us in the front yard,

and Michael (in green) taught us how to make a kite out of a plastic bag.

He took it for a test-run on the street, and it worked great!  

Wish I had thought to take a photo of him flying it; 

the smile on his face was priceless.

When their work was done, 

they enjoyed some time playing with (our) Michael, 

the scooter, and the rope swing.

About this time I began to notice their shoes.

Jericho's were fine,

but Josanne's were a few sizes too small,

Jasper's had a hole worn through the sole,

and the straps on Michael's were falling apart.

So I took a look around our house, 

and found 3 extra pairs of out-grown flip-flops to share with them.

They were so delighted with their 'new' shoes.

Many children in this country live life barefoot, 

or in shoes just like these.

Though that might sound carefree and easy,

without shoes, there is nothing to protect their feet from getting cut and infected.

And because soil-transmitted diseases are common, 

shoe-less kids are at risk of both long-term physical and cognitive injury.

Shoes are also a required part of the school uniform,

so without shoes, many children are not even qualified to attend school.

Here's just one more privilege I have taken for granted;

the shoes on my feet.

May we remember to give thanks today 

all the way down to our toes!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As a side-note...one day someone dumped a cartload of old shoes near the neighborhood trash cans.  These are a precious commodity!  People scrambled to find matches, and one little boy came away teetering on a mis-matched pair of high heels.  Amusing, but not exactly practical!