Clothes/Shoes

[Anonymous]

Sharon and I bought the same shoes at The Walking Company. The brand is Naot made in Israel. They are open toed with velcro a strap. They are super comfortable but not very stylish. We had to sacrifice looks for comfort. We half-heartedly made a pact to not take pictures of our feet so our students won't laugh when we show them the picts. I got a good deal on a pair of Mephista sneakers that are open with a strap across the top of the foot. I also bought a pair of shoe inserts with the correct arch support from TWC...they are heavenly. I hope to buy another pair of the quick-dry pants and I'll be done with the shopping. Did you finish your skirt?
[Edit by="amitchell on May 18, 4:49:35 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Darlene: I know this isn't as classy, but Big Lots has luggage. I bought a Pierre Cardin wheely case for $29.99 and a larger one for $39.00. Now I have to determine if everything will fit (44 pounds worth) in the smaller case.
Courtney Lockwood

[Anonymous]

A friend who travels frequently mentioned that if your luggage goes over the weight requirement that most airlines will give you the option of empting some of the contents or paying a fee. Does anyone know if this is true of all airlines? Do we know yet what airline we are using in China? Is there only one Chinese airline? I would like to look up their policy on the internet if possible...not that I'm planning on going over the limit.

[Anonymous]

Who are you kidding girlfriend?
I wanted to tell you, about 2 years ago, a Chinese gal was selling incredible silk jackets at a local festival. Really beautiful with designs and sequins---very expensive, but I had to have one ($100.) If we find any of those I have to get another 2. They are really something to see. I bet they would be less then 1/2 what I paid. The problem is, they run VERY small. I wear a 12-14 and had to take a 3X. Those Chinese gals mustt be very tiny.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! I have one close and will check it out. I do not care what it looks like.

[Anonymous]

My neighbor is Chinese, and makes trips there several times a year. His warnings: wear tennis shoes in China, your feet will get filthy if you do not. Take something to put in your nose, the smells are really bad. Do not eat factory food. I will take his advice. He has 3 businesses here in LA.

[Anonymous]

What does he suggest doing for the nose? Does that mean we should wear the face mask that you see many Chinese wearing in cities? I thought Clay was only kidding about needing those? I'm sure the fumes can be awful as we walk through the cities. It wouldn't be appropriate to wear something over our mouths/noses in Japan, but I recall the cigarette smoke being everywhere. We went to a restaurant in Osaka where the cigarette smoke was so thick you could hardly see across the room. They don't have the smoking restrictions that we enjoy in the U.S. You just have to grin and bear it.

[Anonymous]

A gentleman who works at my acupuncturist's office is from Japan and told me that the few weeks we are going to be there are typically the peak of the rain season. He said it's so muggy that in the shade you'll be sticky; it's not dry heat like here. He got quite a chuckle out of my reactions but he did make some clothing reccommendations: no synthetics, they'll stick to you so stay with cottons and natural fibers.

I was thinking that I would go to someplace like REI that sells backpacking clothes, etc that are lightweight, breathable and dry quickly. Has anyone checked this out?

I swear by my EARTH sneakers. They are the most comfortable shoes I own. I was thinking about checking out their sandals too. They carry them at Whole Foods - the store in Hollywood has a separate clothing section downstairs - but they run kinda pricy. I wear them for work and casual wear. They are dressy but casual/comfy too so they could double for a formal shoe on an evening out (if we have the occassion for nicer clothing).

I'm really trying to pack light (I mean super light) cause I want to bring a lot of gifts and a lot of stuff home. We'll see how successful I am at that.

[Anonymous]

Could the smoke really be worse than outside an AA meeting?

[Anonymous]

Yes, I went to REI last weekend. I found a pair of quik-dry pants made mostly of nylon. They contain 25% cotton and have a cotton-look to them not the parachute feel that some travel clothes have. The label reads: "quick-drying, moisture management". They are also wrinkle resistant AND, if that weren't enough, they are treated with a 50 ultra violet protection. I could wear them through the Gobi and not get burned. By the way, the brand is Titanium by Columbia.

Kyle, keep in mind that we will have to drip-dry our clothes and cotton may take longer to dry. I am trying to avoid fabrics with a heavy cotton content.

Overall REI had some nice stuff, but a little on the pricey side.

[Anonymous]

I think that I'm going to be packing a lot of white clothes.
If might be hot and humid during the day, but I have the feeling
that in China will be pretty busy touring the country at a rapid pace
via tour bus-- primarily.

I'm opting for natural fibers in light fabrics.
I'm anticipating wearing skirts
and tee shirts.
I should be monochromatic a lot of white,
but I have a feeling it will be easier to sort through clothes.

I think the warnings about wearing sandals and having black feet are
pretty accurate. I'm still looking for a light pair of tennies.

I've also been searching for a suitcase. I'm going to weigh my
huge suitcase first. I just was wondering what size suitcases are
most people bringing.

[Anonymous]

I'm also looking for a suitcase with straps and wheels. I have my eye on a 26" and would not go any larger than that.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info. I haven't completed my skirt yet... I plan on it this weekend when I have a little more time. I haven't even had a chance to reply to anything on the forum lately... end of year competitions, testing...
-Julia

[Anonymous]

I understand. This is such a busy time of the year. It sounds like several people are planning on wearing skirts on the trip. They'll be nice and cool.

[clay dube]

I don't want to trigger an avalanche of things to buy posts, but this article in the NY Times discusses Mao junk that is all the rage.

[Author]

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