From: Gary Barton
Date: Dec 2004
Subject: Flying the Friendly Barefoot Skies

I'm a barefooter by heart. I was raised in Southern California spending
much of my time on the beach and since my youth and even now I go barefoot
whenever I can. I travel a lot and I've gone barefoot off and on through
various parts of trips and am always barefoot once I'm on the plane but
I decided this trip would be different. Why not go barefoot for the entire
trip? I love going barefoot and so why should I feel that I have to wear
shoes when traveling? It's not that others object or that it is against
some rule, it's more that the barefooter feels weird since so few others
are barefoot. In fact I have only seen a handful of people barefoot in
airports and I'm a 100k member so I'm in airports a lot! So I decided
this would be a barefoot trip from end-to-end (except for the business
meetings). Will people give me nasty looks? Will they say something or make
me put on my shoes? Will they banish me from their country? Or will they be
encouraging and supportive? Someone has to start it so that's my goal.

Before I got into the security checkpoint lines I decided to buy a new
toe ring for my barefoot trip. There's a little gift shop that sells
finger rings but I know that the second toes on both my feet is a perfect
size 6. I like these better than the toe rings which normally have a split
in the ring. These tend to turn and you end up having the split on top of
your toe instead of underneath.

The TSA agent checked my identification and boarding pass and waved me
to the escalator to go up to the boarding area. I made a little detour to
walk up the steps rather than ride the escalator. The only place I have
ever seen a "No Barefeet" sign in an airport is on the escalators and
moving walkways and I think for good reason. I avoid these flesh eating
machines whenever possible. I could easily see getting some pinched skin
and besides the surface on the moving sidewalks is very rough. I would much
rather walk barefoot down the carpeted walkway.

When walking up the steps a TSA agent took a look at my barefeet and
said, "Looks like you're ready for the checkpoint already." No
problems, in fact many people are there taking off and putting their shoes
on. No problem when you're already barefoot. I find also that if you
look at the person they look at you instead of looking down at your
feet. The only time I put my flip-flops on here was to go into the
bathroom. I know the bathroom floors here can be worse than a beach
bathroom.

I had a five hour layover in Narita Tokyo airport so I went to the Red
Carpet Lounge. This was a little nervous for me since this is a business
lounge. Supposedly a higher level of travelers. Would they say something?
I walked right in, got drinks, food, went to the restrooms (theirs are very
clean) all barefoot. In fact when leaving the front attendant knew I had
been there for a long time probably from remembering that "barefoot
American" coming in and remarked, "Still waiting? At least you're
comfortable." Referring to my comfortable non-shod soles. I wandered
around Narita airport for a while and the floors were very barefoot
friendly being a padded carpet. Nobody even seemed to pay any attention
that I was barefoot.

Singapore airport is a very barefoot friendly airport. It is a beautiful
airport - large and clean. The entire area is covered in carpeting. The
people in Singapore are very friendly and always smiling. From the greeter
getting off the plane to the receptionists at the Transit Hotel I stayed
at. I had to check with the greeter because my bags were only checked into
Singapore yet the next day (actually in five hours) I would be flying on to
Kuala Lumpur. She said that this is a very common occurrence and to just
check in tomorrow for my flight and give them my baggage claim tickets and
they would have my bags transferred. I hope this works! Traveling barefoot
is great but giving a business presentation barefoot wouldn't go over so
well.

The Transit Hotel is a great idea and I don't know why more airports
don't have these. The hotel is right in the airport so you don't have to go
through customs. The room was larger than many hotels I've stayed at in
Europe! For $34 you get (some) sleep and a shower. I stayed in Terminal 2
but in Terminal 1 they even have a pool with sundeck and bar at the transit
hotel. (Maybe I'll plan more time in between flights the next time I go
through Singapore!) After my short sleep and a welcome shower I trumble
back down in my barefeet and onto the next flight to Kuala Lumpur.

KL airport was a stark contrast to Singapore. KL had a very modern look
but was cold and hard with glass, steel and granite floors compared to the
soft, warm environment of Singapore. The granite floors were so hard I
ended up wearing my flip-flops through out the airport. Well, time to get
dressed for my meetings so I collected up my bag, changed into my suit and
off to my customer meetings. Why is it that in the hottest and most humid
countries such as Southeast Asia and Brazil it is common to wear suits?

My visit to KL was a single day and I was back at the airport by 5:00 pm
that evening and on the way to my mini-vacation in Penang, Malaysia. With
such high humidity it was nice to get back in my casual clothes and let my
feet breath again. I was in and out of the Penang airport quickly as I had
a driver waiting to pick me up and take me to the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang
Resort. This was a full on resort and from the time I left Penang airport
until the time I returned I was joyfully foot loose.

Malaysia is a Muslim country and so they have some religious culture
about feet. When in a Muslim country you have to be conscious in never
pointing the soles of your feet towards someone as that is a sign of
disrespect. Also your feet should never be higher than your head. Guess
that leaves out Yoga. This seems a little strange to me for a religion in
which you must take your shoes off to go into the temples or prayer
rooms.

There was quite a mix of cultures at Shangri-la. From honeymooning
Muslims sitting out with their brides in their burkas to western Europeans
women lying out topless. Personally, just let me wear shorts and go
barefoot and I'm happy. I wandered throughout the resort including the
restaurants barefoot without any problems. The first comment during the
entire trip on my barefeet came as I was leaving Shangri-La. I went to the
bell service to get my taxi and he looks at my barefeet and asks, "no
shoes?" I answered, "no." He was very perplexed like he wanted to
ask why I don't put them on but didn't bother.

Finally in the Penang airport I was asked to put on my shoes. I walked
up to the counter to check in and a young staff came up and asked, "Sir, do
you have slippers or shoes with you?" I replied yes at pointed down to my
backpack, hoping to get away with that move again. Didn't work this
time. The young man asked again, "Sir, could you wear your shoes please?"
Here came the test. Do I stand up and demand my barefoot rights? Do I start
espousing that I wash my feet every day and how long has it been since he
washed the bottom of his shoes? Do I explain the health benefits associated
with it? The young man had asked so nicely and without judgment though that
I couldn't help but comply. He wasn't judging that my going barefoot was
dirty or bad, but obviously there was some rule that he was required to
follow. He thanked me and I headed off to my gate. It dawned on me at this
point that here I was barefoot, in shorts, with a toe ring and anklets on
in a Muslim country. In Asia adults don't tend to wear shorts and bearing
any skin is not welcomed. So I'm beginning to feel pretty naked at this
point and believing that I probably pulled a cultural foopah. So I stayed
shod in my sandals the rest of the way to Taipei and to my hotel.

I had two days of meetings, lunches, and dinners so didn't have time to
get out and around. One thing that interested me though is that we went to
a dinner where you have to take your shoes off before going inside (I was
wearing just a pair of Topsiders with no socks so I was glad to finally be
barefoot again.) How a culture requires you to take your shoes off to go
into different buildings but looks down upon going barefoot in public seems
contradictory to me. The streets looked very dangerous to barefeet though
and so I was happy to keep my shoes on back outside.

To shoe, or not to shoe: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in
the mind to stave against another cultural foopah, Or to take arms against
a sea of shoes and follow my goal. Oh, the hell with it. I put on my jeans
but skipped the shoes. Back through the Taipei airport and on to Hong
Kong.

Hong Kong is another nice airport with great transportation via a
high-speed train to the Hong Kong Station in downtown. The train was really
nice with upholstered seats and comfy carpeting and then a short taxi to
the Excelsior hotel. Must admit I felt a little naked again with my
barefeet in the hotel since it was so nice but what the heck. Business
meetings and meals all the next day. Interesting views as all of the
residences are huge skyscraper apartment buildings. The masses of people
that live in these have got to be tremendous. I look at these 40 story tall
apartments and think about all the water, power, and food that must be
consumed in each building. They sure must hope that there's no fire
alarm!

Time to head back to the good ole USA and my decision on my last leg is
to go it barefoot all the way. A little remark of "Where's your shoes?"
from the valet, a dirty stare from the guards at the airport and I'm on my
way back. In Immigrations in San Francisco the only comment I got was from
the customs inspector recommending that I put on my shoes when I go
outside. A quick "okay" and I'm off. I got a few hours to kill so I braved
going into the upper echelons of the Red Carpet Club where polished loafers
and ties are the norm. There's a long walkway up to the check in desk with
no way to hide my naked toes so I brave it anyways. All I got though was a
little disapproving look from the receptionist as they stared at my
barefeet as I walked up but they checked me in without a word.

Plane's ready to go and I head out onto the last leg. I'm feeling a lot
more confident being back in the homeland as the US culture is a lot more
casual than the Asian countries. Finally back home and it was a finishing
touch that my daughter picked me up at the airport....also barefoot. I
guess it's rubbed off.


So are the skies barefoot friendly and how about Asia? I was barefoot
almost the entire time when I wasn't on meetings and I really enjoyed
feeling the soft carpet of Singapore airport, the humidity of Taiwan, the
cold Granite of KL airport, and the rough sand on the Malaysian beach on my
feet. On my entire trip I was asked only once to put on my shoes but even
that time it wasn't because they felt it was dirty or wrong. I just think
the young man was instructed to make sure everyone followed the rules.

On my whole trip I did not see a single other person barefoot. I don't
understand why more people don't go barefoot. It is just as much of a
sensation as touching to me. It's part of the total experience of
travel. It does make you more cognizant of what is going on around you
because you do keep a closer eye out on the landscape in front of your
exposed toes. What about cutting your feet, stepping on a broken bottle or
getting your feet stepped on? Urban myths. Not a cut, scrape, or stub. I
did not see a single "No Barefeet" sign on my entire trip. Yes, you are
more careful when walking barefoot but that also makes you more aware of
your total surroundings. In fact the only times I felt a little "exposed"
was getting onto the planes and passing in front of immigration guards.

I did this partially as a personal quest, a goal, but also to try and
show others that it is a barefoot friendly world out there! Live foot
loose!

.oooO
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