Yes that is my finger.
So tatty.Anyway I went to a swanky posh shop called Siam Paragon, where all the beautiful Thai people go to show off their spending power. I knew very well that the place is much more expensive than it needs to be, but being a rich foreigner I decided I'd sashay over there and pose with the hoy-polloy. I immediately saw the perfect pair of shoes. Exactly what I was looking for - result! Picked them up, looked at the price - dropped them like a pair of radioactive potatoes. £160 for shoes? Surely they jest? I was out of the place before you could say "tight arsed scouser".
I waltzed back onto the Skytrain for one stop, alighting at the enormous MBK Plaza. I soon found that the quality was sub-standard here, and that as usual in Thailand, if it says "Puma" it's obviously not Puma. Ditto Adidas, Nike etc. However if one sticks to less well known brands the quality rises again. After all, who's going to buy replica "Ching Tong Footwear Company" shoes?
I found a nice pair of leather lace-ups for a quarter of the Paragon price and went home a happy man. I was assured, by both the staff and by the evidence of my own nose, that the items I purchased are "leel rether, mis-tuuur", so hopefully they won't fall apart in a month's time.
Right, that's enough nonsense for now. Be good.
By the way, here's a picture of the new shoes:
