My Thai cobbler
Perhaps you also have such a tick; special holiday shoes. Footwear has to endure a lot, especially during holidays. Besides the fact that you then walk a lot more, the roads and paths are not always conducive to the footwear. They will then have to endure a lot of sacrifices.
As in many sectors, the shoe article is also strongly subject to fashion and you see more and more sporty sneakers entering the market.
Old stamp
Given the large difference in wage costs, the shoe industry in the Low Countries has moved abroad. Still, I remain a man of the old school when it comes to a shoe and, according to my personal experience, nothing beats a real Van Bommel for a well-fitting, solid and also stylish shoe. Admittedly they are not the cheapest shoes in the world of shoes, but they are of high quality: hats off to this traditional Dutch craftsmanship from the Brabant region. They last for years and when the whole beauty is a bit off and recovery - from my financial point of view - is no longer rewarding, I can only say goodbye to my running heroes with great difficulty.
The Thai cobbler
My shoes in Thailand have been getting a rejuvenation treatment for several years now. In the Netherlands, given the price level, it no longer pays to renew heels and soles at a certain point. My regular hotel in Bangkok is located on soi 11 on Sukhumvit Road. And for three years now, an inventive shoe repair shop has established itself right at the beginning of Soi 11 (see photo). Not a shop nor a real workshop, but simply at the cove of a building he sits there dry and well with his shoemaker's last, awl, glue, polishes, rubber soles and related tools. Every day - with the exception of Sundays - the man has apparently built up a nice negotiation.
My Van Bommels get a second life with him. For a total of 300 baht new soles and 100 baht new heels. And you can even wait for it if you want. A stool is ready for the customer. And as an extra service, the shoes get a special cleaning. With almost new shoes you can step through holiday life again in a good mood. No worries; shoes of every other brand also get a makeover here. Inventive guy that cobbler, I wonder if there will be no intervention from above. The street bar Cheap Charly, which has been in existence for years and is only open in the evening, a hundred meters away, recently had to close its gates due to the authorities.
I always have this man put an extra thick sole on my left shoe. As you say, in Europe this is almost unaffordable. I had to pay 25 € for this in France. We also always sleep on Sukhumvit so it's easy. Go to the cobbler
You see a lot of them along the street in Changmai. They are good professionals and know a solution for almost anything. In the Netherlands it is indeed better to buy new shoes. But that is also logical given their high costs for premises and personnel.
Good tip. Thank you….
The strange thing I also thought to find a cobbler in Chanthaburi or Tha Mai, well no not. Sometimes there was one in Tha Mai, but getting it back was difficult, because then it would have disappeared. He was in a "hut" along the road. Later pick up shoes at a rice merchant. Finally on holiday in the Netherlands, let it be repaired here.
Been coming to sukkhumvit around soi 1988 and 5 since 11. Even met my wife who worked in a clothing store just before the corner of soi 11. There was already a cobbler in the same place. Now once every few years I have custom shoes made in soi 1 called An-An. Entirely according to your requirements and ready within 3 days for around 3-4000 thb.
Hans van Mourik, says.
Good shoes are very important.
Your whole body rests on it.
Don't skimp on that
Hans
Joseph remains a gentleman, even when he is on vacation.
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I walk less on shoes, but it does run better than on slippers, which I certainly don't walk long distances with.
Also in Pattaya wide range of cobblers, my favorite is a hunchbacked man right next to the Lengkee restaurant on Pattaya Klang. Highly recommended!.