Back in the early 2000's, my parents always wore the clunky, bright-colored, water shoe Teva sandals. I used to make fun of them because they were so hideous so it's been an ongoing joke in our family that I would never wear them....I just assumed all Tevas were fugly because of the ones my parents wore. The joke was on me when I told them I ordered a pair of Tevas for an upcoming medical mission trip to Guatemala!I wanted a pair of not-flip-flop sandals that I could walk around comfortably in for long periods of time, didn't take up alot of space in my pack (I only brought two pairs of shoes for the whole week, Merrell sneakers for working & hiking and these for everything else), could be worn in the water if needed...AND that aren't a complete eye sore. These were probably the most attractive, versatile sandals that met all of the things I was looking for.They are VERY comfortable and look good with pretty much everything! The strappy style makes it easy to dress up with a sundress, and the bungee cord color in particular looks great with jeans (I'm in my twenties if that matters at all). A bunch of other girls on the trip complimented and asked where I got them.As far as sizing goes, I usually wear a 9.5 wide if available because I have super flat and wide feet due to a genetic extra bone on both of my cankles (thanks dad). I read the reviews that these shoes were long so I went with size 9, which was the right choice! The normal width works for wide feet. The arch support on these shoes is perfect...it's just enough to help flat feet, without forcing too much of an arch that it causes foot pain. The sole is thick and sturdy, while still being relatively lightweight, which really helped when walking on the cobblestone streets of Antigua, Guatemala. I did a short easy hike in these shoes, but I would not recommend them as your only hiking shoes. If your feet get dirty they rinse of easily with water. I am traveling to Europe this summer for 2 weeks and plan on only bringing a backpack again so this will be the only pair of sandals I bring! The only negative I can think of is that my boyfriend still thinks they look a little geeky, but who cares what he thinks :PThese shoes were well worth the $50 and will continue to be throughout my summer travels and camping trips in California. Now I see all the hype about Teva that my parents tried convincing me of for years! Yay Teva!
