Monday is not a typical day for an entry or a scheduled post, but I need to share. My Blundstones and I, plus hubby of course, are ready for another adventure tomorrow! It has been a short and quick planning for this. Anyway, our luggage is all set for our upcoming trip. Whee!
So where are we headed? Hah! Stay tuned to find out. We will be heading to KLIA this evening for our flight with Malaysia Airlines. Here’s wishing us happy travels and a safe journey ahead!
I have to say Japan is fascinating and fun! Our adventure did not start well, but I’m not complaining.
We woke up at 4.00 am because our ride to the airport was coming at 5.00 am to have us arrive four hours before departure to avoid unnecessary hiccups. The queue to check in was not too long because we arrived early. So that’s good.
After checking in, we decided to have a McD breakfast. However, the ordering kiosk was down. We had to walk further down the terminal to its other outlet. It wasn’t the best tummy filler, but something light was better than nothing.
The wait was typical, likewise the routine. I got padded down the front and had to remove my Blundstone to send it through the X-ray machine. The rest of the family did not encounter this. Maybe it’s boots versus sneakers that was the reason.
Boarding was routine also, but upon strapping down, an announcement stated that we had to wait for half an hour before being cleared for take-off due to heavy traffic. Promptly after half an hour, MH70 sped down the runway of KLIA, and we were Japan-bound! Yay.
We arrived on schedule at Narita International Airport. The airport is huge! It took us forever to walk upon disembarkation to get to the immigration counters. The queue was very long, but everything was so efficient and fast, it’s impressive.
Our checked-in luggage was out without having to wait, and we waited for our transport to pick us up to send us to our hotel. Our adventure has finally begun!
I love my Blundstone boots, and this is my second pair. Like the first pair, this pair had a change of sole. Hydrolysis occurred on the soles, disintegrating them to smithereens as the boots were left unused for a long time.
Despite this change, the current pair of boots are still comfortable. I would wear them daily if I had the chance. However, the weather at home is not suitable for such footwear. So, I only wear my Blundstone when I am off for a holiday at a cold climate destination; hence the motto “Have boots will travel.”
Where are we off to this time? Tokyo, Japan! Whee. Tokyo reminds me of my college days, dinosaur years back when I had to layover at Narita International Airport for my flight for a few hours before continuing the journey. But technically, I cannot say I have visited Tokyo because I never left the airport to see the city. Back then, there were no Blundstones as well. No Blundstones, no travel. Hahaha.
I look forward to experiencing the city during this holiday. There will be a lot of walking, but I’m not worried because I have my comfortable Blundstone boots! We fly tomorrow morning. Happy travels to us!
Recently, at the wedding, I decided to wear heels to match my outfit, but I was in a bind. I didn’t think I could balance on either the black three-inch or the bling-bling four-inch dinner stilettoes. It’s been ages since I wore these!
So I decided to don my Ferragamo shoes instead. It was either the classic Vara pumps or the Artiste block heels. I prefer the Vara over the Artiste, and the ever-reliable Vara pumps have held up after all these years. Perhaps a tad hardened on the insides that I have to grit my teeth when I walk, but what’s a little pain for a night of glam?
However, the other pair of Ferragamo has suffered a terrible fate. With two years upended by the pandemic, traveling and meeting people was out of the question. Furthermore, there have not been many new business opportunity meetings, so wearing good shoes were not required.
Anyway, my Artiste Ferragamo shoes suffered massive hydrolysis on the bottom. It’s like a replay of my Blundstone boots, only this time, it’s my designer label heels. The rubber underside of the shoes exploded to smithereens! The only consolation is that the shoebox contained the mess.
I am not upset, but wondering if I bring the shoes to the Ferragamo store, can anything be done to save them? Would I be accorded a solution or a replacement (wishful thinking here) like Blundstone Australia did? Hmm.
The Borough Market was a pleasant discovery! The myriad of fresh produce colors was a delight to the eyes, a nice change from the dull gray skies. I was amazed that a simple staple like cheese had so many vendors showcasing their variety of cheeses. The fresh vegetables were very colorful and made great photography.
By then, we were tired because of the weather. However, by five, we decided to head back to our hotel to freshen up because, at nine, we had a Candle Performance, Tribute to Hans Zimmer, to attend in Central Hall Westminster.
We had great Kodak moments, taking pictures of landmarks nearby before going for the live music performance. The soothing string quartet lulled me to nap and have a good rest, I have to admit because I was so tired then.
After the performance, there was worry that the Tube service may be disrupted because of some impending strike. So we hurried as best as we could in the rain and cold. When we reached our hotel, I wished I could swap my overused legs for new ones! Even my Blundstones could not help me with the 22,071 steps and 14.44km adventure!
The first thing I earmarked for the impending trip was my Blundstone boots! It’s been three years since they last saw some serious action, having gone to the US for M1’s graduation. But as I was unboxing my boots from the shoe cabinet, I found another pair of boots!
Uh-huh, my Blunnies have a rival in the calf-high boots. I have forgotten about this pair because it’s an impractical pair of boots for hot and humid holidays that I mostly do pre-pandemic time. However, for this upcoming trip, calf-high boots might be suitable. Hmm.
I like wearing the Blundstones to travel because they are super comfortable for walking (even after re-soled), but calf-high boots may be good to ward off the cold! There’s still space in the luggage, and I can always do the last-minute packing. We’ll see how it goes.
We arrived at Schiphol Airport at six local time. The flight took 12 hours. I had a restless night, so ended up watching two movies, ate when I was not supposed to and now, I can feel a headache developing. Uh Oh…
Behind the smile lurks a headache developing
We had to go to the Transfer Hall for further security check, going through a body scan and the carry on luggage scans. And of course, I had to remove my Blundstone boots, all part of the process.
As we are sitting here having a coffee and juice, M2 has flown this morning as scheduled. Yay.
Next flight is in three hours’ time, a slight 20 minutes delay from the original 10.00am local time. Maybe I can sleep better on the next leg.
I am excited that my Blundstone boots, after being fitted with new soles, will finally be put to good use from tomorrow onwards. We are flying over to the US for M1’s Commencement ceremony as she has completed her undergraduate studies.
Initially when I was doing my research for flights, I wanted to fly Eva Air because of the Hello Kitty-themed aircrafts. Heheheh… I know it’s kinda silly for a dinosaur like me but hey, Hello Kitty IS cute.
But I couldn’t find suitable connecting flights to our final destination upon arrival at LAX, SFO or even SEA. The transit options are all too short to clear immigrations. Oh well, forget Hello Kitty then.
So we are going with KLM via Amsterdam’s Airport Schiphol with a four-hour transit before the next leg directly into PDX which works out perfectly. Stay with me for the next two weeks plus for our exciting journey to the Pacific Northwest!
And yesterday I managed to schedule another body massage at the spa, a last minute little indulgence before flying. This time unlike the last time with no choice at all, I had the granny undies or G-string to choose before the session. I took the G-string thinking since I had to strip down to my bones to be worked on, I might as well wear something without hindrance to the new masseur for her to do her job.
And it was a job well done for she worked out the kinks especially on the legs and feet, in time for me to be ready for the trip!
Last week I went to two different cobblers before making a decision to have my Blundstone Style 550 re-soled. I opted for the second cobbler, who happened to be the one who fixed my first pair when the boots had this Hydrolysis issue too. Even after all these years, the cobbler still have the same sole choice but I chose not to go with it this time.
Instead I picked something more rugged but heavier. It’s okay, I like it.
Also, I did write to Blundstone Australia to inform them that my boots experienced Hydrolysis. This time via Messenger privately and not publicly as a post on their Facebook wall.
They responded pretty quick and nicely too (best customer service, remember?), and directed me to Customer Service for Claims. So I filled in the necessary information, submitted my claims and within a short time, an acknowledgement email came stating a file was opened on my case. Super efficient!
I kept telling myself not to expect anything – after all this was already a replacement pair. Can’t expect another replacement for the replacement pair, right? What they did for me – replacing the first pair was already above and beyond, and to expect the same this time just does not seem right. Realistically, from the business perspective it would be bad for them as they just can’t go replacing every pair of boots with this known Hydrolysis problem.
The sole is a rubber/PU/TPU compound and over time, the material will disintegrate whether the boots are used or hardly used because moisture from the air is absorbed by the compound. If the boots are worn more often, Hydrolysis will still occur but possibly reduced.
After some back and forth emails to understand the mishap, the investigation concluded and Customer Service deemed there won’t be any compensation or warranty in this instance. The soles of my boots disintegrated due to Hydrolysis, a known common occurrence in humid environments and not because it’s a product, design or manufacturing fault.
I guess this is something one has to be aware of when buying shoes from overseas to bring back to your country. That being said, the humidity level in Malaysia is very high, so shoes purchased from overseas depending on material, may be prone to the humidity and disintegrate or explode upon pressure from our weight.
My only regret from this experience is that I didn’t wear this pair of Blundstone enough before this mishap. Oh well… Anyway, my boots are now fitted with new soles that I like and are still comfy. I should wear them more often and not just keep in the shoe closet. And I will happily go stomping in puddles when it rains because I know my toes will be dry.
Brand new again and looking fierce but comfortable!
Nice from the top but far from it underneath
Last week, I thought of wearing it because it was raining and we were going out. I figured a pair of leather boots would be a better footwear choice to keep my feet dry over my Skechers because of a prior wet incident before this outing; it was raining (heavily too) and we were out.
We were parked at the curb side and as I opened the car door to get out, I had nowhere to alight without tripping, I stepped into a puddle and water seeped into the Skechers. On top of that, a stream of gushing water came right at my feet. There was no escape.
That night, my toes were pruned and cold at the pub, it wasn’t pleasant.
So this time, I thought best to be prepared. But little did I realize the Blundstone, which have been kept for so long, would have Hydrolysis happened to it too. As I was walking in the mall, I left bits and pieces of my boots along my path! It wasn’t a pretty sight. It’s either our Malaysian weather does not seem to be good for Australian boots or I shouldn’t have footwear and not wear them.
The damage when we got home. Sniffle…
The first time when it caught me by surprise, I didn’t know what caused the soles of my boots to disintegrate. But I didn’t think it was due to inferior quality or poor workmanship. So I wrote to Blundstone to inquire about their brand reps here in Malaysia to repair the boots. They went above and beyond, sending me a replacement pair without questions!
I thought that was customer service at its best. Ever. And they also explained very thoroughly the reason behind the disintegration. Very impressed with their level of service to ensure customer satisfaction.
The next day, a closer look
Angieneering 
Remarks