With the nature of what our work was-walking around the village all day-rain or dust- climbing around in the coffee and cabbage farms, being in and out of people's houses all day-in the end we each had 3 pairs of shoes that were actually used on a regular basis.

A. Teva Sandals (or Chacos).

We had Tevas only because we couldn't afford Chacos at the time of our departure from the states. There are a number of different opinions on both brands of sandals and which is better. My Tevas cost me 50 dollars USD and lasted almost 3 years.

1. They were easily washable with dish soap or any other kind of soap available, and dried rather quickly.

2. They were comfortable and never rubbed or left blisters on my feet from so much walking.

3. Easily adjustable.

4. The velcro never wore out.

5. They have a decently thick sole that I never felt rocks through-and they were great for playing in the ocean or waterfalls, rivers-or just mud.

They really were the most comfortable sandals I've ever had.

Chacos seemed to be even more popular than their Teva counterparts by travelers and volunteers of all types. I never own these, but they seemed just as nice, if not nicer than Tevas. Also, with Chacos the soles can be replaced if they go bad. The only drawback was this: If you plan to spend a long amount of time in Honduras and your sandals go bad and need replacement, you can send them back to company-but it will cost you half the price of the sandals to mail the package.

Especially if you aren't earning dollars.

Also, you have to wait to have them mailed back. Overall, communication won't be the easiest. Friends we had while in Honduras had their Chaco soles go bad, and basically gave up in the end and bought a new pair when they went home for Christmas, or had a friend or family member bring a new pair 3/4 of the way through their service/trip.

Both sandals are great and owning a pair is extremely handy and worth the money in the end.

Crystal