If you walked for miles or jogged for hours each day across open plains strewn with thorns, you wouldn’t compromise on footwear would you? Nor do the Maasai warriors of Tanzania. For them it’s a rite of passage to claim your first tyre tread sandals and not just any tyre; It MUST be a motor bike tread. The front motor bike tyre is for those with a daintier foot size, and the chunky rear end for the larger hoof!
Great, there must be lots of dead motor bike tyres dotted around the towns and villages of Tanzania I hear you cry. However, this is most definitely not an exercise in cost-saving or indeed recycling, more’s the pity! Instead, each warrior must have brand new tyres, each one cut to make two pairs of warrior shoes. I’m told that an average Maasai warrior in his prime can get a good six years of wear out of these shoes.
I’d recommend you check out the feet of any Maasai warriors you might come across when enjoying your fantastic Tanzania safari and maybe pick up a pair for yourself to bring home. Just think of the grumpy old purists you’ll upset as they follow your motorbike tyre tracks up Scafell Pike!
