Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

After over a year and a half of living in Samoa I have come to see that there is little value in wearing shoes. It is usually more comfortable to walk around without like most of the villagers do, so I do the same. Even in Apia, I often walk without my jandals.
So while going through airport security I had to take off my shoes, I saw to point in putting them back on and had them stay in my bag. When it was time to board my flight to Fiji, my shoes still remained in my bag....but I was stopped. Apparently it is a rule that you have to wear shoes to board a plane. (In Tonga I knew someone who forgot their shoes before boarding a local plane and did not have these problems..he was also carrying his machete and that was also not a problem...)
In Fiji I am amazed at the site of everyone wearing shoes. I have not seen anyone shoesless so far, so it might look strange for me to start the trend.
The kinds of shoes they wear here are much different than the islands I have travelled to (Tonga, American Samoa). They are palagi type sandals and real shoes...no jandals here.
I will still continue to rock my jandals in Fiji.