forever in blue

(nail polish, that is!)

Katie Hayes and Lizzie Andrews were the best of friends--London hip-hoppers working at the start-up MTV offices in London. Craving more adventure, the pair decided to leave their jobs and embark on an around-the-world holiday. They made the obligatory shopping excursions to purchase gear--including blue nail polish for their toes. Their plan was to travel through Africa to Asia and on to Australia and New Zealand. For the last leg of the trip, they hoped to purchase a purple VW van and drive it across the U.S.

The first month of their trip was perfect--encounters with wonderful people and fascinating sites. However, on their flight from Ethiopia to Kenya, they found themselves in a terrifying situation. Their plane was hijacked, then crashed into the sea near the Comoro Islands. Miraculously, both women survived but Katie was more seriously injured, and the two were separated. In the msakeshift hospital, Lizzie begged her caretakers to find her friend, but with the language barrier and post-crash chaos, no one was able to identify and locate Katie. Finally, just as they were both about to be shipped off to different cities, a French doctor came up to Lizzie saying "Zee blue finger sisters, they must be kept together!" He had recognized Katie thanks to their matching blue toenails.

Four and a half months after the crash and rescue, Katie and Lizzie resumed their travels. There hasn't been a day when they haven't sported blue toenails.

-excerpt from "It's a Chick Thing"