Aged Leather

There lives a special breed of people here in Pattaya that can be found in pretty much every hot and sunny holiday destination around the world. I have spotted them in Greece, in Costa Rica, in Spain, in Bali, the list goes on. I am referring to those who have spent so long baking in the hot sun, with only some sort of oil slicked over their parched bodies, that their skin has turned as brown as a nut and looks as though it would feel like the hide of an elephant. These sun worshippers have left their colder countries of birth to enjoy year-round sun and warmth in retirement. Don't get me wrong, I too am partial to days lost to a good book, a sun lounger and the warmth of the Thai sun on my skin. I do, however, limit myself to a couple of days a week and slather my body with a high-factor suncream. There is something rather off-putting about an OAP with skin hardened to leather and browner than the locals' and I don't plan to join this group in my dotage.

It's always lovely to have a bit of a tan - it's slimming, gives your skin a healthy-looking glow, but above all makes you feel happy and healthy. What isn't so attractive is a tan so deep that you don't look like yourself. We recently drove past a man who was probably in his sixties and both burst out laughing simultaneously without even looking at each other. His skin was so dark it looked like he was in a movie from the first half of the twentieth century, when any character from foreign lands was played by a Caucasian actor who was simply 'blacked up'. It really did look like he had applied a thick layer of stage make-up all over his body. He probably thought he looked great but the effect was laughable. Goodness knows the damage he has done to his skin. He was walking towards the beach, no doubt to spend another day roasting on the spit, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.