Pattaya is Hot, Hot, Hot!!

In many ways it is true to say that Pattaya is hot, hot, hot — whether it be in reference to the nightlife and all the temptations associated with it, or the weather and the brilliant sunshine enjoyed here almost all year round.

If your idea of a great summer is hitting for the beach when the temperatures are hitting the twenties, then prepare for an absolute roasting when you get to Pattaya where a lot of the time they hover in the low to mid-thirties.

Needless to say that most people arriving here for a couple of weeks holiday will — along with enjoying the many great things Pattaya has to offer — spend many hours at the beach. Maybe you’re after that super tan to impress all when you get back home and are willing to risk skimping on the sun lotion or go for one that will speed up the process, then a word of caution is called for.

Recently I made a trip to Koh Larn — a very popular island that’s about a 30 minute boat trip directly across from Pattaya Beach — where I planned to enjoy a full day taking the rays and making the most of the warm waters. Had a great day with plenty to eat right there on the beach and the essential cold beers (personally speaking of course) to wash it all down.

Even though I should know better as I am resident here, I wasn’t overly worried about applying the lotion and felt what I had used was more than efficient to counter the burning sun.

When it came time to go the legs were starting to get a stinging feeling. I thought maybe it was my imagination after having enjoyed those few cool beers with some friends that also ventured to the island for the day, but that wasn’t the case as I discovered the next day. Had applied the after-sun lotion which didn’t seem to be having much effect but I gave it the benefit of the doubt and left it another couple of days.

When it started looking like someone had peeled the skin back I decided to go to the doctor who, should I say, was none too happy that I left it so long. Maybe it is something to do with the fact that you don’t run to the doctor back home with every little ailment, and along with that it tends to be an expensive exercise when you take into account the doctor’s fees and the cost of whatever medication that’s prescribed from the pharmacy.

I certainly learned a good lesson from my experience, namely never hesitate to go to the doctor when you’re worried about something. He told me something that has made me wiser and that is the fact that the after-sun lotion is only suitable for minor sunburn, but it was actually antagonizing my sunburn creating an infection. The unpleasant looking raw legs would have to be treated with a special cream over the course of a few days which the doctor informed me would be “expensive”.

That is the first time here that I visited a doctor to be told the medication would be expensive. I didn’t care as he had told me the legs were that bad that there was no choice but to use this cream. He also prescribed two lots of antibiotics to clear the swelling and eliminate the infection. Within three or four days all was good again, thankfully.

After my visit I realized it was just another great reason why I am so fortunate to be living here when it comes to the cost of living in Thailand. The doctor’s fees including the two tubes of this “expensive” cream and the tablets came to the grand total of 700 baht! (approx. $21.50, €16.00 – Apr. 2010).

05-May-2010

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