It’s only a matter of time before someone mentions them. You know, the heavy woollen socks that you insist on wearing with your sandals.

Don’t worry, you’re not the only one with a love/hate relationship when it comes to their feet. There are probably reams of psychological studies done in a Bulgarian university that apply to your foot complex, but we won’t go there.

The thing is that in Mauritius, skin is beautiful and a lot of it is exposed. If «dead crocodile» best describes the skin on your feet, then you need help as fast as possible.

To give yourself an emergency pedicure, fill up your hotel bathtub with at least 2-3 inches of hot water.. Soak your feet for a least 20 minutes and manually try to rub off any dead skin from your heels and toes.If you can find or had the foresight to bring along a pumice stone, get to work on that softened skin by rubbing it off. A small piece of coarse sand paper (obtained at the local hardware store) will also do the trick and you’ll be able to use what’s left on that bookshelf at home! (A professional trick is to work on hard, dry callouses with a pumice stone before putting your feet into water, callouses turn into sawdust in a fraction of the time it takes to soak).

If you can get your hands on a cheap nail clipper, use it to trim off your toenails. If you can’t bend over, a trip to one of the many island salons would have been the best place to have this done, but depending on how long the socks have been on you may have to get a heavily sedated family member to do this for you!

The final step for your feet is the finishing «glaze». Your callouses have been removed, your toenails have been trimmed, so now you need to give your feet a coating that makes it look like you just had the pedicure done, if not, your skin will turn back into that dry flaky sheath and you’ll start looking for those socks again. The thing is you need something oily. Cooking oil (I’m talking about an emergency situtation), petroleum jelly (if nothing else is around), or a good body cream is what you can use. (With regard to the cooking oil, use only as a last resort, dogs have a special affinity for licking off oil and the idea is to be as inconspicuous as possible!)

The main secret is that the oiling of your feet must be done almost everyday. As you will want to have a grip on your sandals, the best time to apply this «moisturizer» is bedtime. Your socks can come into good use here, or if not, simply towel off any excess moisturizer after about 20 minutes when the skin has absorbed all it can.

Even if you didn’t pack a single foot necessity, but you are going to the beach, simply slip into the water, take off your socks and tuck them behind your ears. After a few minutes, pick up a handful of sand and rub it vigorously all over your feet. Sand acts like a pumice (which is what they are made of). It will also leave your feet looking and feeling smooth and presentable. Finish off with a little suntan oil and people will be noticing your beautiful feet...provided you haven’t forgotten to remove the socks tucked behind your ears!

<B>Angela Keessoondyal</B>