Day 40 Hospital, pharmacy and provisions

Tiki Revenge re-defined
L’hopital - The first stop for Mark, Kurt & Denny was the hospital, a modern facility with an orderly line of patients. In typical French fashion, one must first see the administrative secretary to get checked in, then wait in line again to see the nurse and finally, if you still need further attention, you get to see the doctor. For our crew this took all morning.
The diagnosis was very interesting. The infections are a form of staphylococcus but of a type particular to the South Pacific so we have no natural immunity. The sore starts with the bite of the “nono” a small sand fly found on beaches in Isles Marquises. Unlike a mosquito, this fly chews to get blood to flow and the infection is started from the bite. If you happen to be the kind of person who attracts biting insects (and I am not) you are likely to get more wounds. The next part of the infection involves the sea. Because these are open sores, once you go into the warm water, you are further infected with more unfamiliar microbes. According to the doctor, neither alcohol nor hydrogen peroxide do an adequate job of stopping the infection. The answer is Betadine followed by an antibiotic cream called Sicizine plus a systemic antibiotic if the topical treatment needs a boost.
Provisions - While half the crew was being doctored, Andy and I shopped at the grocery stores and eventually made a trip to the pharmacy to fill prescriptions and buy bandages and salves. These stores were reasonably well stocked but expensive so we bought the minimum. After our first passage we had a better idea of what things were most practical when the sea is lumpy and cooking is a survival challenge.
Laundry - While we finished shopping, Kurt and Mark brought the laundry to shore and repeated our routine of wash, rinse and hang. This is now quite an efficient operation made easier by the abundance of fresh water available at the harbor. From our experience in Hiva Oa, we have learned to bring lines (ropes) from the boat for drying. I think this would make a good entry into the Funniest Video TV program.
Chores - The island is awaiting the arrival of the Aranui and there is currently no gasoline and no butane. In all of French Polynesia, butane is used as the bottled gas fuel instead of propane. There was also no Internet as the island was in the middle of a DSL install. With no other convenient excuses, and an abundant supply of fresh water, we ended up cleaning the boat.