Day 102 Haircuts

The doctor
We have not had haircuts since Mexico so we are all getting a bit shaggy. The marina is several kilometers from the town where we might find a barber but with some scrounging we came up with hair clippers courtesy of Sol Searcher.
The white bucket served as a barber chair and an extension cord from the boat provided the power to our shoreline "coiffure". Mark and Kurt were the barbers and the customers included the Southern Star crew and young Kai from Liahona. The entertainment came from the gallery of onlookers who included not only the cruisers but some of the French inhabitants of the boats that have a more permanent residence at the marina. I only have still pictures of the event although it would take a video to do it justice. With all the laughing, it is amazing that we got relatively descent haircuts - at least good enough to serve us for a month or two.
The marina is an interesting combination of residents and transients. The residents are all French and many have lived aboard for years in this marina. Some have full time jobs while others are "here for a while until I continue my trip". Most of this latter group also seems like they have been here for several years.
The transients include both cruisers like ourselves and people who come to this marina to charter a boat from Moorings. They are usually only at the marina for one night and then are off to enjoy their week or two in French Polynesia.
One additional resident is a white duck who "lives" on the quay where we are anchored. He or she seems to "own" a small patch of grass under a bush and his/her ownership is quite well demonstrated to any interloper. Several of the French residents feed the duck regularly so he/she is happy to pad around from boat to boat for expected hand-outs. I never found out if the duck has a name but he/she certainly seems to be a fixture at the marina. Even the marina manager's dog give it a wide berth.
Another one of the residents is a young doctor who has been in Ra'iatea for 6 months. Before that, he was the doctor to the French National Surf Team. He bought an old boat a month ago and in his spare time, he is restoring it. His boat is moored behind us and about 5 boats further along the quay. His English is good and he stops occasionally to exchange surf-speak with Kurt.
Jennifer from Soul's Calling has insisted on checking on my infection periodically and today she asked the doctor if he would look at me. Being a typical guy, I protested that I am fine and don't need any help but the doctor listened to her just the same so he gave it a look and prescribed a different antibiotic than I had taken before. When I saw the doctor in Tahiti, he prescribed Bristopen which is specific for staphylococcus. The fact that I have developed another lesion indicates that other bacteria may have also contributed so this doctor prescribed a general antibiotic (Augmentin) that fights several strains. While I am reluctant to take this as I have read about the "over prescription" of antibiotics, I am also not looking forward to further sores that seem to last almost a month before my body conquers them. Also, my disappointment at missing one of the best parts of this trip, the swimming, will probably convince me to re-medicate.