After some rest over the weekend we got to work this Monday morning getting all of our paperwork (immigration, customs, etc.) done and working with Patrick (Pa-TREEK), a marine electrician, on our autopilot. We’ve got quite a list of projects to do this week, but being tied to the dock, with electricity and fresh water, makes them much easier. We thought it might be cooler down here in Tahiti than the broiling Marquesas, but it is actually very hot, making mid-day work more challenging.

I had the pleasure of visiting a French doctor today for an ear problem (swimming related). There’s nothing like a socialist country to show you that healthcare for everyone actually exists! (No comments please - I don't want to be a socialist!). But I do rank this morning as one of my best medical experiences ever. I may be biased, since regaining hearing in my left ear was quite exciting after a few weeks of deafness, but also it was easy, friendly, cheap and the doctor was on time! Not to mention he was a surfer and gave me the inside scoop on where all the good longboard breaks are in Tahiti!

We have escaped the heat a few times for some cold drinks and French food at the nearby restaurants, although the ever-present (at every meal!) cigarette smoke is hard to take. We are probably considered extremely gauche by the locals. In fact we showed up for dinner at 6:45 on Friday night (tired and hungry after our passage) and were severely scorned by the host and hostess, who shooed us out and told us to come back at at 7:15 after the kitchen opened. I guess we are early-birds.