After just over two days of nono bites Kirsten was going absolutely crazy. It all started with our trip to Taipivai where we neglected to bring insect repellent. The visit to this village and then the subsequent archaeological site an hour further away proved to be too much of a temptation for the bugs on Hiva Oa. While there is no dengue fever currently reported in the Marquesas, one should be very careful to avoid mosquito bites. This didn’t seem to be a big problem for us. The bites of the small black fruit-fly sized nono’s is much worse however. For most of us they are minor annoyances but for Kirsten, they are much more. The bites on her arms and legs for 3 days got more and more painful, red and swollen. She described it as one of the most painful experiences. I think it is perhaps do to these bites which keep multiplying and getting worse that she is ready to move on from Nuku Hiva. While nono’s are found on other islands as well, it can’t be much worse than the chicken-pox like look that she is now sporting. In the past 3 days she has tried to relieve the pain in a number of different ways thanks to the numerous suggestions from others. She has tried everything from antihistamine,  local oils, lemon, etc. Without any luck at all. So this morning we took a trip to the local pharmacy. About $50 later we wake out with two ointments and some mosquito spray. Did any of it work? No, but at this point Kirsten was ready to try anything. Besides, I’m sure we can use the ointments for other things later on.

A note from Friday, May 24:   We just left Nuku Hiva 2 hours ago and are on our way to Ahe in the Tuamotu islands. After two weeks enjoying life on land we are ready for another week at sea… well actually we would like to stay on land with our new family in Nuku Hiva but we must move on. We expect to arrive in 5 to 6 days depending on the winds at our newest destination.