Survival Beach, Sea Urchins and Australians Take 2

March 13th 2023

I’m watching baby today and she is sleeping so I’ll take advantage to keep going but we all know now that I’m comfy on the sofa…she’ll wake up!

I can’t give a play by play because it will take too long but our flights were pretty flawless and we arrived on time if not early. We flew into Aguadilla airport and their flight times are wonky but rumor has it that San Juan airport is filling up with water and more flights will come into BQN and the flight times will be much better. We were able to call our car rental place and they sent a shuttle over. You don’t have to speak spanish to visit Puerto Rico. Most everyone speaks English. When we got over, a few people got in front of me and so getting the car took a little longer than I had hoped but it was really efficient. I rented a small car on purpose. Better on gas and pricing. We could barely fit us and our baggage in! It was only 20 minutes to our house we were renting and so we were able to get to sleep at decent time. The house was on the beach…but (I still have to leave a review) it needed some sprucing up for sure. That was dissapointing…and even though the adjoining unit had no one there when we got there, they did show up a couple days later and then you feel like the space/yard is no longer yours. It was a coupel..dating (you could hear her phone convo outside). Its so common though but still gives me the willies. Fly to PR with a guy you don’t actually know that well and rent a house and act like yoru are married–She was getting to know him…but sleeping with him. Yikes. Anyways, our unit did lack some cleanliness but the location was perfect and it had what we needed except enough hand towels. :). The water wasn’t working the first day but that is a PR thing…we had to wait til Monday to get pressure back and that is an issue when you are trying to flush toilets that NEED to be flushed. We went into Rincon for the farmers market and we got coffee and walked around and then went to the supermarket to get groceries. I don’t really remember the rest of the day but I know we made food and got some sun. We were contemplating dinner and I had contacted our “hosts” for suggestions and then ended up talking on the phone with them. We decided to go out to dinner with Jonathon, Lori’s husband because he was going to be a great resource and he wanted to get out of his house (cabin fever. Is that possible when you live on the beach on a tropical island???). At first I didn’t know if this would be weird or not or how the kids woudl feel but I said yes and we waited for him to pick us up. Guess what everyone??? They lived 5 houses down! We were neighbors! So funny. He took us to Bocas in Rincon and of course knew the waiter and such and suggested food. We had really good conversation getting to know each other and I already knew he was in the health and wellness industry…a journalist and publisher (?) doing investigative research on natural healing etc and more recently covering all the covid stuff that people are now upset about not knowing…but it’s still on Rumble because you can’t even get it on Youtube. People, they don’t want you to know! So really good political/health talk at dinner and then, come to find out that Jonathon and Lori are believers and so really good Biblical talk with scripture being flung all about. My kids loved meeting him (me too) and we stayed way too long at dinner, keeping the staff there. We wandered around town and stopped to watch local kareoke on the street side. Next thing we know Jonathon was signing himself up and so we stayed a bit. It was quite funny and so were the drunk puerto ricans singing and dancing..We ended with ice cream and went home. We had alot to talk about that night including remedies and protocol for those who have been exposed to covid or had covid and then additional contraversial health remedies.

When we were having breakfast the next morning…Jonathon came knocking on the door after walking down the beach to our house. “Hey, do your kids want to go surfing?” (he is Australian so re-read that in that accent). They did, and so we went. He had enough boards for them to try it out and the waves were smaller and more managable but when I tried I could not get past the waves breaking. It’s actually really hard. I drank sea water and got tossed about. No thanks. The kids got past and were able to ride waves on their bellies (I mean on boards but not standing). Aly was trying to get back out and one wave ripped her board out and away and snapped the cord that attaches to her ankle so she was swimming out there (a little further away from everyone else) with nothing. I didn’t like that as a mom. Watching them was fun but nerve wrecking. I had to kind of signal to Jonathon that she was alone and point to the board I had to rescue off the reef. She was fine and just swam under the waves til she got in. The loved it though! The big water is scary to me. I didn’t grow up on water or doing water things and so when I’m in the water, even though I swim well, it is like a whole new world. One you don’t mess with that is for sure. We ended up going again the next morning. We just set our plans (hiking to waterfalls) aside and went. You don’t get opportunity like this often. The second time the waves were less forceful and a little smaller. Cora and I took paddle boards out and Aly and Hatcher took surfboards and went out like pros. We met up with a family from North Carolina and surfed with them. They were super nice and supportive of the kids learning. I caught a few waves on the paddle board but also caught the tip and flung myself into the ocean face first. It was kind of funny actually. The group left and the company came to pick up the boards but Jonathon knew him and asked him to leave 4 boards for us and so we all went out surfing more and it was so much better for me to learn. We were all more relaxed and the waves were smaller but the kids could practice standing up. Jono had a meeting so we stayed out a bit longer but then decided we needed to get out of the sun, get food and water and then go from the there.

I think that day we went to a hike out to Survival Beach. The rocks were so cool!! Like Fiji meets cliffs of Dover. The water from above was so pretty and we found a ton of sea glass! We also found 2 dead iguanas. I guess they really are pests and thats not uncommon but who goes to the beach and kills lizards?

I can’t remember when we went out or when we stayed in but I do know that we went surfing the next day again and we knew it would be the end because the surf was going to get rougher come Thursday. We made plans the night before to meet early to use the boards again before that group came back. 7am surfing. We were up and down to their house and ready to roll and it was harder. The waves were like the first day and after I caught one wave I retreated to the beach…..Cora and Hatcher seems to be caught in an “eddy like” situation near shore and they gave up as well but Aly perservered and got out past the breaking waves, exhausting herself. I was watching and talking and then wondering why Aly wasn’t attempting some good waves. Jono (that’s what they call Jonaton) was out there to but closer in. I was beginning to wonder if maybe she wasn’t feeling good (I have spoken about Aly’s health issues to you in other blogs) and if so, how bad was she feeling? I kept saying to Cora, “what is she doing, she isn’t even trying to surf”, “she wont’ catch waves out there”, and ” I think she is going further out”. I DID start to really worry. You can’t can’t communicate to people out there. Its too loudand too far. Doesnt’ work. Jono caught a wave and then I really started to freak out inside my heart because she was alone. He did start heading back but it was even hard for him and he is well seasoned. He stopped to talk to another surger and I was very anxious. I started to pray. Lord, don’t let her pass out. Please get Jono out there to help her. All of my own words were crashing down on me. Things I’ve been saying to myself and other people…”if we really believe in God and who he is and that we are all part of the plan….I have to be okay with what happens”. I had to ask myself if I would be okay with Aly drowning..in the ocean, in front of me.

Jono and the other surfer made it out…went to her and were in a bunch for a moment and then I saw each position their boards on either side of her and slowly paddle her in and over in front of us (but still far out) and then when. good wave came….Jono literally pushed her board to catch the wave to bring her into shore. I was prayerful that she would not fall off and the board would stay straight…when the wave breaks, it pulls back a bit and the pushes again and I went in a bit to meet her and soon the guys were coming onto shore as well. She got up and I grabbed her before she fell backward and got her onto the beach and seated.

So she goes through these episodes where she has trouble breathing…her hands and legs go numb….tingly..even her teeth. She can’t lift her arms and she tunnel visions and feels like she will pass out. Her stomach twists and hurts. She said she couldn’t call for help, lift her arms or paddle and she was praying she didn’t fall off and drowned. It didn’t take her long to recover but that was the end of surfing for us. The group came for the boards and were directed to another beach as the surf was too rough for beginners (said the surf shop guy). That’s fine. My heart couldn’t take more anyways. I think the reality of what happened is still settling in but more than what could have happened, is what IS happening?? Why does she go through these episodes…what wrong with her body and she can’t be alone doing anything that could cause her harm should be become “paralytic” or pass out.

I have some theories…well…not MY theories but some interesting “could be’s”. Which is hopeful. That means she could improve her health. The hard part is nailing down the culprit. Is it just stress (emotional and physical) or is it more?

Stay tuned for the end of our trip, more on the Otto family and possible culprits of Aly’s health. (and maybe yours too?)