Aruba 2021
Day 15: Tuesday, August 10
The rescue, the reflection, lesson's learned, and heartbreak....
After 12 hours of deep sleep, I was up at 6am again. I immediately started laundry because this would be our last full day here. I never like to wait until the last minute. A procrastinator I am not.
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I looked in the refrigerator and noticed I had 2 full cases of pop to drink today. OH MY! We definitely bought too much the other day.
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We were visited by another 1 legged pigeon again this morning.
Once Sakari got up, her mission was to get the peeling skin off daddy's back. She said "ahhh, it's so satisfying". LOL
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After 2 loads of laundry, I began packing and getting everything put into our luggage that we were not going to be using. It's like putting together a 5,000 piece puzzle sometimes except it also involves weight as well. Ugh! My least favorite part about a vacation.
By 7:30am, I had most of everything packed that I could except I was still trying to figure out what to do with an extra case of pop. Do I pack it and hope that it doesn't get thrown around and explode on everything? Do I leave it behind? The thoughts of leaving behind my $9.10 case of pop didn't sit right with me. I made an executive decision to pack it. I wrapped it in clothes and in a huge bag and I would just have to hope for the best.
Now that the packing was somewhat done, now I started on the dishes and putting them away in their proper place.
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Luggage was packed as much as it could be. I weighed it with my handheld scale and put them by the front door. I would add more to them as we went along.
Then it was time for breakfast. Today we WOULD make it to Lynda's this morning. I knew exactly where it was this time. We got there and checked in and had about 1/2 hour wait. We were in and seated by 10:11am. We immediately put in our drink order. Sakari tried the mango, I tried pineapple and daddy had a coke.
It took 15 minutes for us to get our drinks. This place was poppin'!!! I was another 30 minutes for our food. The hubby ended up with a tuna sandwich...weird for breakfast! Sakari had the Ham, Cheese & Pineapple Pancake. This was a dutch pancake with ham cooked inside, topped with Gouda cheese and fresh pineapple. I gasp when I seen it. I knew there was no way she would probably even eat half of that.
I ended up with the Bacon & Cheese: Bacon strips cooked inside a dutch pancake with lots of Gouda cheese melted on top.
Now I'm a bacon freak but this...I wasn't a fan of. It just wasn't my cup of tea (I don't know if it was Canadian bacon or what) and honestly this really didn't taste much like a pancake either. Just a little thin and crispy. It was just very "off" today. It wasn't like I remembered it and definitely not worth the wait or the price. I don't think I will probably come back here again. I would have much rather went to the grocery store for a cheap breakfast again.
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So a breakdown of our prices: $6.20 for the baguette tuna salad, my non-real-bacon pancake $11.30, Sakari's ham, cheese and pineapple pancake $13.45 and drinks $2.25 for a total of $39.00 US / $68.42ƒ
After breakfast we went back home and I did a little more packing while we waited until 1:45pm to check in the hubs for his flight. Remember, I'm on the A-list, along with Sakari, but not the hubs. I should have not worried about it because we were getting the good seats and he would still have a seat with us even if he was on last.
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So after that we decided on one last day of good snorkeling. We wanted to go back to Malmok to try to go a little further and show Sakari what she had missed the other day. I informed her she was going with us this time and not staying back on shore by herself.
Today would be the worse decision we had ever made. I still have nightmares about it. It will be a day I never forget and I feel like I should have seen all the signs, but I didn't. Well, I did, but just thought things were changing with having a teenager now.
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I shutter while I tell this story...tears come to my eyes...and I have been dreading this particular day in this review.
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So...here we go...deep breath...
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We arrived at Malmok and hung our things up at one of the palapa's and headed out to snorkel.
We headed under the rope and down the wall.
Then on this rock, there was another rock...but it really wasn't a rock. YIKES! There seems to be a lot of these in Aruba.
We came across some really huge parrot fish. Still not the big blue ones, but these were pretty big.
They told us we were able to go up front on the nets and Sakari really wanted to go up there but I couldn't climb up there and I'm not sure why the hubby didn't but Sakari headed up that way. I didn't see her after awhile and found her sitting on the side of the ship.
It was just so beautiful out there. However, it seemed like the water was a lot higher today. It was also pretty wavy as well and a lot of the time, the water didn't seem as clear as before and the sand was kicked up. We would stop in between each little cove and rest. I would ask Sakari if she was ok because she wasn't really swimming the way she normally did. She usually holds her breath for a long time and she's so smoothe when she swims. I guess it's the mermaid that comes out in her. But I noticed a lot more kicking for some reason. We rested for a little bit and she said she was fine and we headed back out and down some more.
We came across another cove and it was time to rest again. Sakari said she was fine, the hubby said he was fine. I ask if she was getting tired and she said "no, I'm ok". The waves were crashing and hard to stand up. Then off we went again.
The water got deeper really quick, it had been awhile since we had seen a cove to stop. I looked at Sakari and she had a weird look on her face. I said "Sakari are you ok?" She said "yes, I'm fine" but the look on her face was like she was looking right past me with a blank look on her face. She didn't look right. I told her to come over where I was at and hang onto the rock. At this point I was scared. I didn't know what to do. The hubby and I were trying to decide where do we go from here. The hubby wanted to keep going. He said "We're close to the next beach. We're almost there". I didn't think so. But I did know how far we had come. We were much further than the day before. The water was deep now. I wanted to at least go back because we knew how far that was...which seemed far too as well.
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I started to panic. I was scared. I had never seen Sakari like this. She finally admitted she was tired. That was when I knew we were in trouble. All of a sudden here comes a small boat of snorkelers. They jump out and a man is snorkeling in our area. Then here comes one of the pirate boats. They keep coming and coming and before long I'm thinking they are about to hit us that's how close they were. They seen us there, why are they getting so close???? I promise you the front of the ship was 10' or less by us when they finally stopped. I yelled for the hubby to move!
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There was a guy from the other boat that was pretty close to us. I yelled at him and said "Where's the nearest beach? Is there one close that way?" as I pointed toward the way we were going and the way the hubby said to keep going. He said "I don't remember seeing one close by, but we are on a boat so I'm unsure. I think it's a ways down there from here." So then he ask "Are you guys in trouble?" That word circled my head for a second and yep, that's exactly what we were...in trouble! There was just something off with Sakari and I didn't think she could physically make it back. I told him "Yes, we are" He said, "You want me to push you guys up on that rock and you climb up?" I'm looking at this rock and thinking there's absolutely no way anyone is going to push me on this very small jagged rock that maybe only 1 of my feet could stand on only if I was in an upright position...not with this foot and then me be able to climb up. I didn't even think Sakari would be able to in the state she was in.
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Next option, he said he would see if the boat he was on could give us a lifejacket to swim back. I told him she was very tired and I didn't know if she could do that but if that was our only option then we would try. He then said "Wait, let me ask them if you can just get on the boat with us and them take you there." He swam away to them.
After he told the captain what was going on, the captain yelled over to the pirate ship and they were talking back and forth and one of the guys on the pirate ship ask us if we're in trouble...I told him yes! I hear them say "get the dinghy" and they told us "hold on, we're getting the dinghy, we'll be right there" Of course at this point everyone on the pirate ship is talking and pointing and what an embarrassing moment we got ourselves into.
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Along came the dinghy with the guy from the pirate ship and he tells us to get in. I don't know how but Sakari managed to pull herself up while we pushed her into the boat and I'm looking at them like there is absolutely no way I can get in there! So, they told us to hold onto the side of the boat and they would pull us to the nearest beach. Oh my!
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Then they took off with me on one side and the hubby on the other.
Now I will tell you that holding onto the boat being pulled in the water was really getting my arms tired. It was hard to hang on and I would end up switching my arms back and forth. I've never been good with having my arms above my head. They fall asleep easily or start aching. I have always had that problem...even as a child trying to climb the monkey bars and go across the horizontal ladder.
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The hubby kept asking me if I was ok. I kept telling him I was really tired. We were toward the front of the boat and he came closer and wrapped his arm around me with one arm and hung on with the other to help me out. He is such a protector and caring. He didn't care if his other arm was holding the both of us up. He just wanted me to be safe and not so tired. I don't know how he did it.
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These pictures of us hanging on the side of the boat shows the photographer in Sakari. She's just like her momma. I didn't tell her to take these but even during a rescue, she's continuing to get photo's of the events.
The ride seemed forever long...wow, did we really go that far? I guess this proves it's easy to get too far out when you aren't paying as much attention and busy looking at your surroundings...UNDER WATER.
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We came to one of the coves and the pirate dinghy driver said "I will let you out here. You should be able to climb out from here yes?" It was one of the first coves we had came to and we said "yes, we should be able to get out here...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!" I wish I had had money on me at that time because I probably would have gave him every last bit of what I had for that rescue boat ride. I was that grateful.
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We let go of the boat and swam up to the cove and climbed the rocks out to safety. I never felt so happy to see land again.
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There was a small sandy area upon getting out of the water and then there were a bunch of rocks to climb. Up we went. Sakari was still taking pictures.
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Again, I ask Sakari if she was ok and she said "yes". I ask if she was going to be able to walk back to the beach and she said "yes, I'm fine". I mean if I have to go get the car, I will.
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We began our journey back.
We finally made it back to our palapa and rested for awhile. I kept asking if Sakari was ok and she kept saying she was fine. She looked fine...so I don't know what just happened because I can guarantee she wasn't "fine" when I ask her out there. She just wasn't. There was something she wasn't telling me or admitting and I knew it.
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We had a few snacks and some pb&j sandwiches and watched some friends come and go.
Sakari wanted to see if her eel friend was still in the rocks on the shore so she went over to have a look. Can you believe it was still there????
Here's a video from our snorkeling adventure before things got bad.
I ask her if she wanted to go to a different beach...because we were so over this place at this point and she said yes. We took all of our things to the car and headed out.
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We ended up at Boca Catalina.
We set up our things under a tree in the shade and this would be our surroundings.
After continuing to rest of little more, I had recuperated and was ready to snorkel again. After all, it was still our last day here and there's no telling what you might see that you could have missed right?
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I headed out, but wait, so did Sakari. I was kinda shocked that she wanted to come but I was going to keep my eye on her. The hubby headed out with us too. But we were staying in the area and close to the beach. No wandering off this time!
Oh how pretty is this snail?
Then I spotted this out of the corner of my eye...again, these fish are everywhere and you need to be extremely careful where you are putting your feet down!!!
So we were only out there for half an hour and then decided to get back out. I wasn't about to push my luck with Sakari even though she seemed fine now. We got to see a lot of interesting things and of course the critters in the water didn't disappoint us again.
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The pirate ships were coming and going and I now really had a special place in my heart for them. <3
Ok, enough snorkeling for the day. We got out and just hung out on the beach.
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Sakari made this in the sand...
After awhile, you could tell the sun was getting ready to go down. We decided one last trip to Arashi would be on our list of things to do today. We packed our things and headed right down the road to Arashi to catch the sunset.
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Sakari immediately decided to dig a hole.
While Sakari was digging her way to China, the hubby decided he was going to walk out in the water. He kept walking and walking and walking and before long he was all the way out to the buoys. Like we couldn't see anything but a speck, which was his hat. I didn't realize you could go that far out and still be walking. It's that shallow! And it's pretty far out there.
Sakari was still digging and decided to sit in her hole.
But that wasn't good enough. She continued to dig. She wanted to be all the way in there and buried. Yes her body is up and down...she is not laying horizontal.
Then daddy slowly walked his way back to shore and you would look at him and you would see him in one spot frozen like a mannequin. Then you'd turn your head and then look back again and he would be frozen in another spot. He was trying to sneak up on us. Silly daddy....
Well, the sun was going down and all of a sudden I said "I think we should drive up to the lighthouse really quick and get sunset pictures".
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We hurried to the car and took off.
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Goodbye Arashi...until next time.....
I was really glad we decided to go up to the lighthouse. It turned out to be a great choice and the sun would not disappoint us tonight. We were going out with a bang.
The cacti would be the perfect backdrop for our pictures tonight.
Sakari was out to get the perfect picture. She was bare footed and stepping over cacti and before long she was surrounded by them. Every direction she turned, they were around her. She's like "I risk my life to get the perfect sunset picture". LOL
As the sun went down, it gave off a pastel display in the sky. It was definitely a beautiful night and it was sending us off of this island with amazing memories of how gorgeous it is there.
We headed home and Sakari and I went straight for the pool. It was all lit up in it's glory and we were having some fun. I was playing around with the over under shots. I've never tried it in the dark.
It was still very beautiful out and the sky was giving off spectacular colors into the evening.
Sakari found a neat way to make some pretty cool pictures in the pool with bubbles and one of the pool lights.
Then of course she wanted to practice her bubble rings
I tried really hard to do them but I just can't stay down in the water. I float right back up to the top. She tried to teach me how to stay down by releasing air in the lungs and positioning, but it was a no-go for me. I still float back up to the top. Fluffy girls float! I even tried holding onto the ladder in the deep end to keep me down but the rest of my body said no! You are floating to the top.
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So it was time to get out and get the rest of the laundry dried and packed then we headed for the showers while the hubby made spaghetti and used the leftover taco meat. We reused anything we had leftover on this trip. Everything was multi-purpose.
As we sat around eating dinner, I was questioning Sakari about her swimming today and the whole rescue thing. I just couldn't get it out of my mind. She finally told me she was getting dizzy! That must have been the blank stare I was getting from her. WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT???? She didn't want me to worry but I was already worried when she didn't look like herself. I thought she looked a little pale too. My heart sank thinking of what could have happened. :( Fast forward until now...I find out that she was actually passing out during this time and she has not been "eating" or if she does eat she can't keep it down all the time and throws up. She is sick to her stomach every time it comes to eating. This has been going on for 4-5 months now and she states it is just getting worse. She didn't want to tell me because she kept thinking it was going to get better. I feel for her. It's scaring me. She has been to the doctor and put on medication and we are trying to determine if this is medical or psychological and if she is developing an eating disorder. She admits to having anxiety now and that could have contributed to her episode as well. Our lives have been in turmoil since returning from vacation and like I said...I have nightmares about this now. My sweet little Sakari. :(
Once everything was packed and the house was clean, it was time for bed. Sakari headed to her sauna room for one last drawing. The needlefish from today...
