Favorite Foto Friday ---Hurricane Vacation

Once again, it is not the photo itself that makes it so memorable but the story behind it. Isn't that usually the case? This picture was taken in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico in July of 2005. What will forever be known to our family as the "year of the hurricane."

After promising the kids for 2 years that we would take them to the beach we planned a family vacation in Navarre, Florida. We loaded up the car and were ready to take off when we got the news that Hurricane Dennis (which is also my maiden name) was bearing down on Navarre Beach. In fact, it wiped that area out completely and they refunded the deposit on the beach house we had rented.

Meanwhile, my kids were crying and saying, "we'll NEVER see the beach. You promised..." And since I don't want to be known as a parent who breaks her promises I spent 3 days looking for a plan B. I didn't even get dressed. I just searched the internet for a "hurricane free" area. One of my girlfriends was a travel agent and said she could get us into a Mexican all-inclusive for close to the same price as the Florida trip would have been. Way Cool! We got all of our birth certificates together and off we flew to Mexico.

We spent three beautiful days on a white-sand beach in Playa Del Carmen. It was paradise! Since it was all-inclusive the kids could eat whenever and whatever they wanted. We went para sailing & kayaking, the resort offered kids activities and even beach soccer and volleyball for the teenagers. Needless to say, we were spoiled rotten and loving it!

Curiously though, the resort had blocked the weather channel on the TV. We heard rumors about a hurricane but when we asked about it we were assured everything was fine. HMMMM.... one thing I learned in Mexico is, they tell you whatever it takes to keep you happy!

Two days before we were supposed to go home, the resort called an emergency meeting to discuss evacuation. Hurricane Emily was coming and it was too late to try and leave. We were told we would be moved to a new hotel ( a mile and a half inland) and we would be put 21 people to a room. We would be allowed to take 1 small "backpack-sized" bag with us. Everything else should be left in the room. Evacuation was to begin first thing the next morning.

That evening, as the kids swam and we prepared to evacuate, my 7 yr. old daughter fell in the pool, splitting her head open. Our first challenge was to find someone who spoke English and then to find a Doctor. Finally we got ahold of a DR. who agreed to come to the resort. In a small medical office with no airconditioning Cece received 4 stitches in her head with my husband and I assisting (John held the clamp, the doctor stitched and I cut the thread). She just kept crying and saying, "I want to go home to Kansas!"

It was at this point I noticed that my ankles had swollen to twice their normal size. In fact, my lips were swollen as well. I was blowing up and I didn't know why! Apparently I had a bad case of sun poisoning. Fortunately, though it was ugly and uncomfortable it wasn't too painful.

Bright and early the next morning evacuation began. We were put on a bus with a sandwich,a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. The new hotel turned out to be......are you ready for this?.......a Mexican brothel! Literally, a hotel of ill repute! The sign on the wall read..........."10 Minute Rate/Maximum 4 hours".
There was a mirror on the bed, hooks on the wall, and room service consisted exclusively of alcoholic beverages.

The room itself measured about 12 x 12, and remember there are 21 of us in there. There wasn't even enough room for all of us to lie down so we took turns sitting up and giving one another a chance to sleep. As the storm approached the power and water was turned off so we had no air conditioning and no way to flush the toilet.

After a long night of what sounded like a freight train on top of us, we emerged from the room to see the devastation. The resort asked for male volunteers to help "clean up" and my husband was the first into the truck. So now I am alone in a Mexican brothel with my 7 kids! And by this time they were running out of food and bottled water.

Eventually, we were taken back to the resort. Everything was a mess, to say the least. There was no power or running water so we took showers in the rain runoff from the roof. Of course our flight home had been canceled so we had to make arrangements to leave (not so easy when you need 9 tickets). By the time we finally did get home (2 days later), the evening news had caught wind of our adventure and broadcast our story along with our photos.

The funny thing is, I don't think any of us would change a thing about that trip. It was an incredible bonding experience for all of us. Yes, it was frightening and we were inconvenienced, hungry at times and uncomfortable but we endured it together. As a family, we grew closer to God and closer to one another. We even made some wonderful new friends. We also discovered that it is true: There is no place like home!

A few weeks after we returned home we watched the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. After that we were almost embarrassed to tell our story. No matter how difficult it was in Mexico, we knew we had a home, family and friends to come back to. We look at our "hurricane experience" and laugh, others aren't so lucky. It reminds me how much we have to be thankful for....."O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever."

Be sure to check out other FFF posts at Kiss the Frog For Me!