He was 14 months adrift, then washed on remote Pacific atoll
After surviving more than a year adrift in the Pacific the first taste of the new world that the man received was a sip of coca cola to which he expressed that though he never drank cola in his life; after spending 13 months surviving on every drop of liquid ‘I am sure it tastes good’.
In real life Castaway Jose Salvador Alvarenga spend 13 long months adrift across Pacific has been flown out of where he touched after his ordeal, the Marshall Islands, to El Salvador where his family was eagerly waiting for him.
His mother Maria Julia had spoken to reporters earlier suggesting that the whole family is eager to oblige when Alvarenga returned home after such long period of absence. She added that they would prepare a big meal; no fish though, she asserted, because he must be sick of it by now; his family was preparing him meat, cheese and beans for his return.
During his voyage across Pacific Alvarenga was accompanied by a 24-year-old crew -mate named Ezequiel Cordoba, who according to Alvarenga could not survive since his stomach was unable to digest the foodstuffs and literally starved to death four months into their journey.
Officials analysed Alvarenga’s story and confirmed that there were not inconsistencies in his narrative of the events that unfolded during their voyage across Pacific. The experts have asserted the survival in such conditions for this longer a period is certainly possible in theory, but Alvarenga’s account is amazing and mesmerizing at the same time.
However, it is not the only survival story that turned a few heads; Steven Callahan had reportedly survived 76 days when his boat sank, and he had to rely on a tiny rubber boat. Callahan had no food stored on him, but he had what he believed contributed a great deal to his survival, solar stills. These stills produced enough drinking water for Callahan who later declared that he could have lasted indefinitely simply relying on the solar stills and his fishing skills.
Alvarenga showed immense gratitude to the rescuers before he was flown back to his family. He spoke through an interpreter and said that he was thankful for everything the people of the Marshall Islands had done for him during his stay. Alvarenga’s journey home was a much shorter trip as compared to what he had travelled adrift; which was some 8,000 miles when his shipping trip off the coast of Mexico went wrong in early 2013. During his stay on the Marshall Islands Alvarenga had to visit hospitals quite a few times due to his dehydration problems and other ailments such as acute back pains and swollen joints.
According to a retired US doctor Franklyn House who had met Alvarenga during his stay in the Marshall Islands, Alvarenga seemed increasingly withdrawn and showed the symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome. Alvarenga had previously mentioned that during his ordeal he thought of suicide on various occasions, however, thought of his 14-year-old daughter and amazing Mexican food kept him alive.