El Salvadoran castaway Jose Salvador Alvarenga has gone to ground in the Marshall Islands, with phone calls blocked and escorts to and from his hotel room as he awaits medical clearance to travel home.
Alvarenga, who washed up on remote Ebon Atoll in the Marshall Islands 11 days ago saying he had drifted for 13 months across the Pacific Ocean from Mexico, has been staying at the Marshall Islands Resort in Majuro after discharging himself from the hospital on Friday.
He has scarcely been seen since, with an official at the resort saying calls to Alvarenga's room had been blocked at the government's request.
"Foreign Affairs has instructed us to tell callers if they want to talk to him they should call Foreign Affairs," she said, confirming that the hotel had fielded many calls for the castaway.
On the rare occasions Alvarenga has emerged since Friday he has been surrounded by a team of expatriate volunteer teachers who are staying in his room, safeguarding his apparent wish not to speak to the press about his ordeal at sea.
Except for a brief thank you at a media conference on Thursday, he has not spoken directly to any media organisation since early last week, despite intense public interest in his extraordinary tale.
Majuro Hospital officials said Alvarenga was not happy at being bombarded by telephone calls at the hospital, and returned to his hotel room on Friday after an overnight stay.
Hospital medical chief of staff Dr Kennar Briand said Alvarenga's doctor did not discharge him on Friday.
"He discharged himself," said Briand.
"He said he was getting too many calls from people claiming to be his relative."
Briand said his examinations and laboratory tests show Alvarenga's health is improving, with a possible medical discharge on Monday.
"On Monday, laboratory tests will be repeated and based on what happens, his doctor will decide the next steps," Briand said.
Briand has treated numerous drifters who washed into the Marshall Islands or were rescued at sea by fishing trawlers and brought to Majuro for medical care.
"I don't know if anyone has drifted for 13 months (and survived)," said Dr Briand, who oversees medical services at the 80-bed hospital in the capital of the Marshall Islands.
Some had arrived in extremely poor health after being lost at sea for less than half the time Alvarenga was, he said.
