17 days in the White Isle: September 5th to 22nd, 2012

[Scottish-Helen]

Loving this. I really intended to write a review when I came back so at least I get to feature a little bit in one. Next year I will try my best. That was so horrible having to leave you and go home but at least I got to go out on a high. I had a really great time with my fellow Spotlighters We've booked our flights for 2013 and this time all my friends are staying on until the Tuesday with me. Really hoping to see a bit more of the island this time like you guys did although to be honest there will be such a big group of us that I don't think anybody will be in any fit state or willing to drive at any point!!

 

[jackmontandon]

please finish the review

 

[Evening Star]

please finish the review

I just finished Tuesday. The thing is that I have to write so much for my work that when I get home, I really don't feel like writing anymore. But then again - this is different. I remember things as I put them down on the paper and in a way it feels like I'm back there again... can't wait for Ibiza trip this year!

 

[Evening Star]

Tuesday, the 18th

We wake up and we feel... normal... After 13 days in Ibiza it is the strangest feeling to wake up to. I blame the ice cream.
It was already late and we had no will to get up so we spent some time just lying in bed doing nothing. We knew that tonight there are no events that we are keen on going to except for maybe join BOS and ASDF who were planning to go to Mambo in the Mix where top DJ's where mixing drinks as part of a charity event for Red Cross. Still, we thought a nice dinner is in order so we decided to try out Buddha Bar in west-end.
The Buddha Bar was nice but absolutely empty. That is the thing if you are in Ibiza at the end of season - places that in summer are just rammed with people are empty and look deserted. Still, we wanted to try the place out, so we found a nice little couch and ordered our drinks and dinner. The drinks were good (not the greatest I've had on the island) but the food was delicious. We witnessed a beautiful sunset and shortly after we called BOS to find out that they are still at Mambo and apparently it is fun.

When we got to Mambo half an hour later my first thought was that someone has taken two pictures from the same place, cut a part out of one and glued it on the other. Every other place around was just as empty as the Buddha Bar was but Mambo looked like in the peak season. All the tables outside and inside were taken, people were sitting down at the beach level on the rocks, the music was loud and everyone seemed to have a great time. We found BOS and ASDF who had somehow managed to save two bar chairs for us and so we decided to try and get in and get our cocktails.

The idea was simple - a DJ behind the bar mixes you a drink and you pay a donation (as much you wish to donate) in the donation box. The drinks came out mostly alcohol mixed with a little bit of a different alcohol and ice but since we needed to catch up with BOS and ASDF who both had been drinking for a while already, it suited our needs perfectly. After our first drinks we switched to Daiquiri's (which were btw phenomenally good) and in an hour or so we were having lots of fun remembering the night before and planning out our festivities for the night.

Time passed by quickly and around 11pm when the place started emptying up, we were in the right level of inebriation to decide that we must try out bars in west-end and see if they really are the way they seem to be. ASDF figured he is not feeling all that adventurous and headed home and Steve, BOS and I continued our walk from Mambo to the cheep bar area.

I had never been out in the west-end (not during our first trip or even now when we actually lived in San An) but I did remember that in July when we came to San An for dinner one night, I saw the bar scene and I thought to myself - I'm betting that alcohol is terrible. I was right.

The first bar we went in was almost empty. We didn't even feel like trying to get our drinks there so we went to the next one. As soon as we got in I started laughing - the place smelled terrible and looked even worse. Still we thought that maybe some alcohol might help getting over the fact... Wrong! The rum and coke that we ordered was worst part of it and I don't even think we finished it all. We got out and just wandered around looking for the next place. Those of you who have wandered around in San An (not just west-end) probably know that normally it is filled with drunk tourists (mostly Brits.. sorry, mean no offense) and they try to talk to you and people on streets also try to talk to them and get them to drink more. Well there we are - quite inebriated Latvian, American and Icelander wandering around and people were trying to talk to us, get us in bars, buy drinks or something and we figured that the best answer what to give them is "Oii"... Wanna come in? - Oii. Are you drunk?-Oii... Want to buy a drink?-Oii. Don't want to buy a drink?-Oii. At some point we just started shouting it out loud and there were people who responded with the same Oii. Works perfectly.

After making three or four loops, we found a place that didn't smell bad, had actually decent music and the rum was not all that terrible. We stayed there for few drinks, danced a while and then shouting "Oii", headed to the Subway for a late meal. After that BOS went somewhere and Steve and I decided to make few final loops around west-end to see if we want to go to any other place. Half an hour later we decided to call it a night and headed back to the hotel. We are walking past the beach and there is a guy who comes our way and before we could tell who it was, we hear him shouting "Oii" to bunch of drunken tourists heading his way.. yep.. it turned out to be BOS. We Oii-ed him and then continued our walk home where we blissfully fell asleep as soon as we got under the covers.

to be continued...

 

[Evening Star]

When you read this, I suggest you listen to Tiesto's album "In Search Of Sunrise", track "Ride". It was a perfect background music while I was writing this on my flight from Kabul to Riga.

Wednesday, the 19th

Some time earlier that week we had decided that we must take things easy if we want to be in shape for closing of Cream on Thursday. So far the plan was failing miserably as we had been out for three nights straight. So today we decided that we'll take it easy and have a nice and relaxing evening in Eivissa town.
It still is one of the most beautiful cities I've seen. The fortress up in the hill, the tiny streets that still hold a breath from a past and such peace. We got there before around 7pm and climbed up on the west wall to watch the sunrise. We stood there for more than half an hour watching the big yellow egg lighting up the sky in every shade of orange and red, turning the white of the clouds into dark grey and creating a fireplace over the mountains. The fire burned out as the egg sank in the dark pit behind the mountain and it was time to go.

Previously walking around we had found a place that we really wanted to try out. It was inside a large building (that turned out to be a hotel) and even though in Ibiza I prefer sitting outside, I was willing to take my chances and see what it is like. It turned out better than we thought - they also had a little terrace on the other side built at the end of the cliff. The place was stunningly beautiful - few olive trees, ground covered in small white pebbles that shined in the moonlight, few lights here and there, and a small, shallow pool of water that looked pitch black in the evening light. The sky was the darkest blue possible, full of stars and underneath us there was a city, so alive and full of light. It was a wonderful evening. A bottle of wine, delicious food, our unending conversations and pure happiness..............
Ever since I first traveled to Ibiza it is the word that comes to mind when I think about the place. It is not partying, not having fun even but it is something much more important... acceptance. The place accepts everyone and you can be anyone you want to be. You can be yourself and you won't be judged or questioned. It is a home of happiness and it is not in the drugs you take, sunsets you watch or the parties you go to... it is in the joy of being who you are, where you are at this very moment. The past is dead and the future is nonexistent and you feel more alive than you ever have because you live now in the moment captured in time.

It was a wonderful evening, just like many others we had on the island. After the dinner it was still early and we decided to go to PDB and see what is happening there. As we passed one bar we used to hang out in, we spotted BOS and quickly enough we found a parking place and headed to meet him. To be fair, we expected him to be there but the fact that he actually was, was still a bit surprising.

And that's when we got introduced to Rakesh. He had recently arrived and was in "I want to party my ass off tonight and I don't care if I live or die after that" mood which is totally cool with us but once again totally blew our chances on having a quiet evening. Why - because you can't say no to a friend whom you just met and the one you've been partying with for days when they tell you - tonight is Subliminal in Pacha. And I had never been to the place before so... why the hell not. You'll sleep when you're dead, right? Right....
So the next thing we know is that all four of us are in our car going to meet few of Rakesh's friends that would also be going to Pacha. Since we were already four people in the car we couldn't take them with us and to be fair, my memory here is a bit hazy.. I remember getting back to San An where BOS took few essential things from his place and I think we left the car at our hotel and got a cab.

We got to Pacha and realized - we need cash. So - a walk around to find an ATM and back to the club.
Like I said, I had never been to the place before but I had heard a lot about it and in many ways as soon as I got through the door, I could relate. It was a completely different club than the ones we went to previously and yet seemed more ordinary. It was a bigger version of a club you can find back home. Tiny space for a massive number of people, hot as hell (but that goes for all clubs in general and doesn't bother me much anymore) and very serious looking security guards. The crowd is much younger and those that aren't look kinda snobbish but when you go to the club with a group of people it doesn't really matter as you have your own crowd to hang out with.
I decided that if I want to survive tonight I must have some assistance so I went to the bathroom to have some privacy and there by the door is a girl with bloody feet being tended by a security guard and some girl. I still don't understand why Pacha are using glass instead of plastic glasses. I moved in, got sorted and went back to the guys to tell what I just saw and we decided to move to the balcony. It was much better - more space, more air, and actually better sound. I had never heard Erick Morillo before but I liked him. He played real good deep house that I like, was not at all commercial, and got us moving in no time. BOS was mostly sitting doing his "shut eye-head swinging-foot banging" dance, Rahesh who was (how to better put this) very, very happy and active either danced there together with us or just wandered around the club to meet up with his other friends and Steve and I enjoyed what turned out to be a much better night than what we expected.
So our "quiet night" turned into "let's go wild till the morning light" night. We left the club only shortly before closing so we wouldn't have to wait in an endless line for a cab. Events after getting in the cab are... fogy.. but in my defense, it had been a very long day and night and we had the next one coming up as it was Cream closing with Spotlight meet before that.

to be continued...

 

[Rebecca G]

It was fun partying with you too! Great reviews! Formentera has great chilled out beaches. There's a possibility I'll be back in September...

 

[Evening Star]

It was fun partying with you too! Great reviews! Formentera has great chilled out beaches. There's a possibility I'll be back in September...

We hope to make it to Ibiza twice again this year - end of July and September. But we also should be in Barcelona from 27th to 31st of May (short side trip on our way back from Riga to Kabul).

Formentera is great. Need to go back there as well.

 

[Rakesh_Joy]

No better way of putting this - I was in "I want to party my ass off and didn't care if the world blew up that night" Thanks for such a great night, you guys are amazing! Very very happy active indeed! This night is up there with being one of the best if the THE best! I was surprised by how good Pacha and Subliminal was!

 

[Evening Star]

No better way of putting this - I was in "I want to party my ass off and didn't care if the world blew up that night" Thanks for such a great night, you guys are amazing! Very very happy active indeed! This night is up there with being one of the best if the THE best! I was surprised by how good Pacha and Subliminal was!

I can agree about Pacha - I was surprised as well. The night was really awesome and we enjoyed every bit of it. Now that I come to think about it, our last week in Ibiza seemed much longer at the time (and still does) comparing to the rest of the time there. Those first 10 days, as fun as they were, seem shorter than those few last ones when we were hanging out with all of you.

 

[BOS]

It was such a blast, the whole time! And I too was pleasantly surprised that Subliminal was so much fun, loved those dirty tribal beats

When are you going to give us the rest of the review??? Not that I should complain, I should finish mine and post it too...

 

[Evening Star]

It was such a blast, the whole time! And I too was pleasantly surprised that Subliminal was so much fun, loved those dirty tribal beats

When are you going to give us the rest of the review??? Not that I should complain, I should finish mine and post it too...

Oh, man.. it was the best time ever!
And - I actually just finished the next day.

 

[Evening Star]

I started writing this chapter earlier this spring but things constantly got in the way of finishing it. Last night was our last night in Barcelona where we had a very short but necessary vacation before returning to Kabul and spent it in a true "Ibiza stile". So now as I am sitting in the airport in Istanbul, waiting for my next flight, it feels appropriate to finish the story of:

Thursday, the 20th

Finally the day we had been planning and waiting for as the rest of them were more or less spontaneous events. The morning is lost, I guess. I've been trying to recall events that happened that morning and I have no idea. Considering the fact that we were out every single night since Sunday, I assume we slept.
I think we woke up late in the afternoon, close to sunset. We definitely went out for dinner and drinks but I have no clear memory about that. Anyway - we knew that before going to Amnesia, there should be a Spotlight meet in Bay Bar (across from Tulp Cafe).

So come the night and we get ready to go. When we arrive at the Bay Bar, we see that there are just two persons there - BOS and another guy that turned out to be Hywel. We asked about others and apparently ASDF was on his way and after a while we received a call from Rakesh who was experiencing difficulties explaining the cab driver how to get here. A bottle of vodka, some snacks and we found ourselves enjoying the evening.
Now, I must explain that, when we are not in Kabul, Steve and I have this rule - drink something you can't get there which, in our case, are cocktails. The closest thing to a cocktail that you can try to get there is vodka/orange or rum and coke (vodka most likely will be served from a plastic bottle with no label) so we decide to start with strange cocktails from their menu (I think mine was passion fruit daiquiri... anyway it was actually very delicious). ASDF arrived soon enough and also ordered a cocktail. BOS was pouring drinks and, since he is such a generous man, we ended up with two drinks (a cocktail and vodka/something where vodka was quite a bit more than "something") and soon we all were quite... relaxed. Rakesh arrived after half an hour swearing about the cab driver who had taken him for a 30 minute drive around the area (apparently he had no idea where the place is) but after a glass of BOS's "mixture of happiness" he got as relaxed as the rest of us. Part of it probably was these two girls dressed up as angels who were walking around the place offering massages. It was Rakesh's birthday so he got a massage and BOS decided he wanted one too. So there we are - Hywel chatting with Steve something about rugby, ASDF and me killing our drinks and chatting about Tarantino movies and shirtless Rakesh and BOS enjoying a massage. One thing led to another and eventually girls got drinks and a free massage from BOS and Rakesh.

We were expecting more people from Spotlight to show up but in the end it was just us and it was in no way bad. We had a great time and closer to midnight we got up and went to the bus stop to try and catch a bus (or a cab) to Amnesia.
We missed the bus and there was an endless line for cabs. Still we decided to try our luck and joined the line waiting for cabs. In front of us there were this couple - both ~40-50ish and pretty drunk. The lady was very chatty and she said it was her second(?) husband and somewhere there is her daughter. Sure enough, a split second later I notice this ~18 year old girl who is pretty drunk and/or possibly may have been using some unprescribed medicine... she was very, VERY friendly... she was telling me some story that I do not recall but she was very excited about and at some point she started telling me about her lip balm and that it is very nice, makes your lips smoother and a bit bigger and: "Here, try some"........ To be fair - thanks to BOS, I was tipsy enough to actually do that. Can't tell about the smoothness or how it actually looked on me but it was just the kind of a fun you can have only in Ibiza.

The line was moving incredibly slow and after we all had made a quick trip to different bars to use their facilities and we were still in almost the same spot, it was time to try something we haven't tried before - illegal cabs. It is very easy to get one - you just have to start looking around and before you know it, there will be a helpful guy asking if you happen to need a ride. There were 5 of us so we actually needed two cars but that also is no problem for the helpful guy, as he always has a friend who also can give a lift to your friends for something like 20Eur per person.
The drive itself is interesting - they don't take the main roads avoiding police checkpoints so once again I got to see a different part of Ibiza. The driver was very chatty and we had a quick introduction with him and have to give a quick introduction about ourselves so in case we are stopped by police we are just friends traveling to one place or another. But we were fortunate not to have any accidents and soon enough we stop near Amnesia, pay our helpful friend, and proceed to the gate.
As soon as we got near the gate one of security guys asked if we had tickets and I said we did. He just dragged Steve and me in the side door without asking other questions separating us from our little group. Other guys had VIP tickets so they used the main entrance.

The moment we entered the club the first thought going through my mind was - omg, this is so much like in peak season!!!

As much as I liked Ibiza in September the difference between July and now was huge. Fewer people out, fewer people in clubs and in a way you miss the crowd and lines for drinks. But now - the place was literary rammed. It felt like July again and the struggle to get through the crowd and 20 minutes to buy two bottles of water was just great.

The night was great. The music was good, the crowd was happy and even after 15 days on the island, we had energy to dance and have a good time. After a while we met Rakesh and BOS again. Steve was having a conversation about Kabul with a strange guy near the bar and so BOS and Rakesh entertained me as they could. I have truly great memories from that night.
We stayed there till the morning and then went home with the bus. It felt strange because we knew that the next night will be the last one here and this is our last walk home. Still, we were not going to let our spirits down and on our way home we set a plan for the day to come. We arranged a late check out when we got back to the hotel and went up to our room to get some well deserved and needed rest before the day to come.

 

[Evening Star]

Good stories from your past are like old friends - they may embarrass you from time to time but they are still great and you would never trade them for anything else.
When I think about our last day in Ibiza, I always have these dual feelings. It was an absolutely wonderful day that turned into a perfect night and we shared it all with the greatest people who, in those few days we spent together, became our close friends. Yet I can't think of it without a sense of bitterness as it was our last day on the island.
I have postponed writing this last chapter due to this reason. Now, when it is less than two weeks before we will leave the City of Dust and return to the White isle, it seems like the right time to finish the review of:

Friday, the 21st

After getting back from Cream the night prior, the first thing we did was talked to the reception in our hotel and arranged a late check-out. The lady who starts her shift around 8am was very helpful and five minutes later we were up in our room, trying to catch as much sleep as we can.
We got up around 2pm, showered, packed our bags, and checked out. We still had our car that we had to return only the following morning, so we dropped our bags in the trunk and went to Bay Bar to wait for ASDF and BOS while enjoying some afternoon cocktails. I can't say it came as surprise but we couldn't get any food.. the nice lady who worked there promised us some chips. Luckily enough, Strawberry daiquiri is quite filling...

We continued drinking after BOS and ASDF showed up around 4pm and an hour later we went back to the car and went to PDB to meet with Rakesh. First things' first - we needed to get sorted for our last night. It didn't take much time and soon enough BOS, ASDF, Rakesh and I went back to Rakesh's place to have a few drinks and Steve took our car back to the airport and parked it there without turning it in (mind that our things were still in the trunk) and returned to PDB with a cab.
The hotel Rakesh was staying at apparently was a "family friendly" place as I remember my ears being completely assaulted by an absolutely horrible show that was supposed to entertain kids. Nothing that a good strong drink and some unprescribed medicine can't cure.

A nice walk alongside the beach took us away from the poor girl, dressed up in a weird costume, trying to keep attention of bunch of bored kids and their drunken parents, to Ushuaia. I had never been to Ushuaia before but I had heard enough so I had my ideas on what it will be like and... I was right. I liked the place.
The stage was huge, lightshow was good, and sound was better than I expected it to be. We migrated around, danced, and had a lot of fun watching the crowd. The downside of it all was - it seemed that the "disco biscuits" (as BOS likes to call them) are not working. Our first thought was that it may have something to do with the fact that it was our 17th night on the island so we switched to vodka/something and continued dancing. The other thing was - it was close to 11pm and the main act - Sasha - was still not on. Around 11:15pm, Sasha finally came on and we figured that maybe they have agreed with the authorities to allow them to continue playing after midnight. We were dancing in the pool, having fun and then came the unpleasant surprise - he stopped playing as it was midnight. We were a bit disappointed as he was the main act everyone came to see. On top of that we realized, that not only we are not feeling the effect of the "disco biscuits", but we actually feel a bit down. Our conclusion was that apparently it was a bad batch but we decided not to give up that easily. After all - it was our last night on the island and our flight was still hours away. ASDF went back to the hotel and BOS, Steve, Rakesh and I went out to find something that can fix us up again.

After a short walk we were set up and we went back to Rakesh's place..
The only thing I will mention about it is what I told BOS later on that evening - NEVER say Never.
30 minutes to an hour later we left his place fixed up nicely, in good spirits, and the rest of the night could begin.

We picked up a cab near Ushuaia and went down to Pacha for Pete Tong.
Now - this time I had no idea what to expect. I had been in Pacha earlier that week so I knew what the place is like but I had never heard Pete Tong before, yet from the moment we went in the club, it was absolutely phenomenal! If there was any weariness left, it was all gone. Pete Tong was awesome! I have no clear memories of what he played exactly but we loved it. Currently, Pete Tong is on or "have to see" list for our trip this year.

We found a place up on the balcony where BOS could once again hold on to his dear life, while sitting near the wall, doing his "shut eye, head-swinging, foot-banging" dance and Steve and I could dance near him. Rakesh disappeared somewhere and after a while he came back being quite mad saying that there is a creepy guy that keeps staring at him. Now - I have had my share of creepy guys and I did sympathize yet we were curious - what creepy guy. And then we saw him...

There was this huge Russian dude that looked like he's come out of the early 90's era movie and he was... well.. creepy. Currently he was staring angrily at an insanely drunk guy (toy-boy apparently) who was acting out in every way possible and definitely "misbehaving". They both almost instigated a fight, club security showed up but after talking to the creepy guy, they left and the creepy guy and toy-boy stayed there making a quite interesting scene. The creepy guy was yelling at him for being drunk and coming on to girls and the toy-boy was just yelling something back as he was too drunk/stoned off his ass to make any sense. Rakesh was still angry and the creepy guy had stopped arguing and now was staring at all of us so, we decided to move out. It was a warm night and the upstairs terrace was full but not crowded. We found a nice spot there and spent some time enjoying the cool breeze.

I went to get us some drinks and after I came back with them, Rahesh and Steve were laughing and said that I have made a bit of a show. To be fair - I was wearing Ibiza short skirt that evening and apparently I have an attractive but. Anyway, while I was standing at the bar getting our drinks, Steve and Rakesh were laughing about other guys who were staring at me. Oh well... it is Ibiza after all.

After a while we went back inside and continued our evening there as the creepy guy and his toy-boy were gone.

It was honestly a wonderful night that nothing could spoil. It is not that now in my memory I have expelled the bad and annoying things that happened and it seems better than it was. I remember being there on the balcony inside, watching BOS swinging his head and banging his foot to the sound of the music, Rakesh being happy and smiling again, Steve taking a video of me dancing and I thought to myself - this is a wonderful, wonderful night and I don't want it to end.
We had so much fun with our friends, I once again did things that I had told myself I will never do and yet I did them and it was so much fun! I enjoyed every bit of it and I would never change anything what happened that night.

Whether we liked it or not, the morning came and we had to rush to the airport. Our flight out of Ibiza was around 8am and it was already 5am. We stayed in the club till 5:30, BOS and Rakesh walked us to the cab and we were off to the airport. We went to the parking lot where Steve had parked our car, got our bags, changed, turned in the keys and went to the terminal where for our horror we found a soul crushing message - FLIGHT DELAYED. Really?!! WTF! Luckily, we were exhausted and decided that some extra time to go through the costumes will come in handy.

We bought cava and ice cream, Steve broke his thumb taking his backpack off his shoulder, and we also managed to find a nice place where to rest while waiting for the flight. Ice cream hit the spot and cava was delicious as always. I remember walking around a lot.. still had too much left in me. Most of the crowd there were quite like us - just out of the club looking completely smashed but happy.

We had had a blast over our last 17 days there and now we were on our way to the States. After a three week long trip we came back to Latvia and in November we returned to Kabul. Writing this review has been fun. Re-living the times we had, laughing about some if the weird adventures we got ourselves in..

The truth is - the best thing you can give to yourself, or anyone else for that matter, is a new adventure.

And now.. now I wait anxiously for 11th of July so our new adventure could begin...

 

[C1TPT]

AWESOME read! sounds like an amazing time... cannot wait to get out there this year!!

 

[Scottish-Helen]

Just got round to reading the final installments. Not been on Spotlight much this year as been so busy planning other trips but I will be back on the island in just over 5 weeks time so starting to think about that magical place again. Sounds like the rest of your trip was lots and lots of fun. It was a pleasure to meet you and Steve last year, great company, great times x