#Miss Shivers

What could be even better than spending your birthday in Ibiza with your brother?…. Having one of your favourite most amazing best friends from back home turn up in Ibiza the very next day!… It was perfect timing as I’d just said goodbye to my brother Matt and it also was the first time since being away that I had gotten a bit sad, I told Matt it was because I had something in my eye but we both know that’s not true because I’m a sook and I don’t know when I’ll next see him…. Could be another year from now!

So as soon as Miss Shivers (Siobhan) got off that bus I couldn’t wait to give her a hug and begin our 2 day Ibiza bender!

We warmed up the day with some beers on the beach at Cala Tarida with my flat mate Juliet… A few hours of sun and booze, we headed back home to get ready for the Sunset. Thinking we had plenty of time…. Three girls using one bathroom I think not… There we are three hysterical girls running down the road towards the sunset to make it just in time to see the sun go down. We walked along the strip and into Savannahs for the Glitter Box Pre-party where Joey Negro was DJ-ing and Siobhan made it her mission to get photos with all DJ’s and get in the DJ box… She did not disappoint!……Few jugs of sangria later we headed to get some dinner before making our way to the club Amnesia for ‘Matinee’. It was on our way to dinner that we ran into Alan, our new found friend on the street…. I can’t really tell you a lot about Alan because children may read this blog…. And my parents….. But he was definitely an interesting one!

A quick ride on the disco bus and we are at Amnesia. Amnesia is one of the biggest clubs in Ibiza with two rooms it has a capacity of over 5000 people.‘Matinee’ the night we were going to is a night club experience with a twist at around 3am a show starts on the main stage with the DJ still playing away – just be prepared for anything and everything….. It’s very colourful, insane very out there costumes, lots of girls and guys dancing, I should add very very fit girls and guys dancing it’s enough to make you not want to eat… ever…. There’s acrobatics, drag queens, abs, butts, boobs, balls and a whole lot of nothing being worn!…… This night is so much fun, it definitely caters to the gay community which I just love, means you can dance away and not worry about some creep trying to hit on you…… Oh wait that still happens it’s just less frequent!….. We met a group of lovely guys and ended up just dancing and partying with them, I think they made our night they were so much fun! Rolling in the door at 7am with Hungry Jacks in hand and graciously walked home by my ‘New York New York’, not a bad first night out…..

Next day all feeling just a little dusty we spent the day lounging by the pool which is the best hang over cure…. And prepared us for what was one of the best nights I have had in Ibiza. That afternoon we headed over to Playa Den Bossa to start the frivolities at Bora Bora Beach Club, this is a party that starts early in the morning on the beach and keeps going all night long, it is a must do when in Ibiza. A few drinks at Bora Bora we decided to hit some bars for a little bit of cheap drinking before heading into Space night club.

Walking down the main road of Playa Den Bossa and a guy stops us ‘3.50 euro for a drink and a shot’ we look at the bar and it is nothing special, in fact it looked really bad but there were still quite a few people in there, so couldn’t be that bad….. It’s my fault as Siobhan and Juliet did not want to go in there but all I heard him say was ‘3.50 euro for a drink and a shot’ we were just paying 9 euro for 1 drink so this was a bargain, how could we refuse as I drag the girls inside……. Well the shot was of course watered down peach schnapps and the drink, well the drink was a mixture of nail polish remover and probably what evil tastes like! Juliet was smart enough not to order anything as Siobhan and I looked at each other, we knew what had to be done ‘She went to go to heaven but she went the other way she went down down down down’….. Something must have been in that drink because we didn’t leave, we ordered more!……. Which was also about the same time a group of eight guys pulled up chairs at the table next to us…….A few more drinks later, of what I am certain was not just alcohol and we made friends with the table of eight guys from Manchester and all headed to Space together for ‘We Love Sundays’…… I managed to get us on guest list by telling a small fib about where I worked, he thought I was lying and I was, yet I still convinced him to get us in for free!

‘We Love Sundays’ at Space is a great night, such a mixed crowd and always has a really good line up of DJ’s. Tonight’s main headliner was Groove Armada and I didn’t really know what to expect from them but WOW they were unreal, I wish my phone hadn’t died so I could have recorded them as they just killed it….. Juliet ended up leaving early on and Siobhan and I just partied with our new mates from Manchester who bought us drinks all night. It was just such a fun night full of laughs, dancing, drinking and great music…. And Hello new best friends buying us drinks, plus the bar tender loved us she kept giving us sneaky shots of vodka & telling us not to tell anyone! Ooopsie!…… It was getting to that time of the morning where those vodka shots were taking their toll and Siobhan and I were running for the last disco bus back to San Antonio, one of the guys Simon wanted to come back to San Antonio with us and party on, I don’t think he wanted the night to end…..It was like a scene from a movie…. Siobhan and I are standing at the bus door as Simon is holding onto our hands whilst the bus is slowly driving away….. Whole bus cheering and yelling for us to hurry up!……..

Siobhan and I stumble home and as we get to the front door, Siobhan starts taking off her shoes…. ‘I’ve had enough of these shoes, they kill my feet I don’t want them anymore’…. I start to chant ‘On the roof, On the roof!’…. Nobody can resist a chant and sure enough Siobhan flings her shoes onto our neighbours roof….. We could not stop laughing!

The next morning I wake up and Siobhan has half an hour to get to the bus, I try to gently wake her…. Siobhan’s arms flying as she whips off her eye mask ‘Oh my god I’ve missed my flight, I’ve missed my flight!’ she screams….. I can’t stop laughing as I tell her ‘No you haven’t, but you have 30 mins to get to the bus stop or you will!’

Saying Goodbye to Siobhan was just as bad as saying Goodbye to my brother, I was fighting back the tears but she gave me some amazing words that I’ll never forget and I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful friend in my life who came and partied all the way across the other side of the world…. And now everyday when I look out my window there will always be a little piece of Siobhan here with me in Ibiza!

#Since Siobhan leaving her departing gift on the roof, a few other additions have been made to the Roof of Memories….. My room mate Harriet’s Angel singlet, a few bangles and necklaces of mine and what looks to be someone’s unwanted kebabs…..

 

 

 

 

 

#Surprise!

Whilst I had packed my bags and said Goodbye to Australia for an indefinite amount of time, my brother Matt was also on a bit of a European adventure himself…. I Facebook messaged Matt to see how he was going in Scotland as he was there the same time as my Mum and it was his first time visiting the motherland… A few hours later he replied with ‘Ooops Don’t look where this message is being sent from’…… I click on the location and up pops a map saying San Antonio Ibiza! Followed by a picture he had just taken of San Antonio……WHAT! My wee brother is literally 2 minutes away from me in Ibiza!

I am ecstatic, I cannot wait to see him….. On my way to go and meet Matt I get a phone call from Mum asking me if I had gotten my surprise yet….. The fact that my Mum kept this a secret from me for 3 days is a surprise in its self!….. I see Matt and just give him the biggest hug, it was only a day earlier that I was telling my friend Emma how I was craving a hug from someone who really knows me and here it was! Never underestimate the power of a hug.

Matt and I spent the day catching up with beers on the beach, we later met up with my Aussie mate David and headed to Cala Gracio beach for some sun and sangria with some of David’s friends…..There I am just hanging out on the beach with my brother in Ibiza 3 days before my birthday, it felt like my birthday already!….. Juliet had cooked us a massive baked dinner and I think that was the perfect ending to Matt’s first day in Ibiza as he decided he was not going to make it out with us that night….. Us girls all headed off to Booom! To see MK, Oliver $, Simon Dunmore and Shovell for Defected in the House.

Next day I take Matt & a few bottles of Sangria on the ferry to Cala Bassa beach for the day…. Now this is the life, chilling out on the beach listening to music coming from the beach bars, swimming, drinking, catching up with my brother and beach napping…. What is not to love?! And he wants to see Steve Aoki with me!

After the beach we get changed and head down to the sunset strip to just miss the sunset….. Nothing that a few beers won’t fix! We head to Café Mambos and there he is my mate Steve Aoki in the DJ booth only a few metres away it is the best place to be, it’s such an unreal vibe everybody is drinking and dancing and going nuts when Steve played his last song, it was so much fun being there with my brother! After Mambos we headed to get some food before we had arranged to meet David and Dolly to go to Pikes (Freddy Mercury’s Villa)… on the way we accidentally wandered into a bar to get drinks and free shots…. By the time we got food we were pretty wasted and by the time we met up with David & Dolly, well we were in fine form!……

The four of us wandered through the West End to head to Pikes when I walk pass a guy who was staring at me and calls out ‘Reagan’ I give him a look of do I really look like a Reagan?…. For him to then call out ‘Claire’….. I turn and say ‘Yes, do I know you?’….. He says ‘No but I think you know my friend’… and from behind him walks who I think is named ‘Delorian’, it’s still not clear but I met him when I first came to Ibiza, we had swapped numbers and planned to meet up yet I never heard from him after that –

He begins to tell me that ‘I won’t believe what happened!’….. His bag was stolen on the beach and his phone was in his bag so that is why I had never heard from him…. My natural response is ‘Oh yeah sure, that old chestnut, I was robbed excuse’….. Laughing, he asks if he can have my number again… I blame beer for this but I gave it to him against my better judgment.

David, Dolly, Matt and I head into Pikes and I have a bit of a love hate with Pikes. I love it’s history because I love Freddy Mercury and it’s the villa he used to party at, I love that you can sing karaoke in the bath tub but I never seem to want to stay there long as it’s very chilled compared to the rest of Ibiza and the best way to describe it, it is like being at a house party that you weren’t invited too…..

I then get a message from lets just call him Delorian…. Saying oh so smoothly in capital letters…not sure why he was yelling ‘I STILL WANT YOU BADLY 😉 IF THAT’S OK XX SOME SEX ON THE BEACH SOMETIME AFTER I FINISH WORK ONE DAY? WITH SOME CANDLE LIGHT AND DRINKS? XX’….. Easy Tiger! You thought my name was Reagan, maybe Reagan would have been flattered by your subtly but ummm not me!

So Matt didn’t stay long at Pikes and I knew once we did a lap he would leave because I kind of wanted to too…. I couldn’t convince him to stay not even karaoke in the bathtub could sway him, so Matt left and I stayed with David and Dolly. I’m glad I did because I fulfilled my dream of singing Beyoncé’s ‘Crazy In Love’ in the bathtub…. I can leave Pikes a happy woman!

 

#Life’s A Beach

As much as Ibiza is known for it’s party scene, it has some truly beautiful beaches….. I have managed to get to just a few so far…..

Cala Gracio_This little hidden gem is about a 20 minute walk from the centre of San Antonio, a little beach cove paradise tucked away you wouldn’t even know it existed. It’s a nice relaxing beach if you want some peace and quiet, you’re not sitting on top of every beach goer here and there’s plenty of shade too under trees, with rocks to jump off and explore, it is also patrolled…..and worth the walk.

 

Cala Bassa_A 20 minute boat ride or bus trip from San Antonio and you are living in what feels like a postcard. The water is a myriad of blues with soft sand….. if you don’t mind it’s popularity it’s a great way a spend a day in the sun, swimming and chilling out to the tunes that come from the beach bars.

 

Cala Tarida_Hard to pick a favourite but I think this is mine. A short bus trip from San Antonio and a scenic walk down several flights of stairs takes you here. Whilst it is popular you won’t have trouble finding your own piece of paradise whether it be on the beach lounges by the bar, jumping off the surrounding rocks, on the sand by the live bands playing or just relaxing in the sea on a bed of sand and pebble stones. A must visit.

 

Cala Salada_A bit of a journey to get to but well worth it, either an adventurous walk or short taxi ride from San Antonio takes you down a winding path to this little beach haven…. Not a lot of sand to sit on but plenty of rocks if you don’t mind a bit of an adventurous walk around the cove.

 

Cala Des Moro_ 30 degrees even through those clouds. A small patch of beach that is becoming increasingly popular, known as the ‘Workers beach’ due to its easy accessibility and minimal tourists. Just a small taste of paradise if you don’t have time to venture elsewhere…. I suggest sitting on the deck or the rocks as you’ll be hard pressed to find space on the sand.

There are still a few beaches I’d love to visit…. Definitely a trip to Formentera which is said to be magical and Las Salinas where no clothes are required….. All in the name of research!

#Whilst On The Beach_Part 2

In Ibiza one of the most common things you will see walking the beaches and streets, day and night are what are known as ‘Looky Looky’ Men and Women. These are men and women mostly from Nigeria & Senegal that sell all sorts of things and say ‘Looky Looky’ whilst showing you their loot.

The men generally sell sunglasses, hats, beaded bracelets and necklaces, glasses with a light up willy on them because we all need one of those for €15, weird monkey toys that have red eyes and looked possessed – again because we all need one of those! The women will usually try shaking your hand and asking you where you are from, next thing you know you have 5 bracelets on, one is braiding your hair whilst three others are robbing you…. Yes, the women are slightly more aggressive than the men but the men, the men are persistent and they don’t forget.

It was a really hot day and I had been busy all morning, grocery shopping and seeing people so I just wanted to chill on the beach and have some alone time. Now a day or so earlier on the beach Marina and I got chatting to a ‘Looky Looky’ and he asked me where I was from and I said Australia…… As I am walking along the beach I hear ‘Hey Australia’ it was the guy I had met the other day, shocked that he remembered me…. I go over and say hello, shake his hand and then head to sit on the beach…… You also don’t really want to get on the bad side of a ‘Looky Looky’ as some are known to be a bit naughty but most are fairly friendly, so I see no harm in saying Hello now and then….

I sit down on the beach for my alone time and it was clear that was not going to happen. In the space of 15 minutes, I am not exaggerating I was approached at least 6 times…. As soon as one left another would come over…. Now I tend to think I am a nice person I give anyone the time of day and I won’t be rude if it’s not necessary….So when the ‘Looky Looky’ men come over to me I just say no thank you, no thank you, no thank you……. But this one guy was not giving up.

‘I am a man from Gambia, I am very sexy, nice man, I come to your home and make good night for you’….. Me: ’Oh that is very sweet but, no Thank you’…… ‘Where you from, where you from’…….‘Why you no like black man?’….. Me: ‘What, it’s not that’… thinking geeez he’s gone and pulled the race card, smooth operator……. ‘But I love you, I see you, you very pretty, I nice man, I very gentle nice man’….. As he is trying to shove a beaded bracelet on my hand……. Me: ‘I’ve got so many of these bracelets and I really don’t need anymore, no thank you’…….

I wish I could say that was the last I have seen of the ‘I am a man from Gambia’ but it was not, he stopped me the following day on the street then would you believe that night in the West End!….. Each time I get the same speech ‘I am a man from Gambia, I am very sexy, nice man, I see you everyday, I love you’…….. I basically just brush him off and he goes away….. A few days later I was not feeling very well so Marina and I went and sat on the opposite end of the beach and I was just drifting off into a deep sleep when I hear ‘Lovely Jubbly’…. Wakes me up gives me the fright of my life and who do you think it is?…… ‘Man from Gambia’…… Here I am half asleep thinking how does he know that it is me?!….. ‘Give me your number’ he says…. Me: ‘No, I’m not doing that’….. ‘Ok’ he says and walks away……. Oh thank goodness I hope that is the end of that….. Though something tells me with another two months of living here I doubt it will be the last…….. As Marina and I walk back from the beach I hear ‘Hey Australia’…… I don’t think it will be the last I see of him either……

So in total that makes 3 ‘Looky Looky’ Lovers I have going, there is George whom I met when I first got here and he can spot me a mile away, hair up, hair down, straight hair, curly hair, sunglasses, no sunglasses, I’ve even had my back to him whilst under the beach shower and he spotted me…..then there is ‘I am a man from Gambia’ and ‘Hey Australia’…… My flat mates think it’s hilarious as they work along the beach and never have this issue…… So I am now taking a different route to the beach!