My Summer

Ok, this summer just gets better and better. Fresh back from a week in Ibiza (see review & pics below), I spent the weekend just gone with a "loose affiliation of friends" at a pub in Loughborough. The two main things we have in common are motorbikes

and quality beer. Much fun was had by all, with a cracking blues band, and lots and LOTS of alcohol. I gave my Dad a late Father's day present of a bottle of Mari Mayans Absinthe, and on the Friday night he drank a glass down in one when he was already drunk and much messiness ensued. Still, he recovered enough to have a couple of pints on the Saturday night!
This weekend I'll be at The Glade. A full review (of what I can remember) and some pics (hopefully) will be posted sometime next week. Have a good 'un whatever you're up to.

History

Today is an historical day. It's not just about Live8 being on the telly, it's about us, and what we can do to make a difference. If you read this post on my blog then click on the white band and see what you can do to make a difference. This is our generation's World War. But it isn't fought with guns and bombs, aircraft and rifles. It's fought with ideas and ideals, politics and awareness.
It's also not about individuals. It's not even about individual countries. It's about an entire continent. Africa, as a continent, has gone backwards politically, economically and technologically. And this has been caused by the political decisions of so-called 'civilised' nations. The EEC and it's Common Agricultural Policy that pays farmers to grow nothing, and stores mountains of grain and other foodstuffs until they rot to keep prices artificially high whilst putting high taxes and restrictions on produce from African nations needs to be torn up. ALL Western nations have an obligation to end this sickening treatment.
And to those who say they need to clean up their act and stop the corruption in those countries that need help most, I say that the whole reason that evil dictators such as Robert Mugabe thrive is because they promise their people prosperity. If you didn't know where your next meal was coming from and the only person who could solve the problem told you they were going to sort it, I'm sure you'd want to believe them- I know I would. But we are talking about poorly-educated people who are in the main politically naive. Without help they will die.
Even if you do a little bit to help, register your name, whatever. Even if you only do it to make yourself feel better about yourself it will still make a difference. We need to make the leaders of the G8 nations listen, or the downward spiral will continue. The people who make decisions that affect BILLIONS of others need to know that the people in the streets, in the parks, or sat in front of their TV's today won't stand for the genocidal policies based on greed anymore. After all, there's only one Human Race. We should ALL be a part of it, and be proud to be a part of it. So please, just spare a few minutes to do your bit and register at MAKEpovertyHISTORY.org. We can all do a bit to make poverty history. We should do our bit to make history today.

Ibiza Review 2005

I've just returned from my 7th visit to the island, and it was by far the best! I must say in advance a big thank you to my Ibecenco friend's Eduardo Prats and Oscar costa for making my visit all the more memorable this time, especially Eduardo, who I first met in England at Toadstool. So, without further ado, here is a day-by-day account of my week on the beautiful island.

Day 1 (Wednesday): Got off the plane at 12:10am eager to get to my hotel. I headed for the taxi rank and within no time at all was heading for San Antonio. I tried talking to the taxi driver in (my extremely limited) Spanish, which was painful for me and amusing for him in equal measure! Anyway, we made it to my hotel and I tipped the taxi driver and bid him "Buenos noches" or (have a) good evening, I checked in at the Casa Maria Apartments, talking to the English night receptionist John for a short time before going up to my room. The room was clean and well equipped, and the air-conditioning was a God-send! I dumped my suitcase and headed for the West End. I would like to stress that I am not a fan of the West End. The average age of the clientele in the West End is younger than me, and they tend to be more one-sighted when it comes to their pursuit of enjoyment on the island but I had recieved a text of my mate eduardo to meet him in the Star Club there. The club wasn't really my cup of tea so Eduardo suggested we go and see his fellow Ibecenco Oscar at the bar he owns just up the road.

We arrived at Bar Tropi where Oscar and his Welsh barman Alex were busy mixing cocktails and having fun with the punters. I quickly discovered that Oscar is as mad as a box of frogs (in a good way!) and Alex is a perfect foil for Oscar's frenetic hyper-activity!

Cue about 3 litres of San Miguel (the most prevalent of Spanish beers on the island) and free shots on top in little more than 3 hours, and as Oscar wound up the bar, Eduardo and I wobbled off up to the square to The Ship for another drink. As daylight rose above the rooftops I made my way the short distance back to my apartment.

Day 2 (Thursday): I woke about 11:30am, miraculously free of a hangover, and legged it down to reception to hire a safe. A word of warning here- my safe at the Casa Maria didn't work, and during the week I found that most of the other safes in the hotel didn't work either, so if you do stay there, hide your valuables. I then headed out for a breakfast at The Highlander. The breakfasts were as big and tasty as last year and they serve Tetley's tea. That sorted me right out, and so I headed back to the hotel to spend a couple of hours by the roof-top pool. I then headed down for an hours sleep under the air-conditioning (bliss!), before heading out for my ticket for the Cream opening party at Amnesia, and some tapas at the delightful El Rincon de Pepe. With my belly full, I headed back for another couple of hours sleep before Cream.
What a cracking night it was!!! I caught the bus from the pre-party at Coastline Cafe, and headed on in. Marco V was warming the crowd up and they were practically at fever pitch by the time Paul van Dyk hit the decks. He played harder than I'd heard him play before despite dropping some classics to the obvious glee of the crowd. Highlights of his set? A banging mix of Time of our Lives, a stunning mix of For an Angel and a mix of Age of Love that I'd never heard before. I met Eduardo in the club and he very kindly gave me a lift back to San Antonio, where I bought a litre of water before heading off to bed.

Day 3 (Friday): I awoke about 2pm totally drained. There had been little respite from the heat in Amnesia the night before, and the terrace was rammed as The Shapeshifters had torn the roof off the place whilst the main room was packed too, so I was shattered. I made the decision to skip Pure Pacha that night, and have a quiet one. I went up to the pool to chill and try to regain my appetite (I'm sure you all know what I mean), before heading back down, dropped a tablet of Berocca into my bottle of water and necked a couple of 5-htp tablets. I then headed to El Rincon de Pepe again- I really can't praise their tapas highly enough- in fact all their food is fantastic. After eating I headed back for (yet) more sleep... The air-con was becoming addictive! I awoke about 7ish and after a sorting myself out and getting ready I headed accross the road from the hotel to the Casa China restaurant for some simple, well-cooked and inexpensive Chinese food. I sat at an outside table so I could watch the world go by, and was highly amused by the younger crowd heading down the street already worse-for-wear at 8pm. I finished my food then headed off to Kanya, just arriving in time to catch an amazing sunset.

I then set off back through the West End and was called in to the Tropi by Oscar who treated me to a free shot as I ordered a pint. I had determined earlier to have a quiet night, but as I listened to Alex's house music I relaxed more (helped by more free shots and the occasional free pint). As the doors closed at the front of the bar (it is illegal to play music in public after midnight in Spain, and the San Antonio authorities are very hot on this), Oscar played his favoured classic trance anthems (he worships Gatecrasher!). The night passed in a blur (and having drank more alcohol in one night than I had in the previous year helped!), and I weaved my way through the streets of San An back to my hotel, avoiding the attentions of various African prostitutes that tried their best to tempt me with their wares (thanks but errr...no thanks!).

Day 4 (Saturday): I decided to skip the Privilege opening, so I headed out again in search of food. I had a meal at Coastline Cafe, which was ok, but in fairness that's all it was. I then headed to Cafe del Mar for another amazing sunset.

I then headed back to Oscar's bar where I had a 'few' drinks and about 1am I held true to my word and headed back for an early night. Alas, it wasn't to be. A bunch of guys from the hotel (a big HELLO to the EZ Duzzit crew !!!) were heading out to Es Paradis for Fiesta del Agua (water party) which was kind of fun, but neither the music (funky house) or the event were really my cup of tea. I returned to my hotel wet and weary, and had a much appreciated shower before bed.

Day 5 (Sunday): I had been looking forward to this Sunday all year, but thanks to a breakdown in communication with The Frogs I missed out on Tribe of Frog @ Las Dalias, and Eduardo and I headed for an alternative psy-trance night at Somny in Playa d'en Bossa for Ibidelyc. The night was fantastic! Apart from the fact that for most of the night I was (practically) the only Englishman in the club, the DJ's Serge Souque and Fekkes were brilliant, but the clincher for me was the headliner Eskimo. I caught Eskimo twice last year at The Glade, once playing with Jumanji, and once playing on his own, but this set was something else! It was driving, furious psy-trance mixed perfectly, and to see the guy rocking out BIG time behind the decks just topped it off. When he finished playing, the Spanish crowd were literally begging for more. After some negotiation with (presumably) the club owner, Eskimo adjusted his laptop and played one more track. It was awesome. When we left, Eduardo and I sat silently, awe-struck on the side of the road by his car for several minutes before wearily climbing in and heading back to San Antonio. It really was totally mind-blowing. Tribe of Frog have a serious rival for best psy-trance night on the island. In fact, I was informed by a couple of Ibecenco friends that although The Frogs were at the opening party @ Las Dalias, and they are using The Frogs decor, somebody else is running the night for most of the year this year. Apparently, it just isn't the same. Or as good.

Day 6 (Monday): I had asked Eduardo about Ibecenco eating places, and really wanted to try Rias Baixas (pronounced Ree-as By-shas), but couldn't get a table at a suitable time. So I spent the afternoon catching the bus to Ibiza Town and walking up D'alt Vila. I wore a hat, factor 25 sunscreen and was fairly covered up (t-shirt n jeans), but I still got singed. However, the views, and the atmosphere more than made up for it!!! It's difficult to describe the feeling- you really do need to do it for yourself!
I returned to San Antonio, showered, had something to eat and headed once more for Oscar's bar. About midnight I decided I'd had too much sun, too much exertion and too much alcohol so I headed back to my hotel. About 2am there was a knock at the door, and my holiday started to take on a bit of a bizarre twist. Two guys from the hotel- I think they were German, whom I'd been speaking to earlier by the pool asked me if I knew where the local strip-club was. I thought about directing them to Gorm's Garage in the West End and going back to bed. But I was a bit pissed-up and must've been feeling unusually charitable (I honestly don't recall), but I ended up showing them to The Secret Garden. This definately wasn't my cup of tea and I must've looked very uncomfortable and out of place as I sat about whilst the guys paid 40 Euro's for private dances. But after a while one of the strippers came up to me and we started chatting. She said her name was Sophy and she was from Mexico. She led me to a seat and we chatted, kissed and cuddled, and she gave me her phone number (I was thinking 'oh aye, here we go, next she'll have me buy a 50 Euro bottle of plonk and tomorrow she'll try to fleece me'). But it never happened. I watched her do her dance and that was that- I buggered off back to the hotel.

Day 7 (Tuesday): I got a text off Eduardo, and we arranged to meet for some food. We met at Rias Baixas, but it was still too early for it to open so we went for a couple of beers and he took me to another restaurant in San Antonio called Es Ventall (pronounced Ess- Ventay) which means 'The Fan'. We sat in the beautiful courtyard, and to say the food was heavenly would be to sell it well short! Even the bread, cheese and olives as an appetizer were fantastic. I had squid strip in a vinaigrette sauce with garlic and chopped parsley followed by monkfish with bacon and a sweet redberry sauce. It was absolutely wonderful, but the best was yet to come! We had the Greixonera for pudding and I have never tasted anything so wonderful in my life!!! We had one glass each of Hierbas each that we paid for and the waitress brought us two further glasses that were complimentary.The whole lot only came to 60 Euros (about 40 quid) including two glasses of wine for me and a beer for Ed. I returned to my hotel completely stuffed.
I tossed and turned under the air-conditioning, but couldn't get any sleep so I decided to give Sophy a call. We met at Kanya with two of her friends, and I have to say that not only were the girls beautiful and sexy, they were polite, charming and gracious. The girls ordered lunch, but I declined. I thought they were going to cajole me into paying for their food, so I got in first, offering to pay, thinking I'd do that and then bugger off leaving them to it- a lesson learned. Not only did they refuse to let me pay for lunch, we quibbled when I bought a round of drinks! Two glasses of coke and a bottle of water were hardly likely to break me! We relaxed on the beach at the side of Kanya, but Sophy had to go to the gym, but asked me to call her in a couple of hours. I got an hours' kip and then showered and changed. We met in her hotel reception where she iformed me that one of her friends from earlier would be joining us. Bugger, I thought. I wanted to get her alone, but it wasn't to be. Sophy was hungry again wand wanted dinner, so we headed to El Rincon de Pepe, but it was full to the rafters. We walked through the West End, Sophy and I holding hands and went to Ling Nam. The Chinese food there was excellent! I got a photo of Sophy and her million dollar smile, but again the girls refused to let me pay for the meal- they insisted on paying for mine! Unfortunately, I used the flash on the camera so the photo is a bit crappy.

I did convince them to let me pay for the drinks though. At 11pm they went to catch a taxi to work and I explained that I wouldn't see Sophy again as I had a ticket for Es Paradis that night, and was returning home the following day. We kissed and they got in their taxi and left. The girls were excellent company but I still can't help wonder why and how it all came about. If Sophy fancied me (highly unlikely), then why did she insist on being chaperoned? And they certainly weren't trying to rip me off or get any of my money. The whole experience has left me a bit confused and bewildered. My ego was waaaaay out there though and I couldn't stop smiling!
I headed off to Oscar's bar to have a few last night drinks, but Oscar and Alex kept me more than well supplied with drinks. I don't remember leaving the bar, but I must've gone to Es Paradis at some point as I awoke the next day with a stamp on my arm and a t-shirt I'd apparently bought there. I also took this cracking pic of Anne Savage at some point- though I still don't remember (must've been a cracking night!).

Day 8 (Wednesday): I awoke in the early afternoon, showered, and headed out for some souvenirs. I bought the obligatory knick-knacks (lighters, fans, crappy little trinkets) and 3 bottles of Hierbas and a bottle of Absinthe. I stashed them in my room and headed up to the roof-top pool to do a bit of last minute sunbathing. I headed down to my room about 6pm, showered and relaxed until about 8pm when I had to check out. I handed in my key at reception and sat in the bar chatting to other guests for about an hour or so and headed off to Oscar's bar, suitcase and all for one last drink and goodbye (to be fair, I felt guilty as I couldn't remember leaving the bar the previous night, so didn't know if I'd thanked the guys properly for their hospitality). Once at the bar, Oscar and Alex gave me so many drinks (2.5L of lager and 5 or six shots of Absinthe), that I was a little late heading off for my taxi (it was 10.35pm and check in was due to open at 10.50pm), and to be honest I honestly don't remember passing through Ibiza airport (or indeed Manchester Airport when I got back). I do remember shedding a tear as I trudged to my taxi in San Antonio.

All in all I had a wonderful time. Yes, I would've done more if my friends hadn't dropped out of the holiday, but I made such good friends on the island (both Ibecenco and other nationalities), that it didn't really matter. For the first time, at the end of my holiday, instead of looking forward to going home for a break, I really, really didn't want to leave the island. I want to thank the staff at the Casa Maria Apartments who were (in the main), always happy and courteous, the EZ Duzzit and Lashed Tour guys at the hotel who were always up for a laugh without misbehaving or being too rowdy, but most of all, extra special thanks go to my good friend Eduardo- thank you for being a good mate, helping me out with my tragic grasp of Spanish, and filling me in on little snippets of history about the island. Also, a special thank you to Oscar and Alex for all the extra drinks, and for being a great laugh, and to Sophy for making me feel special for an afternoon and evening that I will probably never understand! Thanks for giving me some great memories guys- see you next year.