The last of Ibiza

I wrote the following during my last week of summer in late September, 2017. A tad late, you could say given that I have since left Ibiza, moved to London, the seasons have changed and the snow has fallen and melted away. But this piece has remained, compartmentalised until I was in a space to unravel and re-wrap my memories of those mad, few months. It is not until now, as I sit on another flight, bound for another part of the world that I’m finally ready to wander back and tie up those last, loose strings…

27.09.2017

It is sunset as I write this blog, sitting on our makeshift lawn, on the top of our rooftop in San Matteu, Ibiza. I look above my screen at the pale blue sky with its streaks of pastel pink that are slightly hidden behind purple clusters of cloud. A thin, white slice of crescent moon hangs, unsuspectingly in the background. How beautiful it all is. The temperature is dropping now that autumn is coming, so I slip into my woollen jumper that has been tucked away in the depths of my wardrobe all summer - a sure sign that the season is truly coming to an end.

Trippy trips to trippy trees 

I think back to the beginning. I had chosen to spend my first few weeks fully absorbing the magic of everything and completely free from the constraints of work and routine. But realistically, that life was only destined to last for so long. Early one morning, I remember sitting in this exact spot, wondering whether I’d actually last the season; I now understood how expensive life was here and was already down to my last few pennies. So I meditated and set the intention on manifesting work; within 2 days I was suddenly absorbed in a busy new routine, working 6 nights a week behind a busy, Spanish bar at Can Cires, the local restaurant down the road. While it was tough, boy was I grateful. The islands magic lifted me up and spun me around and my job grounded me and brought me back down; it was the balancing force I desperately needed.

Yesterday was my last shift, so I chucked in my uniform, collected my pay and said my goodbyes. I strolled down the road and sat on the steps of the San Matteu church with B (the other waitress who I’d grown so fond of). We sipped on cañas and puffed on porros, laughing about our last few months together. We had survived the the wrath of our feisty boss, V; laughed through all the totally bizaare moments with the quirky chef, F (proud owner of a pet parrot and a donkey) and rolled our eyes each time one of the male waiters was fired or walked out (for one reason or another). The local drunks sat through it all, perching harmlessly on their bar stools and drinking their regular brew, night after night. B had trained me up tirelessly to meet the pedantic standards of V and F and now that we had finally found an easy flow, it was time to go.

The rooftop in the A.M

Sunrise jams

Beyond the working bubble, my favourite scenes of this summer surround the connections I’ve made to the special souls that this island attracts and the natural beauty that it has to offer. I smile as I remember the mornings when we would arrive back to this villa, our feet sore from dancing after another surreal night out with a beautiful crew. We’d make ourselves cosy, grab the guitar and sit out on this rooftop, jamming to our hearts content… and then our jaws would drop at the beauty of the sun rising above the misty mountains; the landscapes and colours forming a live painting, dancing across the colour spectrum; the sky’s here, are like nowhere else in the world.

Magical connections

The pink hues of the sunrise merge in my mind with the pink rock from another of my favourite moments a few weeks ago... We had been told of a secret cave that only a few knew about (or so we liked to think). It was a 15 minute swim off the bay of a paradise beach that we had gathered on for the day. We all jumped off the pier and swam through the deep blue water, splashing around like playful dolphins. Our friend who had been there before eventually spotted the obscure, dark hole on the inside of the rock face so we paddled closer. We took turns choosing our moment to flow with the surge of the wave, narrowly ducking our heads under the jagged rock. What we discovered inside was magical. We each held our breath and dived under the wall of rock that was submerged about 1m deep in the centre of the cave. I came up for air, wiped the salty water out of my eyes and looked around me in awe at the pink rock rising out of the turquoise water; it was truly spectacular. We climbed out and lay our beautiful, half naked bodies against it, illuminated by a stream of sunlight that shone through the gap. Those were the special moments.

R and I at Es Vedra rock

The window into our room

R and I spent my last few days saying our goodbyes and trying to tick off as many adventures on our bucket list as we could. So much of this summer had consisted of amazing nights out watching DJ’s (that I still can’t name) and although it had been great fun, we now craved a bit of simplicity and calm; tapaz in a local Spanish bar, cañas on the beach, a trip to Es Vedra, perhaps? On one of my last afternoons, we were sitting in a quaint café in Ibiza town, sipping on a coffee. On a public bench nearby sat four elderly locals. They were just sitting and chatting about their day, enjoying long, silent pauses in-between their sentences. I looked at each of their worn, wrinkly faces that held such character. How content they all looked. The old faces of Ibiza, enjoying life’s simplicity; that’s what I craved.

Calm.

The sun has set now and the sky is again alight with stars. R and I have made it through the season in this beautiful, hectic, 10 person, fear and loathing-esque villa and we've come out the other end more connected than ever. Despite the amazing moments, I have seen and learned about the darkness and corruption that exists beneath this hedonistic, party island and its effect on the people it draws in. So as a final gesture, I let go of my flowery vision of Ibiza being an island filled with hippies in the hills; I'm not sure if I will return again next year. But I will take away the memories, the great lessons I have learned and an experience that will last a lifetime. A huge, heartfelt thank you to R, for introducing me to a whole new world. Now it’s time for the next adventure of life in London!