Our resident wordsmith for the White Isle, Rose Hancock, fills us in on all the latest news, adventures and rampages from Ibiza.
This week has been the craziest so far for me in Ibiza: some real highs and lows. The highs are due to the beauty of the island, the great music and the warmth of so many of the islanders here. The lows are due to a near death experience from a car crash. Needless to say, I sit here in the sunshine with an ice coffee at Nassau Beach Club and I’m alive, healthy and appreciating life more than I ever have before.
Sadly I never made it to Circo Loco's impressive line-up on Monday. I never danced to Damian Lazarus, Tale of Us or Seth Troxler but I must remind myself that 'fear of missing out' is an irrelevant worry when you´re living in Ibiza all summer - there are plenty of parties to experience in my many months here.
My reasons for not going were pretty justified. I was involved in a serious car accident Monday (some of these Ibiza rural roads are true death traps) when my car flipped upside down. I am truly lucky no one else was involved and that I was not hurt. My car is a wreck so I'm now on a car hunt and have also embraced hitchhiking which has been somewhat adventurous! I'm not religious, but coming out of the accident with not a scratch on me, I felt as if somebody was looking out for me.
The next day I saw life through refreshed eyes and was ready to conquer Ibiza… maybe the world! Conquering the world started with a colossal paella with good friends and later hitchhiking into town for the Defected party at Booom. Dennis Ferrer smashed it, the dance floor was on fire when Ferrer played Paul C & Paolo Martini's 'Bermuda', and even Marco Carola came down to show his support. Nick Curly's set was as expected, true house music that the enthusiastic international crowd fully appreciated. All talk is now focused on the next Defected party, an impressive line-up with Catz N Dogz, Guti, Kenny Dope and Secondcity.
My parents came on Wednesday to show their mum and dad love; offering a taxi service until I find a car, something I am really appreciating. I felt pretty guilty as I had a yacht trip booked and paid for that day for a close friend’s birthday. I spent some quality time over breakfast with the parents at Passion Café – one of a small chain of cafes that do divine juices and healthy breakfasts.
From modest beginnings, this ended up being one of the most surreal breakfast experiences of my life. Sitting next to us was Richie Hawtin and his event manager who I know. I caught up with his manager and proceeded to eat eggs royale with my parents, Richie Hawtin and his manager. I would love to say my parents knew who this techno guru was, but that would be a complete lie. I really don’t think my parents were as interested as I was as to hear about the previous night’s Enter party at Lips.
Later that day I climbed on board a yacht to Formentera with 10 close friends. The sun was shining, the sound system tuned perfectly, and the bubbles were flowing. It was clear summer was officially here. Later in the afternoon, a mysterious wet suited figure could be seen in the distance. We got excited as he swam to our boat with a puzzling bag - we were about to meet an Ibician hero. This was The Mojito Man who probably has one of the best jobs in the world. The Mojito Man swims up to boats and presents thankful customers with mint, strawberries, rum and much needed ice. We couldn't say no to a round of cocktails when we had a birthday to celebrate.
As the boat moored back into Ibiza Town, I truly was an English tourist stereotype: bright red and ‘refreshed’. Alfresco pizza with my parents at La Oliva in Dalt Vila reminded me how lucky I was to have loving friends and family around me. Leaving a car accident scratch-free just a few days ago, the pizza and alioli tasted better than ever before. I now look forwards to appreciating every day in Ibiza to the max.
Defected In The House is at Booom Ibiza every Tuesday throughout the season – click for full event listings
Glitterbox is at Booom Ibiza every Saturday throughout the season - click for full event listings
