Sailing

We sailed aboard the "Lisa" last week to the nearby dream island of Formentera. "Juan & Andrea", our favourite restaurant (run by the owners of Pacha club), is a place one could only dream of for a boat outing. Once the anchor hits the white sand at the base of the bay, the restaurant's Zodiac comes to pick you up to sweep you to shore, sailing over cristalline turquoise water I have only seen in Southeast Asia and the Caribbean!

People who arrive by boat get to eat at the tables decked out in the sand, covered by a cream coloured awning that keeps the blinding sun at bay for a few hours of bright shade and superb food. The luxury of digging your feet into the soft sand even while you eat is, I suppose, one of those things only city dwellers really crave. I remember Gai's resort in the Philippines, Pansukian, had all white sand walkways among the garden so that people could walk barefoot in the sand. She confessed to me one day that the locals thought they'd run out of money when they built the walkways, otherwise why would they be of sand?

Ultimately, the boat is still the best way to visit the island's best kept secrets, and one of the best ways to watch the sun set. I miss you, Ibiza.
(pictured in this entry: Es Vedra at sunset, Dalt Vila Ibiza old town by night, Playas del Compte beaches, dusk on the boat, Formentera's Illetas beach)

Ibiza

Ibiza or "The White Island" ("white" because of it's vast expanse of salt pans) is quite the island of pleasure, magic and good vibes! Below is an excerpt from Stephen Armstrong's book "The White Island" which captures Ibiza at it's best:

"... The Carthaginians established a cult there to Tanit, their goddess of sex, around 650 BC and named the Island after Bez, their god of dance. Roman centurions in need of a bit of down time between campaigns would go to Ibiza to get their kicks. And over the centuries virtually every culture around the Mediterranean has used the island either as a playground or as a dump for the kind of people who didn't quite fit in back home, but who you'd probably quite like to meet at a party..." (Stephen Armstrong - The White Island)

How could I not come back for some "down time"? (of course I have been soooooooo busy these past 10 months, that with the stress of living a life of leisure, that I needed to relax for a while!) Well, here I am, enjoying partying ... but mostly, the personality of Ibiza few people hear about. The relaxed, sun-drenched, mediterranean pine-fringed hills, where drinking fine wine overlooking the bay, soaking in the sun, reading and listening to old records and and playing games until the wee hours occupies our time. Our house is an oasis of calm and introspection. From the porch I can smell the trees all around us. As I float in the pool waters every morning, I can almost smell the salt of the pans on the seashore below, and on clear days I geta glimpse of the pearl that is Formentera in the distance. Then night falls in that slow, summer way, and the smell of dusk wraps around me...and I see soloured lights in the distance.... the airplanes taking off and landing... a sight that soothes me, always an invitation to daydream. Where to next? Here...in Ibiza for the time being and thoughts of future I try to keep on the mainland for now. Time will fly no matter what and this will soon become a memory of another beautiful summer gone by. I better make it the best memory it can be!