An article from the
papers today talking about the dark side of Ibiza and its changing drugs
culture and seedier side which is worth a read...
A crowded dancefloor
is hemmed in by multiple VIP areas. Topless men with flawless physiques perform
camp manoeuvres on a stage. As Ibiza's flagship club, Pacha, celebrated
its 40th year of existence, its denizens were in party mood last week.
Built in 1973 on
former wasteland, a place that started life as an all-night cosy party venue
attended by friends, hippies and locals has become the venue of choice for
those with deep pockets. Entry can be as much as €100 (£85), or €440 for a VIP
table, "mixer" drinks are around €20 and a bottle of water costs €12.
But for those able to afford it, all the fabled glamour of Ibiza is here.
Outside it is
something of a different story. For all the hands-in-the-air moments, this
ever-popular hedonistic island has a dark side that is getting darker. Ibiza is
now operating at two different speeds. On the streets of San Antonio,
"looky looky" men loiter and ask people if they want to buy
sunglasses, and then ask if they want drugs.
"I've seen
English dealers running after them at the end of the season when they don't pay
their debts," said Peter Nee, Privilege club PR manager. "The police
chase them on their bikes sometimes, but it's all cat and mouse."
Following
the arrest in Peru of Michaella McCollum Connolly, 20, from Co
Tyrone, and Melissa Reid, 19, from Lenzie, near Glasgow, who were stopped at
Lima airport for allegedly smuggling £1.5m of cocaine, Ibiza's drug culture is
in the headlines again.
Like hundreds of
others, Connolly and Reid had spent the summer working in clubs and bars on the
island, where the lure of illicit substances, to consume or sell, is constant.
In the early days,
there was a "happy" drug culture of marijuana, then LSD in the 1970s
and ecstasy in the 1990s. Now, people opt for ketamine, GHB and cocaine.
Given the high prices
in clubs such as Pacha, some succumb to the lavish lifestyle by dealing drugs;
others fall into a pattern of free parties at villas and on yachts, sometimes
thrown by dubious hosts. Many avoid overpriced drinks altogether, taking drugs
as a far cheaper alternative.
This young summer
workforce, employed as dancers, flyer distributors, waiters and hospitality
staff, earn just about enough to live. The Spanish landlords of the cramped
apartments, where two or three people share a room, charge them around half
their monthly pay. There is hot competition for each job and a constant tussle
to get the bar and restaurant owners to pay them the right amount, and on time.
Fern Bowler, 20, from Guildford, Surrey, a waitress in San Antonio, said she
could see how people can fall into the Ibiza drug culture.
"Dealing over
here isn't like back home, it's normal," she said. "Doing ketamine
would be frowned on in the UK, but here every Tom, Dick and Harry does it.
"They sell drugs
behind the bars and some people even brought some over with them in protein
tubs. Nothing is innocent here." Another worker, who has been here for
five summers, agreed: "Workers on the island can easily fall into the
wrong circles.
"It's not the first
time someone on the island will have done this. When they look at those girls,
people are saying: 'It could have been me'."
In July, a
British mother of two drowned after going for a late-night swim in
Ibiza having taken a cocktail of illegal drugs. Next day, her body was found
washed up on the shore.
In recent weeks, Grant
Weston, 24, from Pembroke, died after falling from a balcony following a night
out with friends, and Michael Jordan Hill, 19, from Stockton-on-Tees, Co
Durham, was seriously injured after falling from the fourth floor of a hotel.
But despite the
seamier underside to life on the island, its reputation and prestige persist.
More than 600,000 Brits went on holiday to Ibiza in 2012 and tour operators are
reporting even higher booking levels this year. Clearly, though, something has
been lost through the sheer commercial success of the Ibiza brand.
Terry Farley,
co-founder of the record label Junior Boys Own, whose artists have included
Underworld and the Chemical Brothers, has been going to the island since the
early 1990s. He thinks the VIP culture of clubs such as Pacha has become a
micro-climate of corporate brands and a world turned upside down by money:
"The VIP culture has ruined the island for everyone – apart from
investment bankers and drug dealers," he said.
Bill Brewster,
co-author of Last Night a DJ Saved my Life, said: "It always had that element of celebrity, but it
never felt like that; it felt like everybody dancing together in a cosmopolitan
way.
"I do still enjoy
it, but the purity of it all has been dissipated by the money. For me, it seems
to be a bit of a cash cow for British promoters to fleece gullible clubbers of
their money."
Though many former
punters might agree with that assessment, there are more than enough new recruits
to take their place. But after the events of last week, the high-roller side of
the island has been overshadowed by the story unfolding in Peru.
The Spanish owner of
the Amsterdam bar in San Antonio, where McCollum Connolly briefly worked, has
lived in Ibiza for 40 years. He said drugs were ruining the island.
"It's run by an
English mafia between Manchester and Liverpool, there were shootings between
them a few years ago. Two people have died from drugs just in the last few
weeks."
He added: "Ibiza destroys
young people. It's paradise, but it's also hell."
ISLAND LIFE
1960s Tourism to Ibiza started to boom in the
1960s when the island played host to an influx of young hippies arriving from
across Europe. They were attracted by the weather, relaxed attitudes and the
island's natural beauty, and were part of the blossoming of the flower power
revolution.
1970s The first nightclubs and discos opened
in the 1970s, attracting a new range of young people. Among them was the Pacha
dance club, a mainstay of the island's nightlife ever since.
1980s New clubs emerged, including Paradis and
the Star, which catered to both British and continental tastes. The island
became associated with the rise of house, electronic and rave music – and the
birth of what became known as the Balearic sound. More young Britons took their
holidays on the island than ever before.
1990s By the end of the decade, Ibiza had
become a premier destination for Britons. Club entry prices were high, and many
areas filled with drunken tourists over the summer. Sky TV released a
documentary series on such holidays called Ibiza Uncovered.
2000s There was a boom in tourists arriving on
all-inclusive cut-price package deals soon after the millennium. Many cheap
apartments were bought up by British and European businesspeople. While droves
of young Britons were still out to enjoy themselves, resentment was growing
among some the island's locals.
Dhaka-Bangladesh
8801711579267
0 comments:
Post a Comment