I sit at this cafe to browse. They (or someone) offer free Wi-Fi access. They have Coke, Coke Light and a wonderful cappuccino. Even if you just scoop the cream off.
So yesterday was a rest day. Like a Sunday. Except it was a Monday. I took it real easy. Hung around this side of town, swimming, relaxing, started reading a Dutch science fiction book at reception that I want to steal. I did my souvenir shopping except I haven’t gotten anything cool for Etienne yet. Will probably find something in Madrid.
So. Tiësto.
The ticket said Privilege opens at 23:00. Privilege of course is the biggest club in the world and is about halfway between San Antonio and Ibiza Town.
I decided that I don’t want to miss a single minute so I got a taxi at the hotel at 22:30 and was there about 22:45. I joined the about 10 other people which later grew to a considerable crowd. But it only opened some time after 00:00.
I got a distinctly African feel in the casual way the staff went about their business preparing for the club to open.
Anyway, once my online ticket was checked against my credit card and Photo ID (passport) I could enter.
Once inside I was somewhat disappointed. How they could allegedly fit in 10 000 people I don’t know. I took the relatively peaceful time before 02:00 to explore the club.
I took the advice of my Alain de Botton’s The Art of Travel DVD and decided not to take pictures, so I didn’t take my cell phone with (my SLR camera would obviously not have been allowed). I could have taken pictures with my cell phone as every other laaitie did, but I decided that this is something I need to experience, take in and remember. Not rely on photos to tell me I was there.
My mother can still remember the day I phoned them back in 1998. I was in utter dismay about the R20 Coke I bought at the Zurich Festival. Later on that same trip I bought a R28 glass of Coke at a pizza place in Copenhagen (see it was permanently engraved in my mind). Last year’s trip to Norway put that to shame. But last night I paid €7 for a 200ml Coke and €6 for 350ml water. Must be directly from the fountain of youth or something, because paying €6 will certainly induce a myocardial infarction.
I spent a lot of time checking out the people. There are some gorgeous people in this world. Everything I’m not. Sometimes I wish I could look like that. I like to think that I would be so much happier if I could take my shirt off with confidence. Anyway.
So at around 02:15 the lights went down. The music stopped. And then began in all earnest. The night now belonged to Tiësto.
And it was awesome.
This may sound weird, but I’ve been to a club, any club, only 3 times before in my life. And then I didn’t get it.
Last night I got it.
The sound quality was absolutely brilliant. The special effects like the giant screen and 3D laser show were spectacular. Everything was breathtaking (literally and figuratively). I was thinking about Facebook and ‘What’s on your mind?’ The best and only response would have been ‘My feet are killing me.’
So I battled my way through the crowd to the nearest drinks counter and while I was waiting this English dude bought 3 Sprites and 3 shooters. I don’t know what it was as I’m not very clued up when it comes to alcohol. But whatever it was he paid €51 for that. Near myocardial infarction #2. I guess if I was a woman he would have been the man I want to marry. Money obviously was of no concern to him.
If you can count ‘rows from the front’ at an event like this, I guess I was about ’15 people’ away from Tiësto. Pretty close. I guess I was about 20m away from the booth itself. As the night went on I moved further and further away to get the full picture. Otherwise it’s like sitting 2m in front of a cinema screen.
Although I vowed to be there from the very first minute to the very last minute, around 05:00 I saw this kiosk selling Tiësto stuff. So I bought ‘In Search of Sunrise 6 – Ibiza” and a Tiësto lanyard.
And then I decided that that was it. I came, I saw, I couldn’t afford the T-shirt. And I left.
I was in bed around 05:30, briefly woke up at 11:30 and finally got up at 14:45.
I seriously recommend it.