Last week the weather took a more customary turn for the worse, and November felt, well, a bit like November. Slightly overcast and a little bit drizzly, us residents retreated back in to our winter hibernation shells and beaches were once more deserted and windswept.
However, that doesn't mean that life stops. Oh no! Just our routines change a little to adapt to the more ‘indoor' life. Time to catch up on those Netflix series that we have wanted to watch all summer! But TV aside, Ibiza's splendid winter life goes on.
Monday - Yoga Breakfast
Once in an while, my yoga teacher offers a wonderfully selfless exchange of a yoga session for brunch. We all bring something to offer the class and after we have stretched and ommed our way through an hour, we gather around the table for a healthy bite to eat and a gossip. This week I made egg burji, which is a spiced Indian scrambled egg dish and I served it with flat breads. Some one else brought some home made superfood muesli and we sipped on freshly squeezed juices and herbal tea. Quite the opposite to DC10 Mondays!
Tuesday - Fasting Day
I fast every Tuesday and break it in the evening with a simple vegetarian Indian meal in the evening called Khitcheree. It is a mix of lentils and rice cooked with ginger, turmeric and whatever seasonal veggies I can grab from the market stalls next door in Mercado Viejo. Word gets round and I usually have a visitor appear around dinner time. This week my next door neighbour joins me and we smugly discuss how darn wholesome we are.
Wednesday - Bowling
Over the last couple of years, a solid and highly competitive mid-week bowling crew has emerged. We all meet at Vila Parc bowling alley and for the princely sum of just €3.50 each, we can have 10 rounds of bowling. This week the posse is out in full force and we take over 3 lanes. Of course, the best thing about it is the €1.80 cañas and bowling takes the backseat as scathing banter rules the day. One of the lads wins a very eye-catching T-shirt for scoring 3 strikes in a row and does a couple of laps of the alley in celebration!
Thursday - La Escollera
I nip down to Es Cavallet to visit a friend who is DJing every afternoon at the sublime La Escollera Restaurant on the beach. Open all year round, this sophisticated eatery is a fave of mine for beach lunches. The seafood is second to none and the service is impeccable, yet super-relaxed and friendly. The larger than life and superbly warm owners come over to say hi with a plate of yummy sushi to nibble on and a couple of glasses of crisp rosé. Although the outside area is closed due to the dodgy weather, the inside is cosy and a big group huddle together with coffees and hierbas by the big open fire.
Friday - Dinner party
A bunch of mates come round for ‘Build Your Own Burrito' night. I have been cooking the chilli for almost 8 hours and it contains the second hottest chilli pepper in the world - the 6 Pot Chocolate Habanero! Dinner descends into tequila drinking games (keeping with the Mexican theme, of course) and we end up at De Miedo, a tiny local's bar in the port, playing table football in outfits procured from their fancy dress box. Just your average Friday night then!
Saturday - Melon Bomb at Pikes
I manage to dust myself off in time for dinner at Pikes for a friend's birthday. The tables have been moved inside to Freddie's Suite due to the weather which makes the atmosphere super-snug. We are once again treated to a private performance from Paco Fernandez before the tables are cleared and the Melon Bomb gang, Scott Gray, Paul Reynolds and Juan Corbi drop some disco bombs. The dancefloor is chocka and there's the usual Pike's mischief all night long. Home at dawn...
More from the Ibiza Winter Diaries next week!
WORDS | Leena Sharma
