Ibiza
After almost twenty years, I visited Ibiza again in early October. This time I definitely did not come for beach life or the party scene, but for a week of pure 'Zen' in the form of a yoga retreat. I was once again mesmerized by Ibiza, but not exactly by what I encountered on the beaches.
by Jacqueline Weers
Oct 17, 2016 - 6:38 PM
Ibiza Hippie Plastic Paradise
After almost twenty years, I visited Ibiza again in early October. This time I definitely did not come for beach life or the party scene, but for a week of pure 'Zen' in the form of a yoga retreat. I was once again mesmerized by Ibiza, but not exactly by what I encountered on the beaches.
by Jacqueline Weers
Oct 17, 2016 - 6:38 PM
Sand between the plastic
The apartment where my fellow participants and I were housed, was located a few hundred yards from the beach. After my fist 3 hours of yoga practice, I walked to the nearby beach of Cala Martina, to lay down my weary limbs on the sand and stare out over the ocean.
Unfortunately, my first encounter of Cala Martina turned out a big disappointment: what a filthy mess. There was no uncontaminated strip of beach to be seen between the plastic debris, which was spread all over the place. Strange, non-marine elements floated in the sea, and I found everything from used condoms to tubes with rectal lubricant. A couple of kids played in the sand nearby. I decided to opt for a lounge bed.
Hippie, happy, dirty?
There is a camp site at the end of Cala Martina, which seems to be permanently inhabited by a modern day flower-power crowd. Passing by the camp site, there was always someone meditating or staring at the heavens, palms spread out wide in earthly exaltation. On Wednesday, this colorful crowd organized a dance-in after the conclusion of the hippy market at Punta Arabi, at a bar located right next to the campsite. Lots of beautiful young people, all dancing to the happy, hippie,’ I-love-mother earth’ vibes. How disappointing that these earth-connected types, left a huge mess behind after their blissful get-together. Broken glasses, more condoms and lots of empty water bottles and juice cartons. The cause for Ibiza’s contaminated beaches seems to lie not only with the tourists.
My gift to Ibiza
I'm certainly not a hippie, but I do love mother earth, preferably a clean version of her. So, the last day I walked along the beach and picked up all the plastic debris I encountered and put it in one of the many recycling bins. The picture shows the amount of plastic garbage I collected on just two square meters of beach. A few meters away, a bunch of half-dressed campers were hanging against a wall watching me, while the lit one joint after another. I wanted to tell them to get up off their weed-smoking butts and clean up the area around their campsite. Of course I didn’t.
Ice cream for a plastic bucket
What makes me wonder, is why the local government accepts this situation? There's so much money flowing into Ibiza. A pair of juicy fines would surely be in place, to point out that the beaches of Ibiza are not a dumping ground for plastic waste.
Therefore, I would like to close this article with a positive note. A tip for those who live in Ibiza or go there on vacation: pick up three objects every day and place them in one of the many recycling bins that line the beaches. And give your kids have a bucket. A bucket full of plastic = one Spanish ice cream. Please do tell the kids to stay away from used condoms.
Jacqueline Weers
www.detekstelier.com
The apartment where my fellow participants and I were housed, was located a few hundred yards from the beach. After my fist 3 hours of yoga practice, I walked to the nearby beach of Cala Martina, to lay down my weary limbs on the sand and stare out over the ocean.
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Unfortunately, my first encounter of Cala Martina turned out a big disappointment: what a filthy mess. There was no uncontaminated strip of beach to be seen between the plastic debris, which was spread all over the place. Strange, non-marine elements floated in the sea, and I found everything from used condoms to tubes with rectal lubricant. A couple of kids played in the sand nearby. I decided to opt for a lounge bed.
Hippie, happy, dirty?
There is a camp site at the end of Cala Martina, which seems to be permanently inhabited by a modern day flower-power crowd. Passing by the camp site, there was always someone meditating or staring at the heavens, palms spread out wide in earthly exaltation. On Wednesday, this colorful crowd organized a dance-in after the conclusion of the hippy market at Punta Arabi, at a bar located right next to the campsite. Lots of beautiful young people, all dancing to the happy, hippie,’ I-love-mother earth’ vibes. How disappointing that these earth-connected types, left a huge mess behind after their blissful get-together. Broken glasses, more condoms and lots of empty water bottles and juice cartons. The cause for Ibiza’s contaminated beaches seems to lie not only with the tourists.
|
My gift to Ibiza
I'm certainly not a hippie, but I do love mother earth, preferably a clean version of her. So, the last day I walked along the beach and picked up all the plastic debris I encountered and put it in one of the many recycling bins. The picture shows the amount of plastic garbage I collected on just two square meters of beach. A few meters away, a bunch of half-dressed campers were hanging against a wall watching me, while the lit one joint after another. I wanted to tell them to get up off their weed-smoking butts and clean up the area around their campsite. Of course I didn’t.
Ice cream for a plastic bucket
What makes me wonder, is why the local government accepts this situation? There's so much money flowing into Ibiza. A pair of juicy fines would surely be in place, to point out that the beaches of Ibiza are not a dumping ground for plastic waste.
Therefore, I would like to close this article with a positive note. A tip for those who live in Ibiza or go there on vacation: pick up three objects every day and place them in one of the many recycling bins that line the beaches. And give your kids have a bucket. A bucket full of plastic = one Spanish ice cream. Please do tell the kids to stay away from used condoms.
Jacqueline Weers
www.detekstelier.com
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