Alternative Ibiza?

[Stanley Edwards]

Back in Placa des Parc. Very mild. Mateous is asking me to help him unwrap a wrap. He is incapable. I am not going to help him.

I like late evening chills in Spanish plazas always.

You meet all sorts!

 

[Stanley Edwards]

This place gets more mental by the day. Money grabbing little shit hole it is.

Perhaps it was the full moon, but all seemed to be losing the plot. Finally I came to chill in the usual. Quickly surrounded by stress. Then a huge chunk of concrete balcony fell from the air, shortly followed by a telephone call about someone getting hit over the head with a vase and accusations pointing at my mate. It got a bit stranger after that.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Mateous has just rejoined me. We are the only Two street bums left in the plaza. You have to see this guy to believe him. I got rid of all the others.

Very likable guy, but he is very disabled, a total drug and alcohol fiend and he always stinks of piss and shit. He brings smiles to almost everyone who knows him. I got a bit pissed off today when someone lost their cool with him, but it is understandable. He is a cheeky fuck who has just asked me to go and ponce him a cigarette from the bars because he is too tired to walk. You have to admire the spirit before telling him to fuck off really.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

FFS! Got him a cigarette returned to the bench only to find he has slipped in to a drunken coma. Might as well smoke it myself then. It is a Marlboro Red.

Nothing better to do than write stuff ATM. Don't want to indoors yet and it has gone quiet!

 

[tony.c]

Doesn't sound like you are enjoying Ibiza Stan. Time to head back to Granada perhaps? Take care.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

I have thrown a Red Cross blanket over him. Not unusual for him to spend nights on the street. Not to cold. Safe enough and I can do fuck all else.

I'm off to bed shortly.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Doesn't sound like you are enjoying Ibiza Stan. Time to head back to Granada perhaps? Take care.

'Interesting' is the best I can come up with.

 

[tony.c]

May you live in interesting times then!

 

[kropotkin]

it's pronounced 'ebola'

Sounds like typhoid.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Sounds like typhoid.

Initially I was told it is 'the Ibiza virus'. Then the red cross called it stomach flu. Best diagnoses is gastro (bacterial), but it is grim. Much better this evening, but won't be surprised if it hits back again tomorrow.

The drains here stink. The worst thing about this bug for me is the smell of your own shit.

Mosquitoes are still here also BTW.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Mateous has woke and asked for me to pack his blanket so that he can walk to his sleeping place. He walks at about 0.0234 MPH. He seems happy. He cannot talk. I think he was happy and indicated that I was clever for understanding him.

He is on the streets out of choice.


I am going to bed.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Pissing it down.

I found Mateous in exactly the same spot at about 8.30 this morning. The day passed quietly.

This evening the rain came. Not a lot of sheltered space in the rain in Spain. Street people congregated. Drinking and smoking and talking. Mateous was late to arrive. Police came. Whilst Mateous was smoking a big fat one. They tried to order him to put it down and tread it out

"Just Two more, just Two more". I was close to cracking up laughing at this point (so were the police). Only Mateous can get away with it, and he knows it. They let him off obviously.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

It is raining. It has been shit.

Good conversation. Good pictures (in my head). No alarm clock. No boss. Total creative freedom.

Very lucky. Doubt anyone could persuade me to give this up. These are the magic moments.

All that is missing tonight is beautiful female perspective. I miss that most nights.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

blahdeblah

 

[kevinpurcey]

What happens in Ibiza ...Stay's in Ibiza....
That's right Stan, yes Stan..
Told you that you would love it.

 

[kevinpurcey]

Keep hitting it with a hammer,you are in enough mess.
Keep the faith bro x

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Keep hitting it with a hammer,you are in enough mess.
Keep the faith bro x

I am a total fucking mess. I don't care Well, I only care when in the company of beautiful, healthy, clean living people. I feel a bit ashamed then.

TBF: As complicated and as difficult as I have found Ibiza (getting horrible infection, people getting murdered and all that didn't help) I have made very good contacts, earned enough to live merrily and landed gig of the decade. So, it hasn't been all bad. And, they won't let me leave. This happens everywhere - as soon as word gets around that you're going, you're suddenly inundated with small, but worthy commissions.

Job in Denia next week. Really shouldn't miss that appointment also, but...

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Friday night in the same place.

Not ready for bed, but not in the party mood. My mate Gustavo gave me a big cognac to take away. Cognac - danger, danger, danger. Friday innit

Nothing happening really. All the interesting people have gone home.

This is my down time. We all need it.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Nothing worth reporting this evening.

Where do these people come from?

I'm off to bed in the place where the illegal Columbian prostitutes do their job. It is surprisingly quiet, free and safe.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Bugger. Bloody cognac.

It was supposed to rain today - not possible to work. It still might rain. Being the sensible forward thinking type I made sure I had enough cash in pocket to get through the weekend. Then I had a couple of large drinks to chill with. The rest is still very vague. I am still alive. I think so anyway.

Mateous is still out on the streets. He just asked me to tie his shoe laces. You can't really refuse even though you know they are saturated in piss and who knows what. I don't have any surgical gloves. There are no public toilets in this part of Spain. I have to buy a coffee for the sake of washing my hands.

I need to replenish funds. If I make €100 over the weekend I get the ferry to Denia on Tuesday.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

FFS! Got him a cigarette returned to the bench only to find he has slipped in to a drunken coma. Might as well smoke it myself then. It is a Marlboro Red.

Nothing better to do than write stuff ATM. Don't want to indoors yet and it has gone quiet!

You can tell Ibiza is a wealthy place: the street bums spend their spare time on their laptops.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

You can tell Ibiza is a wealthy place: the street bums spend their spare time on their laptops.

It is a wealthy place and surprisingly affordable at this time of year. Pensions from just €15 a night. The free electricity is still here in Placa des Parc. It is very convenient. There are plenty of Caritas options for beds for the homeless. Almost all sleeping rough here do so by choice. Mateous comes from a very wealthy family. He has keys in his pocket. His family do their best to keep him at home, but he sometimes escapes and goes on week long benders until he gets rescued.

It is disgustingly wealthy. A playground built on illegal money. However, there is still a community of workers who have no work out of season. The Gitano barrio is still relatively poor (and, as such it is the focus of police attention).

Many here don't have to work. But, there are still plenty in need of work.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Keep hitting it with a hammer,you are in enough mess.
Keep the faith bro x

Think I may have to introduce Black Joe to U75. He would love to talk to you, and he has been a total fucking diamond to me in a 'here is my number, any hour' sort of way. I may need it. Absolute gentleman - one of us. Thanks for that.

What you up to?

Señor Miguel is doing that there Germany and parents and stuff

PM an email you fucker. This shouldn't really be in the public domain!

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Alternative Ibiza is a bit bleak this evening.

Jack is up for sentence tomorrow. The Gitanos are preparing for battle with special police drafted in from Mallorca. I am being asked to vacate my safe, free bed because I snore

It has rained all day.


This is Ibiza without a 4x4.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Keep hitting it with a hammer,you are in enough mess.
Keep the faith bro x

Oi! Email. Contact me via my blog rather than here.

I'm staying with Black Joe in his boat house. He has made it cool as. Big log fire and everything. Huge dog, cats, bolts you can't break.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

I am sat under some sort of ornamental orange tree that doesn't grow oranges (it might not be an orange tree) in Placa des Parc. It is raining in a way Spanish can't describe. In English I would say spotting - just a little more than spitting. In Spain rain is simply rain whatever.

Ibiza is growing on me. I am warming to the place. My health and fitness levels are back up to a bit below average. Good enough. Still making good work and good contacts.

Black Joe is a friend of a friend and a bloody good man. If you have been following thread you will know that Joe is a friend of Kevin who is a friend from Granada (who is currently somewhere else). I am staying in Joe's boat house and will ask him if I can do some photographs and his story this evening (it is a very interesting story). Briefly, Joe is the eldest of 13 originally from Ghana.

What Joe, myself and Kevin share is all about traveling, but traveling on a budget. Itinerants looking for work. We have all learned how to get by in alien places on nothing, or very little, and occasionally more! You have to know who you can trust. A recommendation from a friend elsewhere counts for a lot.

This rain looks like the sort of rain that makes you wet. Street work may not be possible today.

Community/charity work.
I like to do this wherever I visit. I am sketching 10 scenes of Ibiza that will be reproduced as A4 photocopies for young children to colour in as they see fit to do so. Probably do that today working from post cards.

Not sure how long I'm staying now. All clients are happy to wait until I get home whenever. Now the craziness of holiday season has been forgotten I am quite enjoying 'alternative' normal Ibiza.

 

[Sweet Meiga]

Sounds lovely, I'm very glad for you!

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Here's Joe. Mostly known as Black Joe. His story will follow. He is happy for me to tell it here in all its glory. He even asked me if I would remember it all without writing it down. I remember all of the life stories from people who tell me theirs!

Joe is from a very large family in Ghana. Born in to a Muslim family, these days he is a Christian believer. This is irrelevant really. He likes Ghana because it is a British colony. The British gave Ghana his education amongst many other things. "It is the same system - Ghana has all the benefits of the British system. It is Britains jewel in Africa. Oil, diamonds, gold and many other valuable resources".

 

[Stanley Edwards]

The only camera I have left has a broken screen and no shutter. I have to use a biro to trigger the shutter. Don't expect quality photographs.

-------------

Joe wouldn't even recognise many of his brothers (8 brothers, 4 sisters) today. He left Ghana aged 21. He went to Nigeria and hid on the first ship he could find that was heading to South America. He got as far as Lagos before he was found and sent back. On his second attempt as a stowaway he reached Brazil.

A very long story is going to be cut very short. He found work on ships for many years as a deck hand. Traveled the World - China, India, Europe - pretty much everywhere. One day he ended up in Greece. When he left the ship he went to collect his pay only to find there was no pay. Greece was corrupt. Nothing he could do about it. In Greece with no money he found work on private boats. He spotted a boat with British flags and African staff. It looked good.

After being accepted and offered employment he quickly realised what the boat was about. The heavy glass on the tables in the lounge was actually concealing very compressed marijuana.

Time moves on - he became a dealer. A big dealer.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I.

Black Joe is a friend of a friend and a bloody good man. .

In Ibiza, do the locals call him Jose Negro?