Blog From Ibiza and Pamplona!
From Running With The Bulls To Partying All Night

The girls out out for another fun and wild night in Ibiza.

By "Beach Cat Kel,"
Hermosa Beach, CA

The idea of heading to Spain began with an e-mail from a local group putting together a trip to Pamplona and Ibiza in July. We live in a pretty fun area – it's one of the cool beach communities around Los Angeles – so leaving one lively sun spot for another in the heat of the summer action required some serious contemplating.

But, after consulting with a group of friends, we girls decided to go for it.

We would start out in Pamplona for three days during the Running With the Bulls. From there, we would goto Ibiza for the rest of our vacation. Ironically, another group of friends were on a similiar trip, so put it all together and we had quite a party group.

It was a very enlightening trip, one that exposed some interesting facts of life about people in other lands and also about people in our own city.

We partied often and were up very late (or very early, depending on one's point of view). We also experienced some of the culture that makes traveling abroad so rewarding.

PAMPLONA

The blogger (front) with her group in the stadium during the Running of the Bulls.

We were up at 6:30 a.m., on a Sunday because wanted to get a place in the Plaza where the bulls – El Toros as they call them here – run through on their way to the stadium. They run at 8 in the morning and we wanted to have our vantage spot secured well in advance of that time.

Even without the bulls, it was quite a scene. The locals are very much into the festival. All ages join in by wearing the traditional costumes - red scarves and sashes draped over white shirts and pants. Likewise, the tourists were similarly attired and not wanting to be left out of the crowd we, too, participated in this tradition.

We found the area around the festival to be very charming with traditions we liked and beautiful, historic buildings. The food, however, was less appetizing. It was very simple and rich with fats and enriched processing. I didn't care for the food at all.

After all the hysteria of the run, a Matador starts the bullfight, then slaughters one of the bulls. This is one tradition we could not tolerate and exited the stadium so we wouldn't have to witness this atrocity.

Running With the Bulls is a party on a world-wide scale. People go wild until dawn and it's mass hysteria everywhere. We found it very similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, except everyone was speaking different languages. For more on the Running of the Bulls festival and tips for avoiding being stampeded, click here.

IBIZA.

The daytime pool scene at Enya Bar in Ibiza.

Ibiza is well-known for being the biggest party spot in the world. Anything & everything goes here. Leave you inhibitions at home - they are not welcomed in Ibiza!

Settled right in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Ibiza is an island off the coast of Spain. It's location make it a European melting pot of sorts. People from Britain,Germany, Italy and Greece make this their vacation paradise. Not too many Americans come here.

We didn't meet too many locals, either, only a handful of people that spoke Spanish. Guess people from the home country prefer to vacation elsewhere.

The big difference in the people here and home is that they aren't nearly as vain as they are in Southern California. They are very much into being "Au Naturale," meaning they have a very earthy, Bohemian quality to them. Their dress is simple, but elegant. They don't appear to be too flashy. They remind me gypsies but with a real deep tan!

In short, they are more concerned with their inner beauty than their outer beauty. People in Los Angeles are too hung up on how they look on the outside.

But at least we don't smoke! Ibiza was full of smoke, both outside and especially inside the bars and restaurants. Europeans are chain-smokers. I felt like I was developing Emphysema. That is probably how the Euros stay sooo thin (nicotine is known to be an appetite suppressant).

Europeans also don't seem to believe too much into exercise. Where we live, exercise is almost a daily ritual. The people focused more on smoking and partying, and they do both of those activities a lot.

Okay, there's another difference. They don't have any tan lines. You can tell because several of the beaches allow nude bathing. Unbelievable. The people let everything just hang out!

Hanging out poolside at Ibiza's Kenya Bar.

The blogger did not go out to the clubs until 2 a.m.

Would you call this an "Ibiza party sandwich!?"

n the daytime, we did the beach, sightseeing and other activities. Well, at least sometimes, when we didn't party 'till dawn. This was around the noon hour. Then it was major siesta time. Sleep is a must if one plans to stay up partying until 9 the next morning, something that's all to easy to do in this town.

Now onto the night scene... Sort of imagine partying in Southern California but shift the activities ahead by about five hours. In Ibiza, we were just going out at about the time we're well settled into the bars or parties at home.

After the beach, we would rest until about 7 then, go to dinner around 9 or 10 and hit a pre-party bar around 11. The time of night really didn't matter that much, as the laid-back culture of Spain takes away the stress of having to arrive to a certain place by a certain time, which is often the case in the States.

After a couple hours of pre-partying came the nite club action!

There are some very hip clubs on the island. The first club we went to was Amnesia, the most famous in Ibiza and maybe the world. This club is known for 'Espuma'- which is Spanish for foam party, where the foam can reach as high as six feet or so. Don't wear your best clubby clothes on this night - you will get messed up & drenched! It's quite a spectacle!

Aafter that, we had to see what else this place had to offer. In no particular order, we went to El Divino, Pacha, Es Paradis and Privilege. I really liked El Divino. It was a very nice classy, sophisticated crowd, over-looking the beautiful Ibiza harbour. I met the local DJ, Boy George!

The blogger ran into celebrity Jason Priestly while in Ibiza.

At Privilege, I "one-upped" myself when I met Jason Priestly, celebrity actor and star of the TV show "Beverly Hills 90210" (and the beach house is in my hometown of Hermosa Beach).

The nite clubs typically do not open until 2 a.m. And you look like a moronic tourist if you show up earlier. We would typically party until 8 in the next morning. A few die-hards in our group would then go to the after-hours clubs. Those places don't even open until 8 and go until noon. This is crazy! It is entirely possible to then hit the beach and start all over again.

Once you get into this groove, not a lot of sleeping goes on here.

The music on the island and in the clubs was very hype, hypnotic & sensual. There was a lot of clubby, Euro-trans, electronic music. At the beach bars, they play very sensual, tropical Latin music but w/ a funky beat & w/ some trans/electronic mixed in a little.

Boy George is a local DJ spinning trans, techno-house, eletronica music at some of the clubs.

It was a very interesting, exciting, adventurous, & exhausting trip. I recommend going to Spain (Ibiza or whatever your pleasure is) just for the experience and stories to tell your friends & family.

Because some of the things I experienced, I would never have those experiences here in the States!