Es Vedra

I was drawn to Es Vedra like a magnet 

Es Vedra is a rock off of the coast of Ibiza, it’s uninhabited apart from birds and wild lizards and is said to be the third most magnetic place on the planet.  Although not everybody agrees with this, compass readings go crazy and homing pigeons get lost flying over the island.

Es Vedra has a number of myths surrounding it, it is said to be the home of the sirens and sea-nymphs who tried to lure Ulysses and also the birth place of the Phoenician goddess, Tanit.  A number of UFO’s have been sighted in the area and legend has it that the rock is the tip of the sunken City of Atlantis.

Ibiza has a reputation as a party place, full of clubs, a place for the young. Ibiza is also famous for hippies with it’s chilled atmosphere and spiritual vibe. Es Vedra is a must for those spiritually inclined, it is a place of meditation, awakening and holds a magnetic energy. The rock is supposed to hold a high level of energy, similar to that of Stonehenge and the great pyramids.

Being in Ibiza I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to visit this place and set off on a bus to find it. It was what would have been my mother’s birthday and I thought it fitting to visit a spiritual place and take a long walk on my own. The bus stopped a few miles away the day I chose to go but I thought the walk would do me good, mum loved a walk.

I got closer although the walk took much longer than I had anticipated, about five miles I think and in 30 degrees. I reached a small cove near to the place but was unable to see the rock because of the cliffs surrounding the cove. I asked the bar manager if he would mind calling me a taxi for the final part of the journey. He said it was pointless, the taxi would take too long to get there and it was only about fifteen minutes over the mountain and the trail would be easy to find. It was about 12.30pm by then so I stopped and had a glass of wine to drink a toast to my mums birthday before setting off across the mountain.

I was getting closer to the rock and it certainly looked magnificent, I wanted to get right down onto the beach to see it.

I’m not sure where I went wrong but I must have taken a wrong turn and five hours later I was still walking around lost. I kept taking another trail that would take me around in circles, the terrain was rough and I was wearing flip flops of all things. I started to get very dizzy, I was dehydrated and the wine probably hadn’t helped. I became a little scared, on my own in the heat and wondering if I would ever find my way out. I had no option to call the emergency services, that’s when I could get a signal that was. I felt very stupid telling them I was walking on my own in flip flops, without water or food in that heat. They wanted my coordinates, you guessed it my phone compass had trouble finding me, as did google maps!

I was found eventually and taken in the back of a police car to the nearest town with a taxi out of there. I couldn’t stop apologising in my limited Spanish for my stupidity.  Red faced from the sun, dirty from my numerous falls they dropped me off in St Joseph where I picked up the bus back to my friends apartment.

I never did get to see Es Vedra properly but I will return, next time with a companion, proper walking shoes, a hire car and plenty of water. I laugh now, but I think Es Vedra taught me a lesson!