Want to know how American students spend their spring break? Then check out this shocking report from the so-called “biggest beach party on the planet,” which brought together more than 60,000 American college students on South Padre Island, Texas, right on the border with Mexico.
An endless party on the Coca-Cola beach, which implies enjoying relaxation, sun and sea, in reality is characterized by continuous drinking, drug use, debauchery and promiscuity. Moreover, many participants in the fun have not yet reached the age of 21 and, according to American laws, do not even have the right to drink beer.
What is noteworthy is that for the rest of the year, South Padre Island, where Catholic priest Padre José Nicolas Bally founded his farm in 1804, is a completely respectable American family vacation spot.
(Total 31 photos + 1 video)
1. About 60,000 college students head to South Padre Island each year to celebrate their spring break.
2. Many people literally have fun until they drop. For those who can no longer stand on their own, the police and friends help them get to a specially organized “field” first aid station.
3. Things are so bad that the authorities had to set up a mobile medical center with 32 beds, which is usually used during military operations and natural disasters.
4. Here is an example of a standard beach entertainment - a girl, upside down, must drink beer straight from the barrel.
5. And this young man in a red sombrero is already a client of the first-aid post. He cannot speak, but only emits an inarticulate zombie roar.
6. At 9 pm, the survivors of the beach party return to their hotels to rest before continuing the fun at the clubs, which are open until 2 am.
7. Another “standard” scene – the girls kiss to the cheers of the crowd and calls to “show your tits!”
8. The prices for alcohol in local stores, which are quite affordable by local standards, contribute to the fun: a 1.75-liter bottle of vodka sells for $11.95, although one cocktail in a bar costs on average $9.5
9. You might be wondering why this girl is wearing so many beads? And this is a local custom - if you give beads to a girl, she must show her breasts.
10. Judging by the excitement of the young people gathered around the girl, this custom is very popular.
11. And the girls, apparently, don’t mind either...
12. Another wonderful “tradition” is dousing yourself with beer. Why not formula one racers on the podium...
13. On the beach, students drink beer straight from the barrels and plant their college flags in the sand. All colleges are undoubtedly honored to be represented in this manner.
14. There was also some romance.
15. But this young lady, despite the presence of beads on her neck, decided, unlike many, not to part with her swimsuit top, for which she was booed by a disgruntled crowd.
16. For some, the party is over. During the holidays, the island's police make thousands of arrests for drunk driving, speeding, not wearing seat belts and other misdemeanors.
18. But let’s return to those who can no longer not only dance, but also simply stand on their feet...
19. This is what that first aid station looks like, at times more like a morgue. Military personnel who served in Iraq are present on site. Even they say that they have never seen anything like this nightmare anywhere before.
20. A Texas State Police official orders the beach to leave.
21. Girls enjoy their vacation away from classrooms and the eyes of their parents.
22. Another scene of continued fun in clubs - for those who can still drink, dance and have fun.
23. Dancing on the open veranda of Louie's Backyard club.
24. The fun doesn't always end even after the nightclubs close. Many move to hotels to continue the party there.
26. Perhaps no less shocking is the reaction of local authorities to what is happening, who literally have to make a deal with their conscience. On the one hand, what is happening on the island, recognized as the second place after Las Vegas in the ranking of the most “gassy” parties in honor of spring break, does not fit into any framework of decency and worries the local population, but on the other hand, it brings very, very good income.
27. Even according to the most conservative estimates, taking into account the cheap special offers designed for students (a trip to the island can cost $200), during the week of vacation the island’s budget is replenished by $20 million. In reality, we can safely talk about a much larger amount.
28. As a result, the authorities prefer to turn a blind eye to the outrages of thousands of minors, while fining them, for example, $500 for glass on the beach.
29. Moreover, this whole bacchanalia is cynically sponsored by such giant corporations as Coca-Cola, Vitaminwater, Bic, Trojan and others.
30. On one day, the “field hospital” receives more than 60 patients, mostly 18-22 years old, at least 15 of whom are under the influence of not only alcohol, but also drugs. The number of calls to 911 during the holidays is 5 times higher than usual.
31. A representative of the island's fire service, also deployed to prevent unrest, assesses the situation this way: “If they don't come here, they'll go somewhere else. Stopping holiday parties here on the island won't stop them. So let them come here. “At least we’ve been dealing with this for 30 years now and at least we know what to expect and how to prepare for it.”
Video: Spring Break Beach Party on South Padre Island
What do you prefer on the beach - an even tan or a fun holiday? Following our advice, you will get both, catch a selection of hot ideas on what to do on the seashore with your loved one, with friends or in splendid isolation.
Fashion photo shoot
For two/for friends
For the uninhibited - at any time of the day, for beginners - at dawn: taking advantage of the world's best scenery in the form of azure waves, golden sand, smooth pebbles, high mountains and clear skies, arrange a professional photo shoot that you can be proud of.
For such an event, all the outfits that you rashly took on vacation and never wore will come in handy - like sandals with dizzying stiletto heels, a translucent floor-length dress or a wide-brimmed movie star hat.
Like professionals, think through everything in advance: the shooting location, storyboard, images, make-up, and tell your assistants their responsibilities. Don’t be shy about copying ideas: no one will figure out plagiarism, and you’ll have a wonderful photo shoot with you in the role of a top model. Friends taking standard photos at the edge of the waves will die of envy.
Yoga
For you
To achieve complete harmony with the sound of the waves, the breeze and the cries of seagulls, practice hatha yoga right on the seashore. Early in the morning, while the beach is not yet filled with people, you can perform the full complex. And in the heat of the day, try a few simple exercises while you tan.
For example, close your eyes and stretch in Paschimottanasana, meditate for a couple of minutes while sitting in Virasana and stretch your spine in Marichiasana. These simple, effective and relaxing exercises will provide you with a toned body and a good mood for the whole day. And they won’t confuse the neighbors on the beach - after all, they are practically invisible.
If you've never tried yoga before, don't worry: the exercises are easy for beginners, and you can find easy poses online and take them with you.
Beach activities
For friends
Suitable for a large company - if you went on vacation with friends, then organizing a volleyball or frisbee championship on the sand will be much more interesting for you than lying around idle under the scorching sun. It’s no wonder that these games dominate beaches all over the world!
The advantages are obvious: you are on the move, so the tan will lie more evenly, and your skin will look healthy. In the heat of the game, you won’t even notice how you will tighten your shins, get rid of excess and tone the muscles of your whole body. In addition, team play will help you get to know each other better (if the company is new) and build good relationships.
Well, after the game, if it drags on, go straight to a coastal party and a refreshing cocktail! The rules of the game will be explained to beginners in a sports equipment store or on the playground if there is a rental net or balls available on the beach.
SPA session
For you/for friends
Take a break: when the sun reaches its zenith, go to the local SPA salon on the embankment for an aromatic or Thai massage, seaweed wraps, mud mask or lymphatic drainage.
Be sure to ask the locals about the advantages of the resort: for example, there may be a deposit of valuable medicinal mud or unique plants that are used in original procedures available only in this region. This is not to be missed!
Or arrange a SPA session yourself - for example, for you and your loved one. A wild beach, park or bungalow is suitable as a setting. You will need aromatic oils that you can buy in the city and stones that you can easily bring from the beach. This siesta with a massage and a cocktail will please both of you.
Board games
For two/for friends
Take the board games that helped you and your friends while away the long winter evenings to the beach - they will make beach activities more fun! And as a bonus, in addition to tanning, you will also practice your ingenuity.
If you're a lover of puzzles, take Scrabble on vacation - the game won't take up much space in your suitcase, and you can even play it on your own, not to mention with a large group. The night before the party, play Party Alias, a colorful version of the Say It Different game that's all about interpreting words.
And when you find yourself alone with your boyfriend on a wild beach, try the ancient African game “Callah”, which will allow you to determine whose logic is more effective: male or female!
Snakes
For you/for friends
Remembering your childhood can be so much fun sometimes! If a storm prevents you from swimming, it doesn’t matter: for flying a real kite, this is only a plus. You can buy it on the shore or bring it from home.
To send a message to the world, paint the kite with your autographs and wishes and head to the pier for the ceremonial launch. Now you can go back to sunbathe!
And as a highlight for a night party on the beach, prepare special flying lanterns that glow in the dark. They come in all sizes and colors - for example, in the shape of a heart or like huge paper crafts, they can be used to create a real parade of stars against the background of the night sky. Try it with friends or your loved one - this is a very romantic alternative to boring fireworks.
Beach activities are very varied, the main thing is a good mood.
Video materials on the topic of the article
Water activities and prices:
Relaxing on a nudist beach in Portugal. Odeceixe. October 3rd, 2014
How inconvenient it is to prepare posts on your phone, but what can you do for your favorite friends!
You are absolutely right in your choice of Friday post. What else should you write about on Friday? Of course about the nudist beach! And I can write about cars another day.
I really love sunbathing on nudist beaches. Usually there are always very few people there, these beaches are not so easy to find, as a rule, they are more beautiful than large public ones and you don’t have to worry about leaving marks from your swimsuit on your body.
This beach was not easy to find; there is little written about such things on the Russian Internet. That’s why I decided to tell you in more detail, in case someone else is interested. Here's a mobile report, all these pictures were taken on an iPhone.
In order to get to the beach, you still need to wear some clothes.
We write this name in the navigator. I don't know how to read it.
We're going to the sea. We're already close. This is the public beach of Praia de Odeceixe, but not for us.
Near this beach you can deliciously eat all kinds of sea creatures in a small cafe...
For example, like these.
Then we turn left, drive a little more and park near this beautiful view. This is exactly the beach we need. The Internet says that this beach is included in the list of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
The specifics of the beach are warned in advance.
It looks like this on the map.
We're down. So later you will have to work a little when leaving the beach...
Unlike the public beach, where it is very difficult to park, there is plenty of free space here.
How I love these buses...
I got distracted by the cars...
So, the beach. It is clean and cozy here, there are few people. Everyone nests in rocks because, as I later realized, the tide comes in very quickly.
At the moment when the entire sandy area was flooded with water, we were left alone, even the rescuer left us.
And there was silence and beauty...
And I meditate lying on hot stones and wait for a wave to cover me...
The phone, smeared with suntan lotion, gave a beautiful effect.
I’ll also show you some mobile photo creativity.
By the way, for me there is only one minus - very cold water. To swim, I had to take a long run with a low start, and then run back very quickly. But the local walruses swam more relaxed.
And a couple more selfies...
I hope someone finds my story useful. We spent three wonderful days on this beach and got a beautiful, even tan.
Very soon I’m going to go to my beloved Cuba, I’ll try to bring back a story about a similar beach from there, it’s there too.
I wish you a sunny weekend!
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