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For some, the ideal refuge or escape from everyday life in the bustling city is a rustic experience closer to nature, what happens when that escape is during the weekend or the month? Would you support your whole life living far from the necessary structures on which you have designed your life?
At a time when most of the people in their lives are looking for those comforts and luxuries (small or large) that will facilitate their daily life and offer them something else, a group of about 350 people on a small island and unknown to many in Canada lives with what is absolutely necessary.
For Lasqueti residents, then, life is an endless break from the rules and conditions of everyday life as it has been shaped, at least in the minds of Westerners.
What is lasqueti?
Lasqueti is a short walk (about an hour) from Qualicum Beach in Vancouver, southwest of Texada.
Various objects and finds have been discovered in island, while to this day there are ancient shellfish embankments on many of its beaches. It was named in 1791 by Spanish Juan María Lasqueti, a prominent naval officer, and was occupied by locals during the first settlement of Europeans in 1860.
False Bay is the port where ferries approach the island, its small shopping center, as well as the gateway to paradise with impressive bays and reefs that characterize the 68 square kilometers.
The magnificent silence that surrounds Lasqueti is also a sign of the characteristic atmosphere in remote areas of the central coast of British Columbia.
Island life without electricity or money.
Lasqueti is one of the least developed islands in its widest area. British Columbia who literally lives completely disconnected. Life here is definitely more hectic than the daily life to which we are all accustomed, however, the islanders have managed to do the impossible: content with what they have and ask for nothing more.
This is not a haven for artists or a “hippie community”, as many try to attribute to it. In contrast, Lasquetians, as their inhabitants are called, want a simple and austere life outside the rules. In fact, although isolated from the rest of the world, they have developed their own community with a strong sense of solidarity.
According to the island’s official website, there are many who have accused its residents of trying to return to the past because of the lifestyle they have chosen. However, despite all the accusations, Statistics Canada reports that Lasqueti is one of the most educated communities in the country, with its residents representing various professions, including poets and artists, physicists and musicians, musicians, and professional advisers to fishermen. loggers, farmers and foresters.
The inhabitants of Lasqueti consider that modern comforts are expensive and manage to live without the basic ones, such as electric current -They have developed alternative energy sources to meet their needs-, the roads have not yet been paved for the most part, the movements are carried out on foot or by bicycle, while there is a complete lack of vigilance.
Energy, for those who cannot live without it, comes from solar panels, wind turbines or water generators, while the needs Water covered by nearby wells or streams. In the event of an emergency, a volunteer fire department will answer the call, and a nurse will be available four hours a week, receiving emergency calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Their nutritional needs are covered by the cultivation of organic fruits and vegetables, some are dedicated to animal husbandry, while to complete the “menu” some collect mussels, oysters and shrimp.
How the local economy works
In addition to the artists who sell their works, several have been created on the island. business. So, among other things, there is a soap maker, a clothing maker, a chocolate maker, etc. However, due to their uniqueness, companies are developing on the island, which could not prosper in other areas.
An example of this is the case of the cookie maker. Nowhere else in the world will you find a smiling owner or baker who will display his preparations in a stand, without control, and next to it a box for everyone to throw. money He wants.
One of a kind and in-store, where everyone can get what they need for free. Everything on their shelves is offered for free, allowing residents to exchange items they don’t need, without having to travel to Vancouver Island.
Is the island a tourist destination?
Although locals don’t discourage visitors, on the other hand, they don’t advertise the island as tourist destination. It’s not that its residents are antisocial (perhaps some of them) or that they don’t have time to deal with tourists, it’s the fact that they have deliberately made the island their home and want their visitors to respect that.
However, the island has a bed & breakfast hotel, rooms for rent and a pub-restaurant near where the ferry from Vancouver arrives. For adventurous spirits who want to get a closer look at what life is like in Lasqueti, locals recommend WWOOF, an organization that “accommodates” volunteers with hosts on organic farms, so that volunteers can live on the island for a few hours. day
Although the rural lifestyle is not for everyone, as the daily work required is often difficult, the rewards one can reap are many. Fresh air and water, nature around the corner, friendly neighbors and a true sense of community. Some of the reasons why some people decide to leave their hectic lives and choose to live in an “offline” place, such as the island of Lasqueti. It is a completely different way of life or even a different world, you might say.
As a result, islanders work every day in their own way to make a viable life, not a life that is bought, but a life that is created from scratch.
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