For some the ideal refuge or escape from everyday life in the bustling city is a rustic experience closer to nature, what happens when this escape exceeds the duration of the weekend or the month? Would you endure for the rest of your life living away from the necessary structures on which you have planned your life?
At a time when most people in their lives are looking for those comforts and (small or large) luxuries that will facilitate their daily life and offer them something more, a group of about 350 people in a small and unknown to many island in Canada lives with the essentials.
For the inhabitants of Lasqueti, then, life is an endless break from the rules and conditions of everyday life as it is shaped in the consciousness of, at least, Westerners.
Lasqueti is a short walk (about an hour) from Qualicum Beach in Vancouver, southwest of Texada Island.
Various objects and finds have been discovered in island, while to this day ancient mounds of shellfish are found on many of its beaches. It was named in 1791 by the Spaniard Juan Maria Lasqueti, a prominent naval officer, and was occupied by the locals during the first settlement by the Europeans in 1860.
The bay of False is the port where ferries approach the island, its small shopping center, as well as the gateway to paradise of the impressive coves and reefs that characterize the 68 sq. Km. Island.
The magnificent silence that surrounds Lasqueti is also a testament to the typical atmosphere in remote areas on the central coast of British Columbia.
Lasqueti is one of the least developed islands in the region British Columbia living literally completely offline. Life here is definitely more hectic than the everyday life we are all used to, however the inhabitants of the island have managed the impossible: to be content with what they have and not to ask for anything more.
It is not a haven for artists or a "hippie community", as many try to portray it. On the contrary, the Lasquetians, as its inhabitants are called, want a simple and unpretentious 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 official website of the island, there are many who have accused its inhabitants, due to the lifestyle they have chosen, that they are trying to return to the past. However, despite all the allegations, Statistics Canada reports that Lasqueti is one of the most educated communities in the country, with residents representing a variety of professions, including poets and artists, physicists and educators, musicians and professional consultants to fishermen. lumberjacks, farmers and foresters.
Lasqueti residents find modern comforts burdensome and manage to live without the basic ones like electricity -they have developed alternative energy sources to meet their needs-, the roads have not been paved yet for the most part at least, the movements are done on foot or by bicycle, while there is a complete lack of policing.
Energy, for those who can not live without it, comes from solar panels, wind turbines or water generators, while the needs water covered by wells or nearby streams. In the event of an emergency, a volunteer fire department responds to the call, while a nurse is available four hours a week, receiving 24/7 calls for non-emergencies. Their nutritional needs are covered by the cultivation of organic fruits and vegetables, some are engaged in animal husbandry, while to complete the "menu" some collect mussels, oysters and shrimp.
Apart from the artists who sell their works, various ones have been created on the island businesses. Thus, among others, there is a soap maker, a clothes maker, a chocolate maker, etc. Due to its uniqueness, however, businesses are developing on the island, which could not thrive in other areas.
One such example is the case of the cookie maker. Nowhere else in the world can you find a smiling owner or baker exposing his or her products to a stand without control, and next to it a box for everyone to throw money wants.
Unique in its kind and the store, from where everyone can get what they need for free. Everything on its shelves is offered free of charge, allowing its residents to exchange items they do not need without having to travel to Vancouver Island.
Although the locals do not discourage visitors, on the other hand they do not advertise the island as tourist destination. It is not that its inhabitants are anti-social (maybe some of them) or that they do not have time to deal with tourists, it is the fact that they have deliberately turned the island into their home and want its visitors to respect that.
However, there is a bed & breakfast hotel on the island, rooms to let and a pub-restaurant near the ferry point from Vancouver. For the adventurous spirits who want to get a closer look at what life is like in Lasqueti, locals recommend WWOOF, an organization that "matches" volunteers with hosts on organic farms, with volunteers being able to live on the island in exchange for a few hours of work. day.
Although the rural way of life is not for everyone, as the daily work required is often hard, the rewards that one can get from it are many. Fresh air and water, nature on your doorstep, friendly neighbors and a true sense of community. Some of the reasons some people decide to get out of their hectic lives and choose to live in an "offline" place, such as Lasqueti Island. It is a completely different way of life or even a different world, one might say.
As it turns out, the inhabitants of the island work every day in their own way, in order to build a sustainable life - not a life that is bought, but a life that is created from scratch.