I am living for 200$/month in an ecovillage in the jungle of Ecuador

[Mihael Keehl]

I want to share my experience of moving to the amazon jungle to live a simple, healthy life in the ecovillage called Terra Frutis, located in the beautiful rainforest of South Ecuador.

 

Why did I come here?

There where many reasons that motivated me to leave Germany to start a new life here. Here are some of the most important ones:

I wanted to live a simple and healthy life in beautiful nature

I was visiting this place a year ago and fell in love with the jungle

I wanted to escape wage slavery in Germany

I wanted to live in a place where I have access to psychedelic plants and to live in a culture, where doing psychedelic journeys is nothing unusual

I wanted to live in a sustainable way

 

Ways of living

There are different possibilities of how you can live here. I am curently voluntering. Which means, that I work for 20 hours per week and therefore I get a cozy cabin to sleep in, unlimited bananas and a portion of all the other fruits that we harvest here.

There is also the possibility to buy a piece of land here and live like a neighbour. The land is much cheaper then in most countries. I believe 5000$ for 1 hectar is realistic. You can also hire local workers to buid you a decent cabin for 3000 – 5000$. (If you want electricity in your cabin, then it will be more expensive).

 

Cost of living

200$ per month is realistic. The only expenses that I have here are for buying food at the local market on Saturdays and the 25$ monthly utility fee. Most people here have some kind of online job like teaching english, swedish, python or mathematics.

 

Work

Monday through Friday we meet at 7am at the Community Center and usually go to a field where we have planted a lot of fruit trees. The area here is very big and there are hundreds of fruittrees. The most common task it to take a machete and clear the area around a fruittree so that it can grow better. It is not necessary to go to the gym when you are doing this kind of work. It is a good workout and a great way to start the day. Other tasks include harvesting, mapping the area and the trees and working in the plant nursery (watering and planting seeds). Besides that there are is other kinds of work that you can do if you are not working on the land: cleaning the kitchen area, taking care of compost buckets, preparing cugarcane juice (very delicious), drying bananas, preparing sacha inchi nuts, construction work, creating social media content and others. We work for 4 hours, until 11am and then the rest of the day is free. You have a lot of free time when living here. I usually like to work more because of that, doing things like creating and uploading videos for Instagram, where I document the daily life here.

 

People

I really enjoy this simple way of life. There are around 9 long term residents here, several people that live nearby as neighbours and a few volunteers who come and go every now and then. The people are really chill here, they come from different countries like England, Sweden and USA and are mostly in their 30s.

 

My impressions

I can not possibly describe with words how beautiful the nature, the sounds and insects and how delicious some of the tropical fruits here are. Sometimes we harvest a fruit that I have never seen and tasted before and it just blows me away. It is like a new world of tastes that I can explore here. I love the sounds of the jungle as well. When I lived in Germany, I had a problem with tinitus, but here I do not have it at all, because the jungle sounds are always present. I feel healthier, stronger and happier since moving here.

 

Some important information about the Ecoviallge (from their website):

( Mission

Our mission is to be a vegan intentional community, taking inspiration from agroforestry, permaculture and syntropic agriculture to produce abundant and diverse food for a healthy, high raw vegan diet, in an environment where animals and humans thrive together. We hope to be an inspiration and to share our knowledge and methods.

We practise sustainability, non-violent communication and consensus based decision-making, and seek self reliance.

 

Our land

The Terra Frutis project is located in south-eastern Ecuador, 18 km from Gualaquiza, on 136 hectares (330+ acres) of land which slopes upward towards a mountainous western border, with the eastern border being the Zamora river and then two smaller streams along the north and south as general locations for the other respective borders. The elevation is 720 meters at the river. The majority of the land is between 730-900 meters, and the top of the mountain is about 1200 meters.

Most of the food forest project is located on land used until some years ago as a cow pasture (in other words: grass). Right now there are about 40 hectares of open pasture land that we are systematically clearing and re-planting with food forest pioneers. This land can/will be re-forested with trees, shrubs, vines, and herbs that provide food in a sustainable way, using agroforestry practices that work with and encourage local wildlife species. There are also bamboo forest sections, which can provide supplemental material for numerous residences and utility buildings.

 

Access

The land is reachable by pick-up truck via a gravel road. To get to/from the town of Gualaquiza involves a 40 minute taxi ride, or a 40 minute walk to a nearby village and then a 20 minute bus ride.

 

Accommodation and Facilities

We usually have plentiful rooms and/or private structures available for you to sleep in. You are also welcome to set up a tent, hammock, or other temporary accommodation. We charge 25$ per month for utilities (electricity, internet, kitchen...). We have: hot showers, hot water, a washing machine, a clothes dryer, blenders, dehydrators, a juicer, a cooking stove, a freezer, a fridge, internet, a hot tub. We also have a community center building for recreational activities or just hanging out.

 

Food from the land

We usually have more than enough bananas (several cultivars) all year round.

Often we have papaya, plantains, jackfruit, canistel, rough lemons, naranjilla, hot peppers, and noni. Seasonally you may enjoy biriba/rollinia, peach-palm, abiu, guava, iñaco, peanut butter fruit, mandarins, starfruit, marang, ice cream bean, apai, and cacao. Sometimes soursop, pineapple, limes, miracle berry, cucumber, cherry tomato, squash, jaboticaba, breadfruit, and matoa.

We are constantly planting and have planted hundreds of fruit-bearing plants throughout the property including: durian, mangosteen, mamey sapote, canistel, breadfruit, white sapote, custard apple, blackberry jam fruit, matoa, tangelo, pomelo, avocado and more.

Beside fruits, we have a fairly good amount of katuk and turmeric, sugarcane, a little bit of taro and some cassava. Sometimes: tropical lettuce, sweet potato, ginger, corn, and nuts.

It is currently not possible to get a healthy diet 100% off the land. So you’ll need to buy food. We either order food together to be delivered, or take a trip into town on market day.

 

Climate

Temperature is fairly steady throughout the year. The warmest month of the year is November with an average temperature of 23.8°C (73.84°F). The coolest month is July, when the average temperature is 22.1°C (71.78°F). Overnight lows tend to range from 16°C to 20°C. We have rarely seen as low as 13°C. )

 

[Schizophonia]

Don't you sometimes crave more density? A big hamburger with mayonnaise-laced fries, a salad, and a Coke; a big Nordic city with traditional buildings and a cold wind; nightclubs/bars, etc.

I've had cravings for more "yin" things like raw food here and there and nature, but that was when I was unusually stressed.

[Mihael Keehl]

@Schizophonia no, at least not yet

[UnbornTao]

Cool!

Quote

We usually have more than enough bananas (several cultivars) all year round.

Often we have papaya, plantains, jackfruit, canistel, rough lemons, naranjilla, hot peppers, and noni. Seasonally you may enjoy biriba/rollinia, peach-palm, abiu, guava, iñaco, peanut butter fruit, mandarins, starfruit, marang, ice cream bean, apai, and cacao. Sometimes soursop, pineapple, limes, miracle berry, cucumber, cherry tomato, squash, jaboticaba, breadfruit, and matoa.

We are constantly planting and have planted hundreds of fruit-bearing plants throughout the property including: durian, mangosteen, mamey sapote, canistel, breadfruit, white sapote, custard apple, blackberry jam fruit, matoa, tangelo, pomelo, avocado and more.

Beside fruits, we have a fairly good amount of katuk and turmeric, sugarcane, a little bit of taro and some cassava. Sometimes: tropical lettuce, sweet potato, ginger, corn, and nuts.

I'll have to look up half of this list...

Edited October 28 by UnbornTao

[ExploringReality]

Have you heard of maria Sabrina, the mushroom shaman of Ecuador? She passed away but she was an amazing service to the people around the world and I believe she facilitated a trip of Albert Hoffman, the synthesizer of psilocybin and he underwent his mushroom experiences to do science on them phenomenologically with his wife.

Edited October 28 by ExploringReality

[Vibes]

@Mihael Keehl That's awesome man! One day I might join you.

Also be careful with those caterpillars, they are extremely poisonous. 

Edited October 28 by Vibes

[Jannes]

@Mihael Keehl Sounds like a bold choice but also awesome!

How long have you stayed there?

[Mihael Keehl]

@ExploringReality I never heard of her but it sounds like she was a fascinating human

[Princess Arabia]

The Amish ain't got nothing on you guys. Beautiful.

Could you please squeeze in one thing that's negative about that lovely place please and what you're experiencing that isn't quite so comforting so I don't feel so bad about my experience and want to catch the next plane to the Amazon Forest in Ecuador....or is it the Jungle. Either way, just tell me a lie if there's nothing negative. 🫠😜

Could you also in the near future keep coming back to this post and share some more pics of the lovely fruits and maybe dishes you guys prepare and of the animals in the jungle and whatever else that shows the beauty of the jungle and forest, thank you. Such simplicity but still full of vibrancy, aliveness, variety, abundance and great quality of life. Thanks for sharing this lovely post. Would really love to see some of the animals there.❤️

[Mihael Keehl]

@Vibes cool, come visit if it resonates with you 

The people who have been living here for a long time say that the more psychedelic the catterpillars look, tho more it will hurt if you touch them xD. But most of them dont seem to be dangerous. I have touched a few, and it was usually a weak pain for a short time, nothing serious. 

[Mihael Keehl]

@Jannes around 2,5 months

[Mihael Keehl]

@Princess Arabia thank you for your beautiful comment  

A few bad things that come to my mind is for example, people told me that in the past 8 years, there have been 3 instances where someone got bitten by a snake. Some of the snakes here are venemous. In each of those insidents, the person went to the hospital in the nearby town, was treated (for free by the way) and got better. So it is kind of necessary for your own health to be extra mindful here. 

Another bad thing is, that there is a risk of getting parasites. As far as I know, the biggest risk of getting them comes from drinking unfiltered water. But we have a good water filter of course. 

If you want to see pictures and videos of this place, the fruits and insects, the best place is to look at the Instagram Account of Terra Frutis, Currently, I am managing that account and uploading pictures and videos.  

[Princess Arabia]

21 minutes ago, Mihael Keehl said:

If you want to see pictures and videos of this place, the fruits and insects, the best place is to look at the Instagram Account of Terra Frutis, Currently, I am managing that account and uploading pictures and videos.

Ok, will do and thanks for your response. I will def check out the IG page.

[LoneWonderer]

Thank you for sharing it was such an interesting read. I have bookmarked the instagram page and will look into volunteering maybe in the future. I like the community factor which I am in great need of.

[Mihael Keehl]

11 hours ago, LoneWonderer said:

Thank you for sharing it was such an interesting read. I have bookmarked the instagram page and will look into volunteering maybe in the future. I like the community factor which I am in great need of.

I am glad you liked it! Being a part of a community is great, it is a natural need of social animals. Before coming here I have lived in an Ashram where there was a very big community with almost 200 people. That was too much for me. I prefer to live in a smaller one like here.  

[Mihael Keehl]

@Princess Arabia here are some more pictures 

[Princess Arabia]

@Mihael KeehlLovely. I love dragon fruit. Breadfruit in Jamaica is plentiful too. Don't show any sugar cane or I will jump through the screen; it's my favorite, also mangoes, any mangoes there?

What is that last pic, is that a bat, a moth, a giant butterfly...what? Looks creepy. Not a fan of flying insects or bugs, they creep me out..hehe.

Edited Wednesday at 03:45 PM by Princess Arabia

[Mihael Keehl]

5 hours ago, Princess Arabia said:

@Mihael KeehlLovely. I love dragon fruit. Breadfruit in Jamaica is plentiful too. Don't show any sugar cane or I will jump through the screen; it's my favorite, also mangoes, any mangoes there?

What is that last pic, is that a bat, a moth, a giant butterfly...what? Looks creepy. Not a fan of flying insects or bugs, they creep me out..hehe.

I love sugarcane too. We are making sugarcane juice almost everyday  .

There are at least a dozen mango trees around here. They do grow here, but not as good as other trees like jackfruit, marang or durian. 

That was a big moth on the picture, I like them. I saw a huge grasshopper the other day too, he was eating a hole into a towel xD.

[Princess Arabia]

1 hour ago, Mihael Keehl said:

I love sugarcane too. We are making sugarcane juice almost everyday  .

There are at least a dozen mango trees around here. They do grow here, but not as good as other trees like jackfruit, marang or durian. 

That was a big moth on the picture, I like them. I saw a huge grasshopper the other day too, he was eating a hole into a towel xD.

Gosh, I would have to deal with all those insects and flying pain in the asses😅thought I was going to see some monkeys, elephants, zebras and tigers (just kidding I know those are in Africa and other places, not Ecuador). Anyway, sugarcane juice is the best so enjoy and I did check out the IG page. I'll hit the follow button so I'll keep track of you guys in the jungle and see the pics on there of those beautiful exotic fruits and whatever else you post.

I'm from Jamaica but I do live in the USA and it's refreshing to see how other people are living in the raw jungle and taking advantage of such beauty and what mother earth has to offer without the pollutants. ❤️