Real life ethnobotanical community

[amanito]

Last year I've been to Christiania. An anarchistic freetown in the centre of Copenhagen. There live about 1000 people over there, along some Thai and Tibetan. The size is about euhm 10 km2 I guess? It's a very beautiful place around a lake. It's a squatted military domain. Squatted in the 70'ies. It has lots of nature, a nice centrum, sportfields, coffeeshops, everyday there are playin' bands, there's a party ... They have nice restaurants and stuff. It's very clean there, really adorable place.

It's the most beautiful place I ever been to. The weed grows in bushes near the roads :D . They have a very big screen outside where you can watch tv every time. You can do lots of stuff there. You see people from all ages. They goin' to smoke a joint, or goin' running or joggin in the beautiful parks and woods. Or they go to the indoor skatepark, or play basket or football ... whatever.

There is nice grafitti-painting on all buildings. It's a real treasure for the eye. It's all full of colors. Everything there, they made it by themselves. They even got their own shops, small factory (metal, glass and wood art), post office and kindergarden.

At night it's wonderfull, they put candles everywhere between the woods and tiny paths. Also coloured lamps and neo-lights. You walk at 2 o clo'ck at night, suddenly you see some fire, just some children roasting marshmallows at a campfire at the lake. Very romantic place !!!

Six rules: no cars, no house selling to third party, no hard drugs, no violence, no weapons.

Now Denmark has a Neo-fascist government, they wanna close the whole thing down. They say it's because of the hash, but that's a false argument. It's the most beautiful part of copenhagen and they really wanna put expensive buildings over there.

People from whole Copenhagen like christiania. They have a red flag with three yellow filled cirkels on it. Everywhere you walk in Copenhagen you see people with clothes with that signs. Older people, children. You see it on bikes, cars, grafiti .... They are many many protests against the raids the police makes every now and then and to keep Christiania alive.

If they wanna shut it down, I'm definately goin' there with some friends to defend it!!!

You HAVE to visit it.

Pics and info on:

www.christiania.org pix are hard to find in that language, but search good and you'll find.

Cheers,

Freethinker amanito with a goal to make sucha project also once in his life!

[Benzito]

I am one person who would be seriously interested Torsten. My partner and I are both looking for new careers, and locations, at the moment. And we both want to move north towards QLD!

And, just as Mescalito said, I can't think of any other community that I've felt more at-home in.

I am also dying to get away from working for monetary gain, and I would desperately love to live something as close as possible, to a life of subsistance.

So, anyone considering such an idea, be it a share-community, or a private community, count me in!

[Rev]

Benzito:

I am also dying to get away from working for monetary gain, and I would desperately love to live something as close as possible, to a life of subsistance.

always keep balance grasshopper

Theres a fine line bewteen subsistence and poverty

a country move can be great but you defeinitely want to have at least part time employment (pressure is off but you still have income) lined up before u move cos being poor in the bush can be miserable and many forum members could give testimonials of hard time

[AndyAmine.]

Too true Rev, this is the main reason for my emphasis on cottage and internet based insdutries, these things have to be sorted out before or very early on for any kind of longeivty..

Luckly the plants we love to grow so much are also a source of income and being an extreemly diverse group each person to join will bring all sorts of talents, skills and resources.

[Benzito]

 

quote:

---

Theres a fine line bewteen subsistence and poverty

 

a country move can be great but you defeinitely want to have at least part time employment (pressure is off but you still have income) lined up before u move

---

Of course Rev! You'd be a lunatic to move ANYWHERE without some steady source of income at the time. So many expenses pop-up in the first few years at a new abode.

I would just like to get away from Sydney, and it's traffic jams:mad:, and then gradually move towards this life of substistance I crave.

With a goal to be only having to 'work' for one or two days a week, and spend the rest 'earning my keep', within 10 years or so.

[-bijanto-]

Why not moving to indo then? My property is up there in the rural area. It will be the first ethnobot garden here (only the legal ones) and will be loaded with a lot of interesting plants. It's only about 0.85 acre now but I hope it will be expanded in the future.

The Land

[AndyAmine.]

Indoneasia, well actualy I only know about this for Bali as a fact but there are all sorts of laws regarding ownership of land and businesses, for exapmle only a balinese citizan can own a piece of land or a house and if in a couple the male has all the rights and pwoer so if they break up it all goes to him..

So buy doing that you are open to all sorts of problems.,

I know this because my Aunt married a balinese man a few years ago and they have gone through all sorts of shit because of it and my parents were/are thinking about retiring there but are being kept back from the idea due to all these issues to do wiht ownership.

Im not sure about Bali but Thailand has stuff like this as well as the fact that you cant own a local business either so it all has to be internationaly based like internet based businesses.

Bijanto, Im SO jelous of that M.Speciosa tree you have there, WOW, must be quite old no?

Whats the legal status of this plant in Indo?

One more thing, I asked my uncle about it and he said he had never heard of it, what are the local names for it?

[ 12. August 2005, 05:08: Message edited by: AndyAmine. ]

[-bijanto-]

AndyAmine, I've never seen Mitragyna in Java but so far it's legal. Someone said to look for M.javanica but havent spot any single tree.

I've heard this plant grows in Sumatra under the local name 'Ketum'. That's also what it's called in Malaysia, but Sumatra and Malaysia both share things in common.

I feel funny but the plant was a gift from a friend in Aussie - back in 2000 or 2001 when it was still legal in Aussie, of course

Ahh yes, my experience in dealing with property right is a pain in the arse. I found that the land was lack of legal documents so I had to arrange it later. It wouldn't be surprising if 2 different persons can show a document for the same piece of land. No wonder there are so many disputes going to the court. Speaking of the court, that's another long story - I'd be too far OOT.

Non-citizens can own a building if they reside here. But for the land, they are given "utility right" instead of "ownership right". But as you said, it's a 'trouble source'

[Rev]

Benzito:

I would just like to get away from Sydney, and it's traffic jams:mad:, and then gradually move towards this life of substistance I crave.

i dont know what ur finacials are but i think the mid north to north coast is a friendly interface area for those wanting the transitional from city to country

Lismore/Kyogle/Casino/Coffs/Ballina

up here you get to learn the difficulties and benefits of semirural living while you enjoy a level of sophistication still you dont get in the bush

Lismore to me is a big town these days and when i went to coffs i was a bit shocked

ive become city shy fast

when i got to Brisbane i Bee line it to west end or mt Cootha

Lismore is ok actaully. maybe the flood washed away some crap

sorry and my point was... you can still get a job in these places as the economies are strong

go further out liek where i am and job options are quite limited

[ 12. August 2005, 15:24: Message edited by: Rev ]

[Talby]

amanito -- I agree that Christiania is romantic! I had a nice love affair there once. It's kind of unique in that it's in the middle of a city, but it's still a model that such places are possible and can be done.

The Danish right are stupid idiots wanting to shut it down. It's become another essential, fascinating district of Copenhagen that everyone either tolerates or grooves on.