8/13/2019 In the Hippie Commune

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.

OUTDOORUAE

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2014 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Life in the commune Glass jars sit on the shelves, harbouringmysterious yeast cultures. Suspicious concoc-tions and healthful potions are fizzing andfermenting; Kombucha in tea, Kefir in milk,and frothy sourdough starters. They sit nes-tled between bushels of broccoli, mounds oftomatoes, sweet potatoes and onions. A hun-dred bananas, enough for the week, are laidacross a wooden beam. Books occupy theopposite corner, their dusty smell containingthe wisdom of permaculture farmers, rusticchefs, and spiritual gurus. Everything here isbrought up by horse, human or donkey – asteep two-hour hike into the mountains fromthe hippy hub of Vilcabamba.

There is a long table in this mudbrickroom; a place for family meals and weeklymeetings. There are no windows or doors toexclude nature – it is open to the mountainair and valley view, stretching out to the sil-

 Words + Photos By: William Pardoe, www.wheres-willy.com

 Hippie Commune Hippies  burst into exist-

ence in the 1960s and createda huge wake in the culture ofthe time. By the 1970s, there

were over ten thousand hippiecommunes in the US alone, aspeople were swept up in thepeace and love ethos and get-ting back to the land. But whathas become of the hippie to-day? Hitchhiking through LatinAmerica last year, I found myselfin a modern day commune in theEcuadorian Andes.

In the

houetted peaks where the sun goes to sleepeach evening.

Eleven of us sit around the table for lunch.The morning has been spent clearing pasturefor the donkeys, feeding the chickens andcollecting wild food from the “forest gar-den.” Work is complete and it’s time to enjoythe fruits of our labours. A big lunch is pre-pared, but before digging in, we hold hands

and close our eyes. After a few deep breaths,a communal “omm” begins to resonate.With our voices reverberating in harmony,an energy fills the room. The release leavesa smile on everyone’s face, enjoying thepeaceful energy for a few moments beforeopening their eyes, unless laughter erupts. Akiss for each hand and we tuck in. Sometimessomeone would read a thought-provoking

Building a pizza oven with magical powersWeeding amongst the forest garden

Our neighbours in the valley over  The sun explodes and the heavens open

Freshly baked, buttery muffinsThe Hippie Trail

Moroccan lentils - a touch of Arabic

Music and conversation to feed the soul

passage from a book like The Prophet. This isa hippie commune, after all!

After lunch, the rest of the day is ours. It istime to relax with a book, lie in a hammock,bake a loaf of bread or do some meditation.Time is enjoyed doing simple things or spentbroadening the mind; books on the shelfoutline the joy of living in the moment, byletting go of past and future and breathing

enthusiasm into whatever task is at hand; be itpruning thorn bushes, or shovelling sh*t.

The people here are relaxed; a commonside effect of walking around barefoot in thedirt, with a green mountain valley stretchingout beyond your toes to the ever-flowingsounds of river and waterfall. Or perhaps it’sthe curse of a day spent gently rocking in ahammock. They came as travellers seekingsomething more meaningful than the touristtrail; to settle in somewhere and really get toknow the place. Some are passing through,volunteering for a few weeks, others have

sunk their roots into this soil and are buildingtheir houses from it. They want to be part ofits progress, to create a natural life by workingwith nature rather than money.

The commune started here ten yearsago, taking a piece of land devastated bydeforestation and cattle grazing, with theaim of rejuvenating it until it can fully sustaintheir needs. It’s a small-scale effort to reverse

the damage we’re doing to the planet, andperhaps to learn post-apocalyptic farming forwhen the world has been ravaged and spent.

The damage we’re doing to the land is telling, when after ten years of regeneration afertilisation it is still degraded. As such, thecommunity must hike most of their food ufrom Vilcabamba, with the intention of beself-sustained by the land within five years

 The hippies of todayThe word “hippie” probably conjures imag

of psychedelically painted VWs, drug-fuellfestivals and colourful flower power peaceprotesters. The movement has continuedto evolve since the revolutionary, eccentrichippies of the 60s were celebrating their nfound cultural freedom. The characters atothis Andean mountain are more subdued; ply living life as they think it should be live

There are still those making a statementcourse. Return to the tourist trail and you’lwhat I call “hipsters” – the hippier-than-thobunch. They flaunt Rastafarian dreadlocks,baggy trousers from Nepal and a Guatemasatchel like it’s Gucci. It amuses me that the“non-conformists” are conforming so eagto their stereotype. The hipsters of todaydrape themselves in greens and browns – you rock up in wild 60s multicolour, then ybe seen as conforming to the stereotype! Tterm for these fickle fashionistas is “hippy-crite.”

Fashion aside, the “Peace and Love” phophy survives. Many follow a Buddhist min

of meditation and spirituality. Peace is at theart of the hippie mentality — somethingmore worthwhile to attain than money or psessions. Those at the commune are wealttime and tranquillity. Vital to the success ocommunity is love, which often comes frommeditation itself. Inner peace shines outwa

The hippie culture is alive and well.Tempted by life in a commune? A quick

Google search of Hare Krishna or HippieCommune and the intended location will gyou a head start. It could be the adventurea lifetime!