Fed up with life in the fast lane? Want to get away from the city hustle and bustle? Is there a haven away from all this? We could go and live in harmony with nature, but how would we earn our living? The vicious circle we are running around in for a decent standard of living frequently makes us forget the little joys of life. Far from the comfort of consumerism, few have the courage to turn their backs on a conventional lifestyle to face the unknown.

One of the lucky few to have chosen to leave the rat race is Nikola Koutashki, who has chosen as his home the Radost (joy) ecovillage. The village comprises six house in all, four of which have been refurbished completely in old Bulgarian style with all possible conveniences. At the moment there are 10 permanent residents of the village.

“The idea is to create a place where people will feel at ease to develop their talents, to produce their own food, to drink clean water, to have clean soil,” says Nikola. “To go and live there one has to have got the better of one’s urban desires, because the village does not offer the pleasures the city does. It is a different kind of life, much more a life of silence, the sounds of nature, communion from the heart. We did a lot of thinking and came to the conclusion it was high time we created a new world. A world in which people live with no violence, at one with nature, with animals, with oneself.”

After 13 years as a businessman, Nikola Koutashki decided it was time to follow his heart and change his life. He says stress and violence is what makes people ill. It may sound utopian, but he wants to live in a parallel reality, where there is no violence and people are happy and united. Creating a commodity and service exchange network independent of money, is an idea he picked up on his travels around Europe last year. He says this is possible because ecovillages have been mushrooming and in each one there are people open to others and willing to help.

“Life at the Radost ecovillage is not everyone’s cup of tea and that is absolutely understandable,” says Nikola. Some would never give up the comforts of the life they are leading and leave their comfort zone. The people who opt to live in such a village are usually vegetarian and smoking and drinking alcohol is prohibited. The use of detergents is restricted and they have been replaced by natural products. For example, instead of washing powder, nuts from soap nut trees are used. The village offers horse riding, canoeing, pottery and woodwork. For each of the handicrafts there is a trained expert to help the residents. The village is also well suited for different seminars and training courses with the old barns being turned into conference rooms. Internet is available, though the aim of the community is to use it sparsely. There are five children living in the village and a school is to be built for them soon.

If you are interested, all you have to do is find this haven, though that is no easy thing. It is located in Gorsko Kosovo village, some 50 kilometers from Veliko Turnovo in Souhindol municipality. And if you go and visit you just might never want to leave.

English version: Milena Daynova