MAY 2007

South Africa is probably the only country in the world where crime victims are blamed for causing their own deaths by obeying the traffic signals. For those who don't know, it is rare to stop a car alongside the road anywhere in South Africa anymore except for emergencies, and considerate "good Samaritans" will often stop with you to watch for you until you get back on the road.

"Ordinary South Africans spend millions every year on their personal safety, investing in home alarm systems and panic buttons linked to private armed reaction units, vehicle tracking devices, firearms and insurance packages.
Foreign governments routinely warn their citizens to be wary of the high crime rate.
High walls, electric fencing and barbed wire encircle burglar-proofed homes, schools and the businesses of those who can afford what is increasingly seen as a necessity in suburbs and townships.
In spite of such precautions, South Africans from all walks of life fear for personal safety on a daily basis."


Isolation Seekers


I agree that it is not possible for everone to seek isolated locations but very few will even consider such an alternative. The place I bolted to is a good example. I have been here for a year now so can give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Ocean Falls where I now live is on the coast of British Columbia about halfway between US/CDN border and the Southern tip of Alaska. The only access from a large urban area is by water through a difficult 2 day + ocean voyage.  There are a few other small  communities in the area but they are also  isolated by a few hours of usually rough water. The terrain is extremely rugged and it is impossible to arrive here by land. The town sits at the head of a narrow inlet so it would be very easy to keep a lookout a ways out to warn the community of any unexpected traffic.

The town has approximately 30 year round residents with the population swelling to about 100 for a couple of months during the summer. We have our own 18 megawatt hydroelectric dam that is not connected to the continental grid. We are using 1 of 4 generators to feed our town and two other communites (3k people) via underwater cable. The town used to hold 5k people and had a major pulp mill which was shut down. We still have all the shop facilities and can manufacture/repair amost anything here. There is a massive amount of scrap steel and other junk to scrounge.

You can live well out of the ocean and 3 large freshwater lakes within easy walking distance. There is an endless supply of nautral plant foods as well in the form of seaweeds, berries, and natural land vegetation. If outside food was cutoff our diet would be limited for part of the year but we would not go hungry. I survived the winter without any heat other than a small electric heater for my feet for when I sat at the computer for extended periods. I had a few fires in my fireplace and there is an endless supply of firewood near at hand. I could easily do without heat. Most people would be uncomfortable in my house but you learn to dress appropriately. There were a few days of -18F but mostly it hovered near or just below freezing regularly for about 1.5 months. The biggest snowfall was about 8 inches and lasted about 3 days. Apparently we got off light this winter and I can ocasionally expect some more agressive winters.

Including all expenses it has cost me approximately $5,000 for my first year here in cluding rent towards purchase. This included mostly store bought food. I now have returned favores arrangements with most of my neighbors and rarely need to buy much food. They are all avid fishermen and hunters and share the bounty. I average about $125 a month on food, for things like, milk, butter, cheese and a few vegetables. I am working on a swap agreement with the power company, computer maintenance in return for power. There is one fairly large greenhouse in town and I also swap with them. If things got tough I could get my yearly expenses down to about $1000.

I still have a vehicle but don't really need it other than for work projects. The police only visit here by boat every month or two and don't hassle people about plates or insurance. We have about 2.5 km of paved road and about 20k of forest road. I ride my bike the vast majority of the time.
I love the lifestyle here and even if a crash doesn't materialize I will spend the rest of my life here.