One man's retreat to a natural lifestyle

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 10/07/2008 9:58 AM  |  City

An image of what his land looked like when he bought it almost 20 years ago was still fresh in his mind.

"The land was full of garbage ... it was infertile," Eddy Djamaluddin Suaidy told The Jakarta Post recently.

And yet, Eddy had decided to buy the block which is near a small river because he believed water is the source of life, and thought the land would have a "bright future".

Slowly but surely, Eddy planted various trees to restore the plot which is in Maruyung Village, Depok.

Eddy faced many difficulties, and even protests from local villagers.

"People were not happy because from their point of view the trees that grew on unoccupied land would bring ghosts," the 58-year-old said.

It took time for local villagers to get behind Eddy's idea. But the landscape of the once barren area has now changed drastically, becoming green once again. The air temperature there has also dropped substantially with the addition of numerous shady trees.

In time, Eddy bought more land surrounding his block and planted more trees.

Eddy bought a traditional North Sulawesi tomohon wooden house for the land in 1997, but still chose to live in his own house in Cilandak, South Jakarta.

"I preferred to live in Cilandak because it was closer to the city. But then something changed my mind," he said.

The pollution in Jakarta was getting worse. One day, Eddy found his beloved white car covered in oil and dust after traveling around the city. The dust was so thick and the oil was so black.

"I realized I had to move," he told the Post.

Eddy moved to Maruyung in 2004 and invited his family to join him. Now, at least 10 families with 70 members live together in the area.

"We have job divisions here. If you like cooking, you can cook. If you like farming, you can work the land, and if you like washing clothes, you can do laundry," Eddy said.

The community lives in wooden houses. Some families must share houses because there are not enough to go round. The community made the houses themselves from wood that was available and see the buildings as a work in progress.

"Wooden houses are not always expensive. We use any kind of wood to build them. To make them durable, we soak the wood in the river for a few weeks," said another resident who works as a carpenter.

One year after the community was established, Eddy was visited by several guests who suggested that he provide facilities for natural outdoor activities there. Eddy agreed, and now wants people from outside the kampung to feel that they can live close to nature and, hopefully, will follow the path that this community has paved.

The village now sees many visitors who enjoy being there so much that they often return to relax and to get away from the city's hustle and bustle.

Living close to the nature does not mean the community is against modern technology. For example, they still use washing machines, televisions, facsimile machines and computers, and they still use plastic materials such as bags, containers and other goods.

"These days many things are wrapped in plastics. Usually we give plastics away to be recycled," Eddy said.

Eddy is convinced that Indonesia would change for the better if people "get back to nature".

"Give cattle to people, stop logging and mining. After 15 years you will see the results."

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