[imagesource:wikicommons]
If you’ve never heard of Ian Usher, let this be your introduction to everyone’s spirit animal.
Following a painful divorce and becoming sick of his life in Australia, Usher listed his ‘entire life’ for sale on eBay and eventually sold it for a whopping $399,300 (R7.3 million).
Usher immediately left his hometown, leaving behind his furnished flat, cars, jetski and friends to embark on a journey that would eventually lead him to buy a remote tropical island in the Caribbean.
Originally, Usher had aspirations to travel, saying that he’d ‘like to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower’ as ‘one of a huge list of things’ he wanted to tick off. Following the sale, he travelled across the world in pursuit of a series of 100 goals, scheduled to be done in 100 weeks. His two-year “bucket list” ended in New York City with the crown of the Statue of Liberty on 4 July 2010.
Several years later Usher resurfaced when he was featured with his girlfriend Vanessa on their tropical island, Bocas del Toro in an episode of Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild. He said, “I’ve always been a bit of an adventurer and so have always spent a lot of time pursuing outdoor activities such as climbing, canoeing, and diving.”
He might not have had power or running water, but Usher says “On this island, we’re entirely self-sufficient.”
“We do grow coconuts, pineapples, yukka, sugar cane and almonds but we haven’t yet perfected the art of growing other vegetables on our land.
“We have 10 chickens who roam free on the island so our eggs are totally organic. Sometimes the local Indians will bring freshly caught fish to the dock for us to buy.
“Everything else comes from the supermarket in town or Ernie’s Jungle 7/11 – a small store on the edge of the jungle.”
Usher spent four years renovating the overgrown and abandoned tropical island, which he purchased in 2011 for $27,500 (R491,000).
He revealed his basic existence on the island, where he would swim, read, or snorkel on the reefs, doing pretty much whatever made him feel good at any given time. He also worked on the land and enjoyed spending time on the beach.
Along with explaining that they go into town every ten days for petrol and food, Usher also mentioned that his girlfriend Vanessa Anderson, whom he met while visiting London, “made a big difference” in his life by moving in with him.
Asked about what he missed the most, Usher says that apart from family, it’s just jet-skiing that he misses, along with better WiFi and being out with friends and family at an English pub, although “Vanessa still misses a London style cappuccino but I think she’ll get over that soon.”
“I wouldn’t change anything – I really enjoyed building an off-grid home and living on the island. I’ve always thought life is supposed to be an adventure.”
The adventure had to end at some point and in 2015, Usher sold his revamped island.
With nothing tying them down and debt-free after the sale, he and Vanessa globe-trotted for seven years, visiting countries such as Thailand, Nicaragua and Nicaragua, and eventually buying a property in Burgundy, France.
The pair still live there to this day and regularly update their website to let everyone know what they are up to.
This guy surely did what most people fantasise about doing at least twice a day.
[source:ladbible]
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