Having drawn a blank on finding suitable land for sale in the region where I live (I have delivered around 250 leaflets to over 100 villages in the past few months), I had to ask the question ‘what else?’ It was a pivot moment, and reluctantly, time to think the unthinkable.

So, I began to consider what other countries that might be more suitable for the Earth Collective project, and which also fulfill my requirements of a warm climate, beautiful landscapes, reasonably priced land, fewer planning constrictions, safety (relatively speaking), residency criteria I could meet, and countries that do not exert an unacceptable level of the geopolitical madness (as is the way at the moment). Nothing came to mind and, frankly, I felt sick at the thought of selling my recently purchased house, relocating and dealing with yet more bureaucracy. Deep breath. It wasn’t life-threatening.

A while ago, I had done some research on ‘eco’ projects around the world, some of which had the advantage of being located in countries that recognise community living, and have legal structures to support it. (Portugal does not, at least in rural areas.) Some Scandinavian countries, for example, are more embracing of this concept. But I didn’t want to be in a cold climate after living in the UK all my life. Then there was Russia, where there are hundreds (if not thousands) of communities, mainly ‘kin domains’ inspired by the Anastasia books (the ‘Ringing Cedars of Russia’). But again, too cold. At the other end of the spectrum, South America. However, I didn’t fancy the instability of many political regimes and the corruption. Sadly, both exist pretty much everywhere now, to a greater or lesser extent. Nowhere is perfect, so it really boils down to where is ‘least bad’, and fits my criteria.

Then I remembered a friend who had recently moved from Portugal to Africa, so I spoke to her, and also to another Portuguese contact who works in Africa part of the year, as a natural builder. After these conversations and doing some online research, Tanzania seemed viable, or Kenya. I really like the idea of Africa. I think it is likely to become the global economic powerhouse of the future. Plus it has the advantage of vast open spaces, extraordinary scenery, amazing wildlife, kind people and a connection to the land that has not been lost. But from what I gather, finding land would require a similar personal networking initiative to Portugal and, of course, I would have to spend time traveling around to find areas I like. The 8 hour flight from Portugal didn’t fill me with excitement. I felt my enthusiasm waning. Maybe Africa, for a second Earth Collective project, in years to come.

A little closer to home, I came up with Bulgaria, which has a Mediterranean climate in the south of the country. The scenery is marvelous and the planning regime more friendly. But again, the thought of traveling there to look around, and getting my head round a different planning system, didn’t excite me. Which led me back to Portugal. Surely, there has to be somewhere? I have invested a lot of time, energy (and money) in Portugal. And I like the country. The idea of re-assessing my Portugal strategy wasn’t nearly as daunting as moving abroad.

So, I searched online for land in the parts of the country I was less familiar with. Previously, I had discounted everything from the centre to the south, on the basis it would be too hot in the summer. However, on closer examination, I found a region which is similar in temperature to where I am now, in the centre-east part of Alentejo. A whopping 40 possible properties came up across several on-line platforms. Larger tranches of land too, and cheaper. My Christmas arrived early!

So now, I am in the process of obtaining information on each property, so I can assess if it is suitable for my project. Hopefully, in the next few weeks, I will visit the area for a few days to do some viewings. Sounds easy enough but the vetting process is a challenge. Information is often lost in translation between me and the agents. And despite my best efforts to be organised, replies to messages sent via the on-line platforms, do not generally reference the property in question, or provide answers to the questions I asked. Sometimes the reply is one word, ’Ola’ (hello), which is infuriating, and very Portuguese! When I ask for a link to the listing on whichever platform I used, I receive a link to the listing on the agent’s own website, so I have to go through my entire list to find out which property it is. Beyond frustrating and very time-consuming. Still, it feels like there is a lot more traction having pivoted to Alentejo, which is encouraging.

In the last few days, I found myself reflecting on the challenges and lack of results for my efforts over the past 6 months. Looking on the bright side, though, I concluded there were some personal positives to note. I had developed more patience, a greater appreciation of the simple things each day, such as the sun’s rays warming me (body and soul) when eating my breakfast on the patio, the extraordinary wall-to-wall natural art around all around the village, my freedom, the simplicity of my life, and a growing sense of peace amidst the uncertainty of each day. No experience is wasted. The result might not always be what we had wanted, but there are always insights to be gained. And, for me, an acknowledgement that I am a work in progress, in the quest to become the highest version of myself.

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