Lars & Ayla Bellekom
In January 2021, we started our 3-month trip in our converted camper van. We drove straight to our destination, Portugal, and were ready for a nice, relaxing holiday. Like most things in our life, we found our dream home unexpectedly.
We have always known that we wanted to move abroad, somewhere warm and welcoming, like Portugal. A place where we could start living a self-sustainable live. Portugal seemed like the perfect place for our dreams.
As we were driving from one small village to another, we saw a beautiful valley surrounded by boulder rocks and a stream. On the land there were two houses and three big wells, with a total of 4.5 hectares of land. We immediately fell in love and after double checking if all the documents and permits were accurate, within a week we signed a temporary contract.
About Lars
Before moving to Portugal, Lars worked as an ecological landscaper in The Netherlands. Lars created gardens with a lot of attention for the environment and nature.
In 2022, Lars decided to sell Bellekom Tuinen and move to Portugal. Here, Lars will be renovating the ruins on the land and focus on creating a sustainable farm.
About Ayla
In the Netherlands, before Ayla started working remotely, she was a yoga teacher, and studied holistic therapy and creative therapy.
Now living on their off-grid land, Ayla works as an online office manager for sustainable companies. After work, she helps Lars and the volunteers with the farm work.
First impressions
The first thing we had to do was clearing the driveway, so we could actually drive our camper van on the land and sleep there.
We got to see the beautiful region in Winter and drove up to Torre, the highest mountain of Portugal. There, Lars proposed, and a month later we got married in the Netherlands.
We got back in the summer and started the renovations of the roof. What a difference from Winter, we got back to the driest summer in a long time. An empty well, no facilities and fire risks everywhere. After some reality checks, we could not wait to begin this chapter of our lives and share it with volunteers.
Move to Portugal & the future
“How live can change in a year. January 2023 we moved permanently from the Netherlands to Portugal. Follow along to see how we renovate the land to our off grid home.”
The goal is clear; creating an oasis by making a food forest based on permaculture, with a swimming pond and studios to let people enjoy nature. We will start farming and keep chickens, pigs, sheep, and cows to maintain the garden, feed the soil and to have good company.
Oásïs das Estrelas – 2021
Oasis das Estrelas 