Hello, friends!
Richardsoa from Britain has always dreamt of having a private island. Unfortunately, our dreams don’t always match our reality. He surely couldn’t afford such an expensive purchase, which is why he decided to take this on the usual step and build his island in the Caribbean. But how was it even possible?
As unreal as it may sound, Richard managed to build a self-sufficient private island with swimming pools, Internet connection, a hot tub, and even a personal beach. He also built a huge three-story house on the island. But do you want to know what’s most incredible about it? It may be hard to believe, but the island is made entirely of plastic bottles, the ones that are usually found scattered on the streets. Richard once said in an interview.
I’ve been dreaming of a cozy place suitable for both everyday life and leisure for quite a long time. However, I was shocked by the price of even a small piece of land. It turned out that only a select few people could afford to buy an island, so that’s when I thought, Why don’t I just build one? It was probably a silly idea. At least that’s what I’ve been told.
But to be honest, all those people looking at me as if I was crazy, just made me want to prove them all wrong. Richard always liked the clear waters of the Caribbean, so that’s how he chose the location. Joyce island. That’s what Richard decided to call his creation, with an area of 740 m², not far from the Islamoires near the famous vacation destination Cancun sure, it’s not exactly what we imagine when we think of an island. The 25 meters long Joy Ski floats on an artificial base made out of 150,000 bottles filled with air and placed in big nets.
The whole structure is held together with the help of a bamboo frame. The frame is covered with sand, straw, and soil. So why doesn’t this wonder island get swept into the sea? Because Richard plants mangroves on it, which send out roots deep through the setup and into the soil. A cord connects Rodski to the shore and serves as an additional anchor, as well as provides solar-generated electricity, water, and the Internet.
I spent a lot of time building my island, but I enjoyed working on it. I managed to create a self-sufficient floating accommodation with all the comforts of a home. Notably, the man maintains the island by himself. Richard built an eight-passenger barge so that guests could comfortably visit his island. What is it made from?
You guessed it plastic bottles. Droids began as a simple raft covered with sand, but over time, Richard turned it into a space where one could live the most self-sufficient lifestyle. It would be wrong to say that the island is luxurious, but it still has everything for a comfortable life. It took me quite a long time to figure out how to arrange a shower cabin. Finally, I succeeded in developing a rain collection system, which I use for hygienic purposes.
As for the toilet, I chose the dry compost method, the inventor said. You might not believe it, but Joycekey even has a garden where Richard grows his vegetables and keeps fruit trees. The man especially likes treating himself to a tomato and spinach salad and mango for dessert. This story began in the 90s of the previous century when this ordinary British man was still working as a Carpenter. His family life was a disaster and his wife left him.
It was a turning point for Richard. After all the stress, he decided to change his profession as a Carpenter to that of an artist and set off to wander across the world in search of happiness. That’s how. So I ended up in Mexico, which is where he immersed himself in the study of literature about the Aztec floating Islands and began to dream of creating something similar. However, the technology of the ancient Indians was considered to be partially lost, and what’s worse, he had virtually no money for a project like that.
One day, Richard was walking on the beach near San Pedro Petula and suddenly noticed how many plastic bottles were just scattered around. That’s when he got the idea for his project and began to implement it. Richard made the bamboo plywood frame and attached nets with air-filled plastic bottles to its bottom. He filled the middle layer with sand and built a small house in the center. It would seem like a perfect place to live and have fun.
Unfortunately, residents didn’t like my creation and called the police, as I didn’t have an official permit for the watercraft. I had to leave in a hurry. It was very upsetting, Richard recalled. However, the artist didn’t give up on his goal, and in 1999 he built a highly ambitious project called Spiral Island on Mexico’s Caribbean Coast. This island had a base of 2500 bottles with wood and mangrove roots.
He had volunteers help him collect those bottles and dumpsters and garbage bins. Later, he came up with the idea of placing special containers on busy roads, which helped speed up the process of collecting the construction material. I was proud of my Spiral Island, but sadly, my joy didn’t last long. It had existed for only seven years before getting destroyed by Hurricane Emily that hit the Caribbean in 2005. Together with the volunteers, we managed to gather the preserved bottle-filled nets, and I used them for construction on Joyceying.
To protect the new island from a similar fate, I placed it on a lagoon not far from Islam Hers. I also had to officially register the island as an eco settlement because Mexican authorities were against the construction Richard opened up. The artist’s project was supported by many, including ecologists, as they think that Richard’s creation may be a start to something new and grand now. Joyce is a vivid example of an eco dwelling that runs on wind, solar and waves energy. On top of that, mangroves clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide.
Even though my island is already suitable for a living, I keep improving it. For example, I have recently modified the air conditioner, water pump, and charger to get more electricity. The inventor says that Joycey is virtually unsinkable because there are so many bottles that even if a few punctured or leaked the overall structure would not be affected. Richard also claims that the island wouldn’t be affected by rising sea levels or flooding. Life on the floating island feels like a real vacation to me and even though it needs constant maintenance and I have to deal with the problems that arise from time to time, I am truly happy here.
I always give my guests a warm welcome and encourage them to visit my incredible floating island. Joyce, I ask for a small five-dollar donation for a tour and if you want to spend a night on the Island It will cost you only $20, breakfast included. You can also live free of charge as a volunteer. In this case, you’ll be helping me with repairs, gardening, and housekeeping so it says. Richard always has a lot of guests and it’s no wonder because his creation is truly one of a kind.
Richard says the island will continue to expand as long as he can maintain it. He adds that expanding the island is nothing difficult and the construction is quite fun. Anyone can do it if they wanted to. So, friends, what do you think about such accommodation? Would you like to move to an island like that?
Please let us know in the comments.