Livin' that Ewok life …

The world is falling apart and people are threatening to flee anywhere to avoid the demise of a once great society. 'Moving to Canada' Google searches are way up, weapons are being hoarded at alarming rates, and even if a person were to stay where they’re at now, rent prices are making livelihoods near impossible to thrive in. So how about them treetops where the birds live? That seems like a peaceful existence …

With a little gumption and motivation, the dream of becoming a modern-day Jane and Tarzan isn’t so utouchable after all.

Ten years ago, former Colorado residents Erica and Matt Hogan were on the hunt for a piece of Costa Rica to purchase and were taken aback by a 600 acre lot drenched in a rainforest atmosphere generally reserved for Hollywood movies and fantasy lore.

"(The land) felt really sacred from the get-go and we felt like this would be a travesty to let this be deforested," Erica told Business Insider in 2012.  "It was bigger than what we were intending to purchase initially. And one night I just thought, well there are some really cool trees on that property. What if we built treehouses?" 

With some financial and physical help from friends and family, the site was bought (saving it from proposed deforestation) and built upwards in homage to the Ewok village in Return of the Jedi. They called the commune Finca Bellavista, which is now home to dozens of residents, each with individual houses that are often rented to travelers — all connected through a series of old-school-type bridges and ziplines.

So if you’re terrified about which way the winds are going to take the country this upcoming election season, always keep in mind that it’s not so far out there to think you could ever go live with the monkeys and toucans up high in the sky where things like taxes, bigotry and shitty drivers can’t find you.

photos: Finca Bellavista Galleries