Marcus Jonson
Name
Marcus Jonson
Profession
Wild animal and nature guide and founder of Kolarbyn Eco-lodge.
Where were you born?
In Västerås (45 mins from Skinnskatteberg), raised in a house by the forest.
Profession/job?
My life is spent guiding guests in the forest to meet wild animals such as wolves and the mighty Moose, king of the Swedish forest. My tours operate between April 1 and October 15 each year. For the rest of the year I travel. I have seen more than 50 countries. Last Winter I visited Myanmar, Borneo and Indonesia.
What do you love about your job? Why?
People from all over the World come to visit me here in the forest. Those who visit are the sort of people who are very appreciative of nature and filled with positive energy. This gives me the power to carry on and develop both my business and myself. There is no difference between my tourist business and my daily life. The wild animals and the rustic forest huts are part of my every day life. For me, work is full of a variety of challenges and tasks, for example, it could be assisting a guest to prepare a fire for dinner, rowing on the lake at sunset, looking for moose droppings or howling with wolves (something I did with a group of South-Africans on a safari in Sweden.)The idea for my business happened whilst I was travelling in Sumatera on a Orangutang-safari. I went home and published a Moose Safari website and two days later I had bookings from a Russian and two Austrian guests. We managed to see some wild Moose on my first safari and since then I have had guests from 51 nationalities and during five years we have seen Moose every time!
Where do you live? Why?
I live in Skinnskattberg, a typical but beautiful Swedish countryside village. It is just two hours out of Stockholm, the capital. Skinnskatteberg and the surrounding community has a total of 4500 inhabitants, 242 lakes and 6000 Moose. I prefer to live here because it is a wild part of Sweden, where nature is in command and the wild animals outnumber the humans. Visitors retreat here from their hectic everyday lives. I ended up in Skinnskatteberg, because this is where I saw my first Moose.
Where would you aspire to live? Why?
We are looking into the possibilities at building our own house made of hay and clay here somewhere in the forest by a lake. Bergslagen feels like a good place to live, everything is here, food, relaxed people and life quality above all.
Where is your favourite holiday spot in Scandinavia? Why?
My favourite holiday spot in Scandinavia is here at home in the Bergslagen region. My whole life is like a long holiday, doing what I like every day. Bergslagen offers a wide range of activities. My favourites are wildlife watching, hiking, canoeing, nature meditation and sauna bathing.
Where is your favourite local restaurant? Why? What is the specialty dish there?
I very seldom go to restaurants. For me the finest luxury lies in nature. My favourite restaurant table is the fire place, sometimes me and my girlfriend bake dark rye bread with garlic butter together over the fire by lake Skärsjön. It tastes delicious when flushed down with a pint of lingonberry juice or even a beer cooled in the lake. Sometimes when I am invited to some meeting in the big city I may end up in a restaurant afterwards. But I often feel quite misplaced and I don´t feel comfortable with a white table cloth, steel chairs and shiny cutlery. For me, food tastes best, outdoors.
What do people do in your town/city for entertainment?
I guess people watch TV a lot, just like everywhere else. Skinnskatteberg doesn't have any regular pubs or discos, I guess there is no need for it. When kids finish high school they usually move to any of the nearby towns and cities so there are not really any pubs or entertainment spots to go to here. Fishing and hiking is very popular in Summer. Hunting, picking berries and mushrooms is common in Autumn and cross country skiing at Winter.
Do you have a secret spot where you live which is like nowhere else in the world?
Yes, the tiny island in Lake Skjärsjön is amazing and there is also a very special lake called Örtjärn nearby where you will find nothing but total silence.
What is your favorite shop in your city/town?
There aren't rally any shops here, except for two grocery stores, a fishing equipment shop and the government owned liquor store "Systembolaget". The only shop I ever visit is the supermarket, so I guess the supermarket is my favourite shop. They have got a lot of organic stuff and the staff is friendly. If you forget your wallet one day you can pay next time, and if you need something they haven't got they order it for you especially.
What is your favourite Scandinavian purchase from the supermarket? How much is it why?
My favourite treat/snack is a litre of oat-milk (SEK 14), a dark chocolate bar from Marabou (SEK 20) and an organic red apple (SEK 2). That gives me the energy back after cutting wood or after a hard night in the woods.
What do you think represents amazing value in Scandinavia? Anything from free entry into libraries through to hiking through to fresh herring for $x?
The most amazing value in Scandinavia is the silence and the space. I travel quite a lot to other countries and when I return I get struck by the how quiet things are and how much space there is around me. Stockholm is usually a hectic place compared to most other places in Sweden, but compared to most other capital cities in the world it is feels spacious, fresh, clean and silent.
If you were a billionaire where would you like to eat and stay in Scandinavia?
Somewhere in the forest with a view over a lake at sunset with friends.
If you were the opposite where do you think represents amazing value?
No matter if you are a rich or poor, the forest will always provide the calm, tranquillity and fresh air that you need to feed your soul. There is a Swedish saying that states that “food always tastes better outdoor”. There is no television but an open fire, no walls but trees and a view over the lake, no bussing refrigerators but owls hohooing and wolves howling, no time but dusk and dawn, no worries but true happiness and infinite love. None is my enemy, all are my friends.
What does Scandinavia mean to you?
The Scandinavian peninsula has a common culture, special feel and a nature that easily can be differentiated from other places in the World. Scandinavia is where the fjords meet snow capped mountain tops, and where folklore and trolls meet high technology and design. Only here can I take deep breaths of fresh Scandinavian air. While hiking in the woods, canoeing down a river or snowboarding down a mountain top it is just you and nature.
How do you celebrate Christmas/other festivals in Scandinavia?
I don´t celebrate Christmas, since I usually travel to other countries in winter, but most people do. Christmas often means a big family gathering, exchanging presents and eating a lot of food.
Do you have a favourite recipe that you can provide us?
Here is the recipe for a Moose dinner: Kolarbyn's Swedish moose burgersThis recipe makes 10 normal-size burgers.
1 kilo fresh Moose beef,1 egg, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fresh basil, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, 2 cloves of crushed garlic or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper and finally ½ onion, finely chopped
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Take a handful of the mixture, shape and flatten to about 1.5 cm thick. Barbecue a few minutes on each side. Serve with freshly baked bread of your preference, fried chives and chantarelles and raw lingon berries mixed with yoghurt.
What do you think is the strangest thing about Scandinavia?
A few of the things that makes Scandinavia outstanding are:The long Summer nights and the long dark Winters.The space, silence and freshness. The forests are spreading out and the wild animals are returning to their old habitats. The urbanisation empties the countryside of people, and in its footprints nature is steadily returning.
What music do you like to listen to?
I don't have a stereo and no television, but if I get the chance I choose reggae music or Indian chanting.
Marcus Jonson, Kolarbyn Eco-lodge
+46(0)70-400 70 53
marcus@kolarbyn.sewww.kolarbyn.se