Anyone go to Burning Man?

[Armand]

I just went this year with my brother and 5 others for the first time. Did anyone else go? If so, are you part of a theme camp? How did you like it and do you do anything to contribute?

 

Here's a little review I wrote for another forum:

 

Let us start off with the landscape/geography of Black Rock City. Once you pass Reno, with every mile that passes by there is less and less civilization. You start to see tiny cities with populations in the 300's. Just when you think you're getting close, you drive another 80 miles to the most desolate location you will ever see in your life. When we arrived there was a huge dust storm throughout the entire city as soon as you enter the playa. The visibility was low but we were able to follow the fence by the car and eventually found a spot to camp.

 

-The funny thing was, about two days after one of the people we met passing by realized that we were straight and let us know that we are camped in a "red-zone." That's when it hit us why there was all these gays camped around us, and it also explains all the rainbow flags in the distance. But we were all cool with it, and it made the Burning Man experience that much more fun for us. It turns out all the surrounding neighbors were very disappointing to find out that I was straight.

 

Anyways, back to the landscape. After we set up camp we had a good nights rest and the next morning was beautiful clear skies. This is when it hit us exactly where we were. Miles and miles away was a beautiful mountain range nearly all around us. If you bike to the outskirts of the city there are some points where you can see up to 13 miles away. You start to realize how harsh of an environment this is. There were no lizards, bugs, or creatures of any sort, not even any insects.

 

The sunrise was able to be seen on the horizon on the curvature of the earth. This was not your regular sunrise. It's not just the sun comes up over the horizon and there it is. The sky/location is so vast that you can see the separation of night/day in the sky as the sun rises. Just beautiful. The sunset was just as gorgeous. You couldn't see it set over the horizon, because it sets over a mountain range. But there is a good 2 hours between the time the sun disappears from our location until it completely sets. During these 2 hours, the sun is constantly changing the color of the clouds above the mountain range in vivid colors of red and orange. The weather is like no other location I've been to. It can hit up to a 100 during the day, and stay warm in the high 70's all the way until midnight. But as soon as 1 A.M. or so rolls around, the temperature begins to DROP..about a good 20-35 degrees depending on the night. If you are going to spend the whole night out, you must be prepared for the weather, or you will suffer. I learned this the hard way, which I will explain soon.

 

Many people are turned off by the idea of dust storms and the lack of showers. Well you should forget it. The weather is DRY, and the playa's powder is not irritating or bothersome in any way at all. You just need to remember to clean/moisturize your feet/hands, because they WILL get dry and your skin will being to crack if you don't. I didn't even start to sweat until Thursday. Just make sure you keep applying your deodorant, or else you're going to get some NASTY body odor. The dust eventually got caught in my hair to the point where I can just style it in any way I like, and it would stay like that the whole day. I wish my hair was like that every morning. We found ourselves to always have a small layer of dust on our entire bodies, and that was just A-O K.

 

On the 2nd day we began to explore all the surrounding theme camps. We begin to find all the bars, featuring alcohol such as Moonshine and Absinthe. Our neighbors theme camp was dedicated to making some of the BEST damn bloody mary's I've ever tried. It was fantastic, you can pretty much get plastered anywhere, anytime. You just need to bring your cup!

 

The music for the most part was electronic, but occasionally you would find art cars with BANGIN' sound systems bumping some 2pac or Biggy, or Weezer or Cake, or maybe some Disco, or maybe just some bangin' House music. Everyone had an appreciation for every genre of music. There was no genre looked down upon. At night, I got to see sets from artists like DJ Dan, Carl Cox, Christopher Lawrence, Rabbit in the Moon. Hek, last year Tiesto even played, and remember, NONE of these DJ's are payed a single penny. We went with a total group of 7 people. One of them was a very talented musician/producer, and he showed me a different view on music. I would judge a set by how it makes me move, but he was able to show me his interpretation of a set and he began to show me a different side of music. A way I've never looked at it before. When you leave Burning Man you take with you a greater appreciation of music and the people who create it.

 

At night, everyone comes out from their homes to take advantage of the cool weather and party as hard as you can until the weather becomes unbearably cold. People bring out their art cars on the playa, each one completely unique in it's own way, each one completely different than the next. There was the San Francisco Bridge on top of a car all lit up, an old school looking Radio on wheels that was 20ft tall and 50ft long that BUMPS, a ship on wheels, multiple floor clubs on wheels, giant insect looking cars, almost anything you can imagine, on wheels.

 

On the main street on the inner circle, there are theme camps that setup several attractions. Such as a 80ft long seesaw where you must be topless to ride, a mini-golf course out in the desert, a roller disco, a slice of home, a rope you can walk across on, huge projector screens showing some of the most creative and interesting videos, and lots and lots of bars. At night, the fire poi came out. Some of the world's best fire poi/staff was there. The moves they were able to do was mind-blowing, and surpassed any poi I've ever seen in L.A.. These people had some SERIOUS skills.

 

During the day, theme camps setup tons of little things to do. Most people relax during the day because it's usually too hot to go out and do stuff, but we tried to make an effort to do as much as we can with the remainder of our energy from the night before. We went to meditation/yoga exercises, get a shower by over 30 hands rubbing your body, day-time parties, go check out the structures people make, hop on a banging party on an art car and go across the playa, go play in a poker tournament, the list goes on and on. There would be funny stuff do such as a shower that women can use, but it's in the middle of a bunch of tents with people watching, and you gotta be naked to use it.

 

After a few days, you become accustomed to the society. You don't refer to the place you sleep as camp, but rather home. Everyone is always dressed in wacky clothes and nothing is ordinary. There was one night were we decided to walk instead of bike, and the temperature dropped when we were a long way away from home, so we decided to sleep on the couches at center camp, where there is always live music playing. As we watched various artists play their unique instruments and styles of music, the sun began to rise. This new musician came onto the stage with a mixer and a bunch of toys on his table. We were thinking ok, this is the sunrise, we should hear some beautiful music to match the time of day. But he began to play, every time he would hit a toy a really weird sound will come up. Nothing with melody or rhythm, just noise. Like EEEEEE, KHHHHH, WUAAHHHHH, PRREEEEEET. Random sounds over and over. After being half asleep for a few hours, this music was unbearable and we walked home.

 

That night I had forgot to pack my clothes for the night. From 1-5 A.M. I was in nothing but a skirt and shoes. No shirt, no underwear, no beanie or anything, in the 40's in dry weather. I eventually just embraced the scolding cold weather, but learned my lesson and was always fully prepared for the nights to come.

 

During Burning Man, anything can happen at anytime. On Saturday, a young man came to our camp and asked me if he knew of any camps that fixed bikes. I knew that there was none, so I offered that I fix it for him since I had a bunch of extra tubes and all the tools I need. So I went to his camp down the street and fixed his bike. While I'm fixing his bike he showering me with all these different beverages and tasty foods in return for my kindness. After I fixed his bike I was biking back home, when an old man holding two huge jugs comes out in the street right in front of me and yells "WHITE WINE OR GIN!?" So I immediately pull over and he explains how he is leaving the next day and needs to empty his bar. So I go over to his bar, drink glass after glass of this AMAZING white wine, and went home completely plastered. I just went to fix a bike, and in 40 minutes I got to try this amazing variety of Guatemalan foods and I got drunk too of the tastiest white wine.

 

Saturday night, the Burning of the Man. The Playa was PACKED. Every art car in the city was surrounding the man, all showing off their lights and sounds. Before the actual Man was set on fire, there was tons of beautiful fireworks on display. Then we suddenly see some flying lights in the sky. That's when we realize there was what it seemed about 20-25 skydivers parachuting down with lights attached to them, and they created a beautiful show with the stars as the background. Then the man was set on fire. The first explosion was a giant mushroom cloud of fire/smoke, followed by another two explosions. Once the man toppled over, everyone began to disperse, and party the hardest they can until next year rolls around.

 

When we left, we feel like we didn't get enough. We didn't want to leave this place that had become our home. It's not like any other week long trip when on the ride back you're home sick and miss your home. We were home sick for Burning Man, and we couldn't get enough of it. What can I say, we're hooked. I want to go every single year.

 

But for those of you who have never been there and are thinking of going. This isn't a big party or a rave. The average age group is in the mid to high 20's, with a huge amount of 30+ years old, and even 50+ year olds. I met very few people who were my age. This isn't a place to go and do a buncha drugs and just party hard. It's more than that. It's an emotional experience that cannot be felt anywhere else. What's even more amazing is looking around you at midnight in the middle of the playa, watching all the lights and nightlife, and thinking next week this entire playa will be completely deserted without a trace that anything had taken place here.

 

Burning Man is a one of a kind experience that will change you forever. It's a beautiful thing.

[wrxand280z]

Great write up. You've turned me on to the Burning Man.

[MatMan]

what wrxand280z said!

 

Oh, and ... you were wearing a SKIRT?

[wickiewicked240z]

DJ DAN is awsome saw him play with DJ donald glaude together at the ELECTRIC DAISY CARNIVAL in LA in june.

[randy 77zt]

i have been 3 times-and volunteered and helped on a big art project a few years back-its fun-i like it-and have a good vehicle for it.but my ole lady doesnt like camping.if there was a hybrid z camp i would go again.couldnt make it this year-i am in iraq working on army trucks.

[Magnum380Z]

where is this place ?

[rossman]

Great write up! Sounds like a fun time.

[280Zone]

I've read about it for a couple of years and it sounds cool.

 

For more info

 

http://www.burningman.com/

[Armand]

Yep, it's a really long tan skirt that goes to the floor. An old vietnamese warrior skirt, and I've got the matching hat.

 

Trust me, a skirt will seem normal to you once you go for a week in Burning Man.