Home from Burning Man

I've been home from Burning Man for nearly two weeks now ... and it's really amazing how much a person can change in a week.

I wasn't really sure what to expect at Burning Man, and it is actually quite difficult to put into words, but let's just say that Black Rock City, the temporary city that is built to hold Burning Man, is unlike anywhere else in the world. It is a place where people are free to be who they want to be. Obviously the law still applies - drugs are illegal, underaged minors can't drink, harassment is prosecuted - but the laws that the "default" world places on us that are moral issues, seem to be left at the gate. People stroll around in the buff. People make love on the playa. And, perhaps most impressive, is that no one else really cares. Why should they?

Burning Man is a mecca of art, which can be seen on the people, driving around the city on the art cars (mutant vehicles) and in the art installations scattered across the miles of dusty playa. The city is composed of nearly 50,000 people who live by the motto of radical self-reliance. We all brought our own lodging (a tent for me), food, water, goggles, dust masks and bikes. Almost everyone lives in a camp - I was in the Camp Nomadia Annex with a great crowd of people who spend most of their time traveling and work when necessary. I made friends with a girl who's been hitchhiking across Canada and the U.S. for the last year and a half, several people who live out of RVs, a couple guys driving around North America looking for the next great thing, a girl who has spent the last year in India and is contemplating where to go next, a handful of guys representing Matador Travel Network and, of course, the other Digital Vagabonding Roads Scholars. It was a happy and free group of people ~ very inspiring.

While the entire week was memorable, if I had to choose specific highlights, I would probably pinpoint staying up all night to watch the sun rise on the edge of the playa, taking "wedding" photos of my friend Erin in the middle of a dust storm, dancing the night away (twice!) at Opulent Temple, watching the temple burn, biking across the playa looking for hidden art and just generally questioning the way we live life outside of Burning Man.

I've written about my Burning Man experience extensively on Kaleidoscopic Wandering, and I encourage you to check out these blog posts:

Burning Man: A Life-Changing and Magical Experience

6 Life Lessons I Learned at Burning Man

A selection of my photos can be found here:

Images of Burning Man 2009

Also, if you read this blog, also enjoy Kaleidoscopic Wandering and are on Facebook (whew ~ now there's an exhaustive list!), you are more than welcome to join the Kaleidoscopic Wandering fan page on Facebook to stay up-to-date on new posts to the site. You can find the fan page here.

Neon on lights, techno music, stunning works of art and a new outlook on life ~

JoAnna

Prepping for Burning Man

This weekend has been a flurry of activity as I prep for my journey to Burning Man. There's so much to think about: extreme temperatures, transportation, water (both how much to take and how to collect and carry grey water out), costumes, wind, dust, etc., etc.

I ended up buying a bunch of random clothing pieces at second-hand shops and stuff I found around the house to put together costumes out on the playa. This includes a black leather corset, a black suede jacket with red fur, a crazy green shawl/cape with fringe, wings, a headband with devil horns, a hideous tie-dyed swimsuit pullover, a huge St. Patrick's Day hat and all the Hawaiian garb we used for the Mud Run a few months back.

We went grocery shopping yesterday, and since we usually stay out of the middle aisles where all the preserved foods are, I was surprised when we started walking down those aisles to discover how much stuff does NOT need to be refrigerated. Cory set me up with a few basic meals, and then we bought bagels, peanut butter, crackers, fruit cups and the like to keep me going. I've heard that people aren't normally very hungry once they get there, so I'm sure I've totally overpacked on the food, but better overpacked than underpacked, I guess.

I picked up a second hand bike to ride around the playa. Cory was AWESOME this morning replacing the tube in one of the tires, lubing up the rusty chain and wiping the whole thing down. He told me to go slow and coast ... apparently the brakes work about 75% of the time. That's pretty good for $10.00. My favorite part of the bike is the tag attached to it that says it was confiscated by the Las Vegas police department. I am the proud owner of either a stolen or drug bust bike. Go team me!

Finally, there are all these little details to think about. I've stocked up on ear plugs and dust masks. We bought water bottles to mix up a vinegar water solution to combat the harsh playa dust. I'm using rebar to hold my tent and shade structure down in the wind. I've got goggles to protect my eyes in dust storms. Again ... I've probably overpacked, but I'm okay with that.

My favorite part of everything I've packed is a postcard Cory created for me to pass out as my bartering tool. It's a collage of photos he took this summer as we traveled around ... me as a Roads Scholar, him as my favorite travel buddy and photographer. It's a great postcard, and I'm so excited that, even though Cory isn't going to Burning Man with me, I'll be able to share his part of my journeys with other people.

So that's where things stand now. Today is a whirlwind of last minute details, and then tomorrow I take off! In less than a week the Man burns. I'll be back a week from tomorrow with yet another exciting travel adventure under my belt.

(I wrote a bit more about the Burning Man preparation at Kaleidoscopic Wandering. Check it out here.)

Burn, baby, burn ...

JoAnna