Burning Man Arch

Thursday, August 30th, 2012-
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Waking up on the Playa that morning was like being reborn. Sun streaming through the curtains, I hopped down from the upper bed and pushed open the door. It was brilliantly bright; the white sand was rippled from a night of stormy weather. After the wild night of parties and music it was blissfully quiet, almost solemn.

S had met an experienced group of Burners on his trip up from San Francisco and they invited the three of us for breakfast at their camp, Delirium Confluence, at 9:30 am. After the dehydration of yesterday I barred myself from leaving our RV before I downed an entire bottle of water. I may be a lot of things, but wasn’t not stupid enough to make that mistake again.

After waving to our neighbors who, by the looks of it, were only just returning from Opulent Temple, we rode around the radius of the Playa on street I. We weren’t particularly worried about finding the Delirium camp, after all, Burning Man is fun no matter where you end up. No worries, we got there when we got there. Using S’s vague directions and memory of the exterior of the RV we arrived 15 minutes later with our empty coffee mugs and serious appetites.  

I think the real beauty of Burning Man is that wherever you go you are welcomed and invited to participate. As we walked up to Delirium Confluence, which, I might add, was surrounded by complete strangers, we were greeted with nothing but smiles and waves. We heard a few calls to come in and enjoy a french toast and fresh blueberry breakfast. No questions, no judgement, nothing asked in return, just the pleasure of shared company and conversation. The camp’s generosity, even before they recognized S and introduced themselves, was simply overwhelming. Needless to say we would leave that morning with full bellies and warm hearts as wells as handmade necklaces and email addresses. We would also be treated to a 15 minute performance by a talented spoken word artist, Tooba Looba, while we ate. I could only shake my head in wonder.

Despite chugging a water before we left for breakfast I found myself parched by the time we returned to the RV. Coffee seemed to have accelerated the dehydration process. We washed up with baby wipes and relaxed in the shade. The faint purr of generators mingled with the jubilant sounds of laughter and a bagpipe. A happy place.

As the sun set we began to make a plan: first, we needed to see the Man. Up close, personal. Little did we know we’d be able to climb up a staircase right into the crotch of the enormous wooden structure. Next, we figured out what we’re all wearing. I decided that J and I were going goth/raver, S opted for biker cowboy. Let’s just say it was priceless beyond all words. Definitely, definitely bring fun stuff to wear; even if you think- “oh, there’s no way I’ll go out in that.” Bring it anyway. It’s almost guaranteed that the spirit of Burning Man will get to you.

We did a bit of exploring once the sun set, then returned to make dinner. Along the way we were offered warm Redbull and vodka and tequila shots out of a toy gun. Classy. S has been dying for night footage so he brought his camera and snapped photos almost constantly as we made the 20 minute journey to and fro our camp. The fridge in our RV didn’t work and there was a constant drip of melting ice onto the floor next to the stove. If only we were hungrier- there was so much food to eat and so little time to do so!

Thursday’s dinner challenge was ravioli and oh, what a challenge it turned out to be. Things started off smoothly: we filled a pot with water, set it on the stove and turned on the burner. But, 10 minutes later when we checked the pot, there was no flame! Everyone out of the RV! There we were standing around in a hulking metal box filled with gas, lighting matches. HAHAHA! Not to be discouraged S then proceeded to BBQ a pot of water for the ravioli. It was an incredible feat of engineering and I’m still impressed. We spent a few minutes spying on our very interesting assortment of neighbors and then, with gusto, J and I ventured out again into the center of the Playa.

I know can’t do justice to the endless tapestry of colors and lights, so I won’t even try. Burning Man was incredible. You really do have to see it yourself to believe it. J and I sat and watched an incredible light display, a fire dancer on a stripper pole and so many other once-in-a-lifetimes. After several hours we returned to the RV and watched the most amazing lightning storm I have ever witnessed. A few violent bouts of rain passed quickly over the Playa and the sky turned a petulant shade of dark violet. A night- and a sunrise- I will never forget.