another Burn

So much to tell. Burningman, as usual, a fantastic blast of mind-blowing art, vast desert and good company. Even the dust storms did not dampen my complete enjoyment of my (almost) two weeks there. It doesn't matter what you have heard or not heard, it is something you must experience for yourself.

I did what is becoming a regular tradition: fly back from Europe, spend one day packing for burningman, leave for burningman. Fortunately this year I arrived a week before instead of the middle of the event. Spent some quality time with my friends, building camp, cruising the playa on our neighbor's mutant vehicle - basically the Mad Max version of a swingset on top of a large pickup truck - and witnessing countless random acts of absurdity, kindness, and freakitude.
It's just so beautiful and peaceful out there in a weird kind of way. Even with the noise, there an underlying vastness everpresent. I did start to feel ragged by the end of the second week, but blissful as well. There were big rigs balanced on top of each other that you could climb, a zoetrope of moving monkey illusions, an oil derrick with flaming metal worshippers, a million places to get a margarita and more music than you could shake that ass to. I saw my first sunrise on the playa, complete with peppermint candies, lovingly distributed by a gaggle of early morning art-car passengers, after dancing - literally - all night. Yeah, burningman: best place to take off the 5 pounds gained in France. That was a first too.
Next year, maybe Laos or Vietnam...
I ran into random friends all over the desert. Serendipity is working my mojo right now. Oh, yeah, and I attended a couchsurfing camp party there. It's really amazing how many people come overseas for it. Great group. There were many more dust storms than last year, but they were just a good excuse to be hanging in camp with friends. Definitely a bonding experience. And fizzball. Yes, fizzball in the duststorm was incomperable.

Strangely, it feels like forever since I was there. I could go on for days, but, alas, too much else to do.