To me, If “Maldives” is “heaven on earth” then “Burning Man” is “Hell on Earth”!
Despite being completely taken care of by Andrew, from all the preparing to actually getting us to Burning Man and although we were supposedly “glamping” already, I just couldn’t survive the extreme desert heat, dust and loud music 18 hours a day! So, on the morning of day 4, I left for Reno where I booked a flight to fly home while Andrew went back to pick up his trailer and son for their drive home a few days later.
I passed out (literally fainted while walking, resulting in half my body being covered in dust) on day 2 at 3 pm, so I was delivered to the air conditioning hospital (inside BM), where I remained for 2 hours. They tried 4 times (hurt like hell!) to give me IV but couldn’t poke through any of my veins, since veins shrink when a person is dehydrated. I struggled for another 36 hours at the festival before deciding it’s time to get the hell off this hell hole! Wow! What a journey!
I went on this trip with an open mind and I don’t regret being there because this experience will definitely be one of the highlights of my life when asked what’s the worst experience I’ve ever had! Seriously, unless my kid’s life is on the line, Burning Man will NEVER see me again!
I was happy to see the “loving and giving” going on there but I also saw a lot of “taking and enabling” going on too! I definitely respect and was impressed by a lot of the creativity I saw there in the decorations, arts and sculptures. It’s eye opening to see how a community of 80,000 people can turn a desert into a temporary city for 1 week and leave no trace behind after they leave!
In summary, being there was a reminder and confirmation of why I worked so hard all my life to make money and to raise my kids to a higher standard so that I don’t ever have to live in that world where I would call BM “home” and live just to look forward to going there every year to experience that lifestyle for a week! It’s a total reminder of the lifestyle (refugee or homeless) I don’t ever want!
PS: Here’s a link to a funny DIY video by JP so you can have a visual idea of what Burning Man is about. I can confirm I agree with 95% of what’s in this video! LOL! https://youtu.be/DjRN8PHeCpk