We had a blast at Burning Man last week! The art was amazing! Every year tens of thousands of people from all over the world descend on an area in the Nevada desert and make a thriving community for one week. We personally met people from Germany, Australia, France, Sweden, Canada and England, and those were just people who stopped by our camp to say hi. This year there were 61,000 of us! The whole idea of Burning Man is self reliance. You may not sell anything, you can only give things away. The only thing that the organizers do sell in center camp are coffee type drinks and also there are three locations that sell ice. Otherwise, you are expected to provide all of your own needs for however long you are going to stay. The first year my husband and I went we camped in a tent, yeah, not for me! Maybe when I was in my 20's or even 30's but in my 50's give me comfort! This "festival" is different things to different people. To me it is mainly just a big party to enjoy with my friends, get dressed up in different costumes, view the art and just party. But to some it can be a healing and life affirming event. They always have a temple where you can put memories of loved ones who have gone before and on the last day it is burned along with everything left inside. There are many people watching it burn in silence with tears running down their faces. A letting go of grief. Every year when I leave the playa, I am planning on next year, (God willing) I will be back.
