BURNING MAN BY DANGEROUS DAN

This is one event/place/experience/adventure you HAVE to check out for yourself. Words don’t do it justice and pictures tell a fraction of the story. Truly mind blowing, purely inspiring and weirdly, purely beautiful.

It’s amazing to see what people do when given absolute freedom; freedom from money, freedom from rules, freedom from being laughed at for dressing like a cross between a neon tube, a fluffy toy and a warrior from Mad Max.

For one week you live as you want, with what you want, doing whatever you want – whenever you want.

I have used 3 paragraphs with a complete repetition of words so I guess I’m having a hard time describing it.

It’s something that you really have to do yourself, here are MY pointers to make it a bit more comfortable:

- Research before you go, about the history, about people’s experiences, about what to bring, about everything. Be prepared because no matter how prepared or knowledgeable you think you are it’s still gonna blow your mind and any expectation you have.

- Get to LA or to San Fran a few days early and get your camp sorted. Although there are plenty of giant Walmarts, Home Depots and supermarkets on the way it’s better to leave knowing you have got all your kit sorted. There is no going back from the desert if you realise you forgot your head torch.

- Find a camp that has food included and similar type of people as yourself and your crew. One camp called The Zoo is pretty dope with the team from the Fat Radish in NYC this year doing breakfast lunch and dinner all inclusive. This saves time, supplies, and cleaning up, which gives you maximum time to adventure.

- If you love cooking and setting up base then do as we did and go with 2 RVs, connect them via a tarp with a garden and a lawn beneath, cook an absurd amount of food before you go, bring blenders for cocktails, hire a sound system for music, get your self some lights and mirror-balls for the night-time and make your base a place that you actually wanna hang.

- Choose your crew, or go alone, depending on your intent or your mental constitution – it makes all the difference. Like minded and open  people are who you want to be around; if you want adventure then don’t choose a friend that is likely to cry when they realise that you are two hours away from your camp and stuck in a dust storm with nothing but a bag of mushrooms and some warm vodka to drink. Likewise if you want to cruise around taking pictures and meeting new folk don’t pair up with someone intent on chasing the never ending rave that exists on the playa.

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- Go in an RV! It’s the key to feeling a bit of comfort, plus it’s a good place to meet, to chill, to store your stuff. You may get called not a true burner by some of the crowd but trust me, a comfy base camp is vital. Also if you like things a bit clean, set some rules with your fellow campers about what goes on in the RV, try to keep the dust out with shoes off and a pat down before entry, keep the number 2′s for the public toilets and always keeping on top of the washing up are pretty good ones to go by. Also have a BIG packet of baby wipes or wet ones always  handy so you can wipe and go.

- Bring a bike, this is your best friend, your companion, your partner for the week, the playa is sooo much bigger than you think, there is sooo much stuff to see that it would be impossible to get to all of it in a month on foot. You will be with your bike always so don’t go too cheap, you will never use a bike again this much in your life. If you want to get creative pimp your bike out with your Burning Man vibe, paint, lights, accessories, pegs for doubling.

- Have a really comfy and practical bag. When you leave your camp, pack smart, you may not come home as soon as you think. Make sure you have all you need for the next 12 hours and do that in the lightest way possible…

Essentials for your bag: Camera, scarf, goggles, sunnies, lighter, lip balm, chewy, hat, a little pad and a marker, drugs if you choose to indulge in drugs, drinks or ciggies. Make sure you have what you might feel like having later!

- Drinks are hard to come by on the Playa. In and around the camps there are loads of little bars where you can drink. Every day or two a bottle of booze is a nice donation to a bar. But when you are out, have two dope bottles, one for water, one for your drink of choice, an easy and tasty way to drink is to make mobile cocktails. Fill your bottle up with all the ingredients of your favourite cocktail and ice and shake like a mofo. Sip slowly.

– Margarita: Squeeze 2 fresh limes and maybe an orange, add lots of tequila and a little triple sec, ice and shake.

- Negroni and variations: Squeeze a whole orange and add some pulp, half gin or vodka, half Campari, ice and shake.

… And so on and so on.

- Bring PLENTY of water, it’s true what they say, you can never have enough, buy in bulk and buy a refillable bottle, the less rubbish you have the better, remember you take it all back with you! 5 litres a day for each person is a rough guide.

- If you like parties and dance music than research who will be playing while you are there. Guest DJs from all over the world come for the week and spin every night all over the Playa; if you don’t know before then chances are you won’t find out till after. Keep a little diary of what’s on. Most of the time you will be happily exploring without a care in the world but every now and then it’s nice to have a place to go, even if you never get there.

- Bring gifts or have a skill to help or make others happy, trade for favours, for food, for drinks or for nothing at all.

- Have an exit plan. Choose a day and stick to it, choose a driver to get out. Be a team and all help in the pack down, the Playa is left each year exactly as it was before you all arrive, so respect is important here. Every cigarette butt, piece of junk, piece of string needs to be cleaned from your area. Once that is done, pack your car smart and give it a wipe-down, it is bound to be filthy. Once you get back in the real world it will seem even filthier. Be prepared for a hell of a queue out if you leave anytime after 11am. Once you’re on the road keep an eye out for the rubbish and recycling, dump every bit of your junk and give your home another clean. Now drive safe and have a great time telling all of the adventures you choose to share!

- Also if you are into film and documenting your time by a short movie or photo journal, edit as you go and finish it on the way home while you can still feel and remember the whole experience cause in a few weeks time it is all but a beautiful memory.

Read this and then make your own plan, ain’t nothing going to ready you for what you are about to embark on.

Have fun, be safe and respect the Playa and the people that you share it with.

- Dan