Burningman.

I was at the Burning Man festival for the first in 1999. At the time I was living in San Francisco working on a J1 visa. I had heard of the festival before when I was about 16 on a channel four documentary “Rave New World”. While watching it I promised myself I would go one day.
Five years later I find myself in the middle of the middle of the Nevada desert surrounded by seer madness. The TV had not prepared me in anyway for what I experienced and I quickly understood what “culture shock” meant. I had never before experienced people been so uninhibited and free. Naked people wanting to paint me or having people give you things just for the fun of it. That not to mention wandering in cluslessly to the orgy’s and S&M tents!!
To say it was an education is an understatement. I suddenly knew what the hippy movement was all about and developed a true appreciation of hedonism.
I went back home to Dublin with colourful tails of the event. The next year I returned with a troop of my mates on the promise of the “time of their life”. That they had and we all went again for the third time in 1999.
It’s been five years since I’ve been there and I miss it. Many people claim that it’s got to big and commercial (check out http://www.burningmanisdead.com/). I recently came across an email I got from a friend who was a burning man this year for his first time. It may not be with in not with in “blog” rules to paste another’s mail, but I simply had too as I think it captured the wonder and chaos of the event. Enjoy!
For more info go to www.burningman.com