A Homebody Couple and an RV: Our 2019 Burning Man Journey (Part I)—Reflections

1. Introduction

1.1 Who We Are

Me: a homebody, a programmer, a computer lover who dislikes dirt, fears sunlight, rarely leaves the house, and has outdoor survival skills only slightly above zero.

My wife: a homebody, a programmer, a clean freak who enjoys appreciating and creating art, with outdoor survival skills on par with mine.

And yet, somehow, these two people made it to Black Rock City in 2019 with only each other to rely on, got through Burning Man without an organization, and returned home alive. Miraculous, wouldn't you say?

1.2 Why We Came

Going to Burning Man was one of my wife's flights of fancy. A few years earlier, she had read about Burning Man online and was deeply drawn to all the photographs. Later, colleagues in our social circle began going one after another, and so she made it a wish of her own. As for me, naturally I had to help her make that wish come true.

1.3 A Blind Man Teaches Others to Feel the Elephant

The first Burning Man took place in 1986 at Baker Beach in California. In 1990, Burning Man moved to Black Rock City, Nevada, where it has now been held for many years. If you are an old-timer, perhaps you will scoff: what qualifies these two first-time rookies to write a summary or share their impressions?

The truth is that Burning Man keeps growing, with more people attending every year. Seventy thousand people went last year, and this year's attendance was said to be close to eighty thousand. When I first came to the United States, the entire city where I lived had only forty thousand people. So even a Burning Man veteran is still only a blind person feeling one part of the elephant, isn't he? Since we are all feeling the elephant together, perhaps putting all the pieces together will restore something close to the whole.

2. What Is Burning Man?

It may be difficult to explain all at once what Burning Man “is,” so perhaps it is easier to begin by summarizing what it “is not.”

2.1 A Criminal's Paradise?

Burning Man is not a place beyond the law. It is in the state of Nevada, and both federal and state law apply. In theory, anything you cannot do outside is also something you cannot do once you enter. Take marijuana, for example: it is legal in Nevada, but remains illegal under federal law. I heard about a guy who brought enough marijuana for his camp and was caught by federal officers on the way there, so he ended up in prison. In addition to police patrolling the camps continuously, Rangers—volunteers—also patrol the area. So the residents' safety is still protected.

2.2 A Make-Believe World of Friendship and Mutual Aid?

You are indeed quite likely to make many friends at Burning Man, because there are so many strangers here. But from the perspective of someone who has lived in the United States for thirteen years, most people at Burning Man are Americans, and they are no friendlier than residents of a small American town. (Of course, compared with city dwellers in China, they are friendlier by a country mile.)

The organizers of Burning Man expect everyone to be self-reliant. In other words, if you cannot take care of your own affairs and hope to depend on strangers for help, things may be a little difficult.

2.3 A Wilderness Survival Summer Camp?

There is no question that Burning Man's environment is harsh, but everyone is still living in the twenty-first century. Residents arrive in all kinds of ways, fully equipped and with plenty of modern conveniences. Take food, for example: its quality may be a little worse than at home, but it is certainly not a matter of eating raw meat and drinking blood. Our RV, for instance, had a refrigerator, a microwave, and a stove. We relied on the microwave for our regular meals and always had fruit and drinks. Outside, I also saw plenty of camps giving away alcohol, beverages, and fruit.

2.4 So, What Exactly Is It?

Burning Man is a festival for setting yourself free. You come to a place without cell phone reception and live among tens of thousands of strangers who know nothing about you. No one here knows who you are, so you can return to your true self. What is your true self? Did you become who you are because your parents taught you to? Because school taught you to? Because society taught you to? Do you wear a mask in daily life? Take it off and live the life you want.

Burning Man is a place to express yourself. As an artist, you can exhibit your work at Burning Man and let tens of thousands of people see it. You can also draw enormous inspiration and impact from other people's work.

Burning Man is a place to think about life. You will have a great deal of free time while facing extremely scarce resources for survival. Perhaps you will wonder whether your previous way of life was too extravagant and decide to be more frugal after returning home. Perhaps you will also think about learning to cherish everything you already have.

3. The Natural Environment

3.1 The Beauty of the Desert

At the center of the camping area was a vast open space. There was nothing there except sand, people, bicycles, and temporary structures. The immensity of the space made me feel the beauty of freedom.

3.2 Wind and Dust

Black Rock City's dust storms always arrived without warning, and masks and goggles were universally passed along as essential gear. Only after arriving did we discover that many people used no protection at all. I do not know whether their eyes and lungs are still all right, but this is probably not something worth competing over.

Dust protection on. Time to leave camp!

All set. Nothing to fear.

Uh...

3.3 The Beauty of the Sun

These photos were all pilfered—many thanks to their photographer, Brother Yu. We did not have enough perseverance ourselves. How embarrassing.

3.4 The Cleanest RV

Before entering the camp, the two of us had made a wish: we would be the cleanest residents at Burning Man. The moment we entered, however, we were told to lie on the ground and make a “snow angel.” In plain language, that means lying on your back in the shape of the Chinese character “大,” then moving your arms and legs up and down. We did not know the ritual was optional, so we did it. As you can imagine, we were covered in dust afterward, and most of our wish to stay clean was ruined.

After that, I kept wiping the RV floor one wet wipe at a time and hardly ever opened the windows. When we returned the RV, it had been protected well enough that we were not charged much of a cleaning fee—but that comes later.

Still, I kept wondering why no one had told me to bring a vacuum cleaner. If I had another chance, I would definitely bring one and clean every speck of dust from the RV each day. One warning, though: the dust here is so fine that it can go in through the front of a vacuum and spray right back out the rear. Dealing with it is no small task.

3.5 Riding a Bicycle Over a Washboard

The Burning Man grounds are circular. From the edge to the Man at the center is roughly 500 meters. From where we lived to the open playa was another several hundred meters. Add the sunlight and the heat, and getting around without a bicycle would really test your stamina.

What we had not expected was that getting around with a bicycle would still really test our stamina.

This is what the ground looked like: cracks covered by a thick layer of fine dust.

The ground was not very hard, and all kinds of large vehicles drove across it every day, leaving deep grooves behind. When we rode over them ourselves, it felt exactly like riding across a washboard.

So if you bring a bicycle, make absolutely sure it has suspension!

Nobody wears a helmet. Do not bring one.

4. Art

4.1 Every Kind Imaginable

My favorite work—the Cat Shrine. A toy cat was nailed to a cross in the pose of a savior, with several companion pieces nearby.

The artist who made this piece was our neighbor.

Spotted Hadoop.

4.2 Dazzling Lights and Colors

Burning Man is beautiful at night, with lights and fire everywhere. Some of it is light, and some of it is flame.

4.3 Mutant Vehicles

Mutant vehicles are the darlings of Burning Man. They attract attention and cheers, and they can also replace bicycles as everyday transportation. The camps even provide dedicated refueling services for mutant vehicles.

One useful fact: not every modified car qualifies as a mutant vehicle. The official guide says that if your car merely has a wrap, a coat of paint, or its body shell removed, it will not be recognized as a mutant vehicle.

5. The Man Burn

What does the wooden figure burned on the second-to-last night represent? I have never known.

The fireworks begin.

Burn my mortal shell; the sacred fire blazes. Pity the people of this world, burdened with suffering.

6. The Temple Burn

Burning Man has a central structure called the Temple. In Chinese, we simply call it a temple. At this year's Burning Man, the Temple stood at the far end of the open playa and was called Larry's Memorial. Larry Harvey, one of Burning Man's co-founders, died in 2018, so this year's Temple was named for him.

Inside and out, the structure was covered with people's grief, longing, and other things they could not forget.

At eight o'clock on the final night, the Temple was set ablaze.

The fire began to spread from one corner. There was no cheering and no commotion, only silence and quiet sobbing.

When the entire Temple caught fire, a searing wave of heat rushed toward us. Without exaggeration, for several dozen seconds it was the highest temperature I had ever directly experienced in my life. I was sitting in the front row, and my body instinctively wanted to retreat. Yet the volunteers standing much closer to the flames remained as steady as mountains.

After more than twenty minutes of burning, the Temple had collapsed, and the scene remained completely silent. People slowly left.

7. Sex

7.1 Setting Yourself Free

Sex is an eternal theme at Burning Man. When it comes to clothing, bare chests are commonplace for both men and women, and complete nudity is nothing unusual.

7.2 Orgy Dome

There is a place called the Orgy Dome. You could think of it as an hourly motel for hookups.

Horny people formed a line outside.

We did not go inside.

7.3 Erotic Dancing

7.4 BDSM

Open the official app and you will find introductory BDSM classes and performance clubs everywhere.

The proud sadist grinned like a flower in bloom.