Celebrating life at Burning Man festival

When I first heard about Burning Man, I was travelling on a chicken bus in Guatemala beside a backpacker from Israel.

He told me he had been to the most incredible desert festival, and showed me photos of countless people having the time of their lives, in a city that had risen from the ground overnight.

This was Black Rock City, he told me, the fourth largest city in Nevada when it "appears" - "built" by the convergence of tens of thousands of "burners" seeking to live out an alternative lifestyle for a week in their lives, this was an event not to be missed.

That was six years ago.

This year, I packed my bags and with four friends, arrived on the desert sands of Nevada to experience this epic adventure for ourselves.

Little did we know that this would be one of the most empowering journeys we would make in our lives.

Preparation time

We began our preparations early. Mental preparation was the first hurdle to cross - this festival is not a walk in the park.

Veteran burners in our group warned us that we would be battling the elements in the desert and getting caked with fine playa dust, with little hope of daily showers.

This festival also required us to have an open mind - to realise the beauty of alternative lifestyles and perspectives - and an open heart - to welcome the smiles and conversations of complete strangers.

My friends and I crossed this hurdle easily; we had heard too many good things about the festival to pass it up. Tickets went on sale in February.

Demand was through the roof; we had friends who went online a minute after sales opened and were unable to secure tickets.

Thank goodness for the STEP programme that aided the resale of tickets, and an OMG sale in August that saved the day.

By then, we had already secured an RV (recreational vehicle or trailer) for the week - a good option for bigger groups - to drive down from Canada.

This would halve the cost of renting it in Reno, the nearest city to the desert.

As the date drew near, we got together to settle the logistics: ski goggles to help us see in the dust storms, bandanas to help us breathe, caps or hats to fend off the sun, blinking lights, torches to help us see and be seen at night, and reserving bikes - everyone cycles on the playa.

Driving down to Black Rock City, we spent another two days gathering supplies With an incredible amount of wet wipes, canned foods, cup noodles, bread, fresh produce, snacks, and 52 gallons (240 litres) of water later (1.5 gallons per person per day), we began our spirited drive to the desert.

Welcome home

It is hard to summarise the Burning Man experience in just a few sentences, simply because there are so many layers to the event.

Our first view of the playa the night we arrived, with 66,000 other burners, was just the beginning - walking past several rows of RVs and tents, we emerged on the playa, bounded by bright lights as far as the eye could see.

Cyclists adorned with glow sticks rode past us, art cars in the shape of unicorns, tropical islands, sharks, pirate ships, and even a fire-spitting octopus encircled us, and we caught sight of the Burning Man statue for the first time - a 24m-tall wooden structure that would eventually be swallowed up in flames as the festival draws to a close.

Over the next few days, we found ourselves deeply moved by many things.

Burning Man was where life was celebrated. Here, people could create larger-than-life artworks that inspired awe, radically express themselves without a care in the world, and dance the night away with a free-spirited crowd.

Even with strangers, they could come together to share deep conversations, exchange gifts and offer a helping hand out of the kindness of their hearts (no money is exchanged on the playa), and bring a smile to the face of someone they'd only just met. It was this pure and simple human connection, burners told me, that kept them coming back year after year.

It was also here where they could open up their hearts to explore vulnerabilities and mourn deep loss.

On the wooden panels of the intricately carved "Temple of Grace" structure were messages of love, promise, and hope, as there were those of heartbreak, regret and guilt.

A man writing this message to his grandmother broke my heart: "Grandma, I didn't have the courage to call at the end - forgive me. I'm sorry I never said goodbye".

Through these inscriptions, and numerous other camp workshops, burners had the chance to verbalise their deepest desires and worst fears, and more importantly, to accept them as a part of themselves.

The playa too, was testing. I would find myself suddenly engulfed in a raging dust storm that would make me lose my way for a minute, defeated by the elements - but it was also during those moments I found I had the strength within myself to beat the odds and keep trudging on.

I think the playa has lessons to teach us all. There is a reason why the tagline of Burning Man is "Welcome home".

Because home isn't just a physical space; it is the ability to see deep within ourselves, understand what really matters to us, and gain renewed energy from that understanding.

Have you been to Burning Man yet?

GETTING THERE

Return tickets from Singapore to Reno cost $1,800, but RV prices can go up to US$5,000 (S$6,300) or more in Reno.

If time permits, fly to another city like Seattle or Portland, rent an RV more cheaply, and then drive down to Burning Man.

TRAVELLER'S TIPS

Burning Man takes places at the end of August every year; ticket sales start in February.

For details, go to www.burningman.com. RVs make good accommodation - you get a fridge, stove and shower (limited by its water tank) - but a lot of "burners" come with cars and moving trucks and then set up tents beside them.

All burners should be self-sufficient - take enough food and water to last you a week. Another option is to sign up as a volunteer at a theme camp, which may provide you with food and facilities.

Reserve bikes early from Kiwanis Bikes at www.kiwanisbikes.org. Remember, take a tonne of lights and glow sticks to put on yourself and your bike - no one can see you in the desert otherwise.

Take small gifts for fellow burners - necklaces, bracelets, stickers, magnets. Be creative. Respect the playa. Everything you bring into the desert should leave with you when you depart, trash included.

This article was published by the Special Projects Unit, Marketing Division, SPH.

This article was first published on October 28, 2014.
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