Burning Man 2013 - Exodus and Final Words

Time for my fourth and last post about Burning Man. After some introductions and some ranting, time has come to say goodbye.

Ready to leave our dusty existence and head back to a place with running water and showers

Last sunrise over the playa

No more shall we see that many bicycles in one place... at least till a visit to Denmark or The Netherlands

When all tens of thousands of burners try to leave Black Rock City around the same time on a small road, a huge traffic jam, aka the exodus, is created. Being all prepared for it can turn it to a happy final conclusion for the burn. I've had quite a lot of fun in the ~10 hours we were slowly passing the few miles back to the road. The one hour waiting periods between each 1 minute drive were used to meet new people, share experiences, play music and games and generally easing the way back to many burners who'd soon be back to their more mundane everyday life.

Musical time on one of the stops

Considering the US culture I've been exposed to during our months of road tripping around the country, I see burning man as an island of sanity in a culture which seems to be drifting away from it. That being a strong statement that shouldn't be appreciated on a much deeper level, I'll try to explain by examples.
People at burning man greet each other freely and are not afraid to strike random conversations with strangers. Many parts of the US don't have that and people treat strangers as a threat, even when smiling at them. Such an approach is very alienating and helps create a fragmented "dog-eat-dog" society.
Not being able to use money or promote products at the burn shows that not everything must always revolve around money. In a society where capitalism seems to be on steroids, I find it blissful to disconnect from its merits for a week. Where else would you go to a bar and be served without being expected anything in return?
Not being afraid to express oneself with different clothes, apparel and behavior creates very interesting costumes and attitudes. In a society that encourages conforming to strict rules, it enables people to see that these rules are not an axiom. If I had to choose only a single image, the naked guy on stilettos might be a good one.

Some of the experiences I've had were first-time ones for me. Yes, after years of travel, this can still happen. It didn't radically change my life in any way but I can surely see how it can turn lives of more closed people up side down and open them up to a whole world full of possibilities. Kind of a crash course in letting loose.

One BM slogan I made: "Burning Man - that's what happens when hippies have too much money". I came up with it considering the loads of different creations in the burn, showing both the ability to leave the social norms and the financial background to support it.

The sun has set, but we're still on the road

Making our way back to Reno, happy and enriched