I realize the irony, considering that yes, I am writing about Burning Man right now. Stick with me, though, and you’ll see that this is, and simultaneously isn’t, about Burning Man at all.
If you’re a subscriber to my newsletter (see that signup form on the right?!) and/or follow me on social media (see those icons above the cover photo?!), you already know that I just attended the Burning Man festival, which finished two weeks ago. The dust is finally off of my clothes, my hair is completely back to normal, and the crowd surfing wounds on my legs are almost healed (but they will leave a scar).
Though it’s incredibly hard to explain, Burning Man is an arts festival in the desert in Nevada where a city of over 70,000 people is erected basically overnight. The main components are radical self-reliance and radical self-expression. This means nothing is provided and attendees must bring all of their own food, shelter, and water (showers inclusive). No money can be used, so nothing can be bought nor sold, and nothing can be thrown away.”
You can find whatever you want there, even if that means doing nothing but participating in orgies, taking yoga and meditation classes, or dancing your face off to music. That’s really the best way to describe it, and apart from attending, you’ll never really understand what it is.
This year was my third consecutive burn (meaning I’ve been three times). I come home around this time each year specifically because I want, I need, to attend this festival. Those of us who are regulars refer to it as returning home. Which, for me, has a double meaning since it’s also when I return home to the US each year.
Most other travel bloggers who attend write several articles about the festival, yet apart from that first article after my first year, shortly after the birth of this blog, I haven’t shared photos, haven’t written a word, and have stayed mostly silent.
Why?
I need to keep it to myself
When I looked through my photos this year, I laughed. Each one of the 10 or so snaps was of a sunset. I had no photos of the art, and I had almost none of myself or my friends. I spend hours upon hours hand making all of my costumes. Trust me, they’re impressive. How many photos do I have wearing any? One, it was candidly taken, and you can’t even really see my outfit.
There is mind-blowing art at Burning Man. There are things that seem like they couldn’t possibly be real. (Take a look at Trey Radcliff‘s photos for a good idea of the kinds of things that can be seen during this week-long festival.)
Why don’t I walk around taking pictures considering that’s a huge part of my travel-style and a big focus of this blog? It’s simple: I don’t want to.
Burning Man is my week that I follow every whim, do whatever the heck I want in that moment, and completely forget the outside world – especially work.
Do you have a special place or time like that?
I also tend to suffer from post-playa depression after Burning Man. Last year it was severe. This year I’ve managed it a bit better. I tend to be unable to read articles about it without feeling like crying just a little bit. I can’t look at photos, and I can’t think about the fact that it’s another 12 months away. I also had intense FOMO (fear of missing out) last year, worried that I hadn’t maximized my time.
This year, I finally accepted that in a city of 70k, where nearly everyone is contributing in some incredible way, it’s impossible to see even 1/50th of all that there is to see. Each year, it’s exactly what I make it, and exactly what I need it to be. That’s why I keep going back – I know the experience will be different every time.
Aren’t most destinations that way, after all?
I want it to stay pure
After my first year, when traveling I’d tell everyone about how amazing I thought Burning Man is. I talked about it constantly. Then, tickets sold out in 2013 in 45 minutes. Millionaires and billionaires started building VIP camps. Celebrities started tweeting about it. Suddenly I felt protective. The whole point is that the city is inclusive, not exclusive. It isn’t and never has been an event where anyone is more important than anyone else. It has to stay that way.
After myself and a few other bloggers wrote about Sak Yant tattoos, I heard through the grapevine that Wat Bang Phra had seen an influx of foreign visitors, many of whom were not respectful of the customs. They’re even thinking of moving locations to combat the problem. I’ve also seen Pai gradually become more and more built up. This past visit, I saw a resort being built. It made my heart ache.
Of course I’m not so arrogant to think I singlehandedly did any of this, but the wat and Pai are small places. Even an increase of a few hundred or thousand will make an impact. If we all keep talking about the good and never the bad, things start to get ruined (think Koh Phi Phi after the fame of The Beach) by visitors who just want to make these places another party.
In closing, in a way, Burning Man is like my sunset pictures. What I wanted it to be. Just like a sunset, you can’t talk about it and expect others to understand the magnitude of how it looked or made you feel in the moment. We’ve all seen them, and we all have our favorite.
I want to keep it that way in my heart, so I try not to relive it online over and over. Despite what I know could be a lot of clicks and a lot of traffic to my blog by writing about this place, it’s one of the destinations on my secret list that will remain that way.
What else is on there? I’ll never tell.
Do you have secret places you keep to yourself?
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Nikita says
Good for you! I think we all need a secret like that, be it a place, a moment, a conversation… Something that can’t be talked or written about. Though I’m sure you have magnificent tales of Burning Man, knowing that they’ll only ever exist in your head makes them even more special.
Kristin says
Definitely, and I think that’s what keeps me going back – knowing it’s my special secret week that will stay that way 🙂
Leigh Anne says
I totally understand this! It’s so easy to get into blogging EVERYTHING but even full-time bloggers (I’m not one) deserve to have something that is private, just for them. Good for you!
Kristin says
I definitely planned on blogging all about it but then I arrive and was just like… I can’t.
Derek Freal says
That’s an issue that weighs on me sometimes when I write about places where few tourists currently go. That…ummm not necessarily exclusivity but shall we say absence from the public knowledge is what adds to the appeal of those types of places to begin with. At least when traveling. When returning home, or going to a burn, well it is something else entirely that makes that destination indescribable to outsiders. So I don’t even both trying 😉
Kristin says
I know, and it’s hard when my focus is on uncovering and writing about these places. But I think the truly remote ones will attract the kind of traveler who is going to be respectful, given how much effort it takes to get to a lot of these places, including Burning Man. I also think my readers are awesome and I’m sure yours are too, so they aren’t going to be the ones wrecking a place.
Oksana from Drink Tea & Travel says
I have never been to Burning Man and until recently I didn’t know much about it. This year, I’ve read dozens of posts and looked at hundreds of pictures that have all sparked my desire to experience it first hand. You may have chosen not to share much about your experience at Burning Man, but somehow your attempt of not writing about it, has made me want to go there even more. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your thoughts
Kristin says
Haha I suppose I just made it sound more intriguing didn’t I? It’s a magical place.
Lindsey says
I completely understand this. In a world of information oversharing, that which we don’t share is so much more precious. It’s even worse when you have a large influence upon a travelling community. I love travel, but my heart aches for the changes that tourism is irreversibly thrusting onto the world.
Kristin says
Yes the world is definitely full of more and more information sharing but will less substance, it seems.
Alana - Paper Planes says
I often have similar conflicting feelings when writing about small places, or especially places in Thailand that I really care about…I want to share it but I don’t want to add to the possible destruction of a place…
Kristin says
I don’t know if I regret writing about some of these places so much or not. It’s an inherent conflict because my focus is on uncovering off the beaten path places. It’s a conflict of interest from the get-go.
Christine @thetraveloguer says
I think you’re so right to keep it to yourself. I first read about Burning Man years ago and I remember thinking I absolutely had to go. It sounded like such a special and alternative place.
I haven’t made it there yet, but to be honest, lately it seems like everyone goes and all the pictures of all the celebrities at it, and all the coverage it now receives has kind of turned me off going! I know it would still be amazing, but seeing it covered in gossip mags has made it less appealing to me. 🙂 I’m going to the States next year though, so it could be my chance to go!
Kristin says
I think those articles really do distract from what the reality of it is. Just the fact that now everyone is seeing it as more than some “desert freak fest” is kind of interesting.
El says
for me that time/place is a music festival in Victoria, Australia. It’s a time that everyone lets go and just enjoys the tunes and good vibes. It’s also one of the few times of year that my whole group of friends all take the time off to be together, so it kind of feels like a yearly reunion to start up the summer.
Kristin says
Which festival is that? Or is it a secret? 😉
Ryan says
Still need to finally go. Maybe next year will be that moment…every time I read about it or see photos it seems so otherworldly in the best way possible, and I definitely want to experience it before the VIPs take over it. Hopefully that never happens!
Kristin says
I don’t think that will really happen. I wasn’t impacted at all by the fact that they were there.
Raquel says
I’ve known of Burning Man for years now. When I first heard about it, it was through an obscure blog with few readers. The girl barely mentioned it, but I got interested. Because I was young and non-adventurous, I decided it wasn’t my thing and kind of forgot about it, until it came back to my life about 3-4 years ago. Ever since, I’ve wanted to attend, but because I’m in Europe I haven’t had the chance yet. Lately I worry that Burning Man won’t be the same thing I first heard about when I manage to be able to go, because as you say, I’ve seen it become more popular and acknowledged in the years since I first discovered it. I guess it’s kinda hypocritical that I don’t want other people to ruin it for me when I first heard about it just 6 years ago and haven’t been there yet, but what I want to say is that I understand what you mean wholeheartedly. Also the part of keeping it to yourself — this happens to me too. It’s why I struggle with myself in trying to decide whether I want to create a blog or not (though it’s totally off topic, but with this what I want to say is: I understand being torn about this!).
As a reader, I’m just glad you had another good experience at Burning Man! 🙂
Kristin says
I think it has changed every year since it started and that’s just the nature of it. It will change and that’s OK.
And you don’t have to put personal stuff on your blog, but you may find in time that you want to!
Sarah says
Oh, I definitely have secret places I keep to myself. It’s sad in a way, because you want other people to enjoy these places,but the more people know about them the integrity of what they are/ were becomes tainted and they no longer provide that sanctuary you once had. I have many places like that.
Kristin says
I battle with that a lot. I write about almost everywhere I go, but there are just a few places – very few – that I won’t say a word about. I won’t take credit for singlehandedly ruining these places, but Pai and the place where I got my bamboo tattoo have exploded in popularity and I’m not always happy with the resulting growing pains. It made me realize how big word of mouth, and especially blogs and instagram, can be