What Burning Man Is Like...

Burning Man 2016 from David C. Hill on Vimeo.


oh, and that cute girl on the hot pink bike you'll see around 9:50...that's me.

Burning Man: EVERYTHING

Best burn ever.

This year...

• 50k went awesome (except I pooped 4x during mine!) w a new male course record set and fastest naked runner ever!
• Playa wedding to my love, Stedman. Will likely be more fun than our regular wedding (if we don't just run from our families and head to City Hall!)
• Amazing art
• BEST CAMP EVER - Pink Lightning totally rocked this year
• Awesome beer mile spectating
• Did I say amazing camp?
• Fell even harder in love with Stedman
• I love my yurt
• Great vibe
• Great music
• Super fun duststorms

Surprises in Tiruvannamalai

Tiruvannamali turns out to be one of the most rewarding places I’ve been. And it’s the spirutality, but also, a very unexpected person.

I got to my guesthouse, Sunshine Guesthouse, and was told I should rest for an hour, everything was closed. Everyone in India always wants you to rest, relax, sit down - and I’m often the opposite, I don’t mind walking around in the heat of the day, but okay. I did some laundry in the bucket and put the fan on to dry it. (Exciting lives of backpackers!)

Then I headed out to the temple. It’s not just one temple, but a collection of a lot of temples. There were tons of Hindus praying, listening to the talks, getting ash on their forehead. I was the only Westerner that I saw inside, and everyone was very serious. I watched from a distance and observed.

After, I decided to walk to the ashram. Everyone in India thinks you should take tuktuks everywhere, but I like to walk. On my walk, I stopped to get a coconut, say hi to some children, pop into a few shops, relax. In front of the ashram, after buying some mala beads for a friend, I began to dodge traffic to cross the street - tuktuks and motorbikes driving like they were on a mission. A woman begging followed me.

And then I heard, “CHERIE!”

I turned around in disbelief, because really, who could know me? There was just one person in India who knew where I was (Ash) and he was back in Chennai.

I couldn’t place him immediately, but then I realized after he said, “Burning Man Ultramarathon.”

Yes, he was one of the runners! I remembered that he was from Hong Kong, and a pretty decent runner.

He introduced me to his fiancee and we chatted on the street for a while, during which more people asked for money. (Everyone does different things with giving money here...some don’t do it on principle that it will encourage people to beg more, others give to two people a day. I give to people that don’t hound or hassle me; I don’t want to encourage those people.) We went into the ashram, and talked more, and then listened to the chanting. Pure peace. Wonderful energy in there.

They mentioned they wanted to do the mountain walk tonight; did I want to come? Absolutely. I had wanted to go but didn’t want to do it alone.

After getting something to eat and dropping off at my room for a bit, I met them again. They were dressed in white, and I was dressed in sweat.

We began the walk. It was a pilgrimage where you stop at 8 lingas, these shrines basically, and there are other temples on the way. We imagined a lovely  mountain trail; it was primarily a busy street.

There were lots of pilgrims, most barefoot, even though it was night and on stone-covered roads.

We talked about reforming the education system, love and pregnancy, food poisoning, marriage on the playa, being satisifed, conspicious consumption and consumption culture, how to be happy...the conversations were thoughtful and thought-provoking, and I was grateful for it.

We stopped on the way and ate some cauliflower dosa.

We walked some more. We stopped at lingas on the way, accepted ashes on our foreheads. We removed our shoes and watched as the pilgrims walked without shoes, bravely.

It made me believe in the miracle of travel, of the world. I was suppsoed to be in Tiruvannamalai the day before; I almost stopped in at some shops or a restaurant, but didn’t. So the timing of the stars led us to meet up at this perfect moment.

Burning Man is not just a festival, it is a community. And I’m grateful to have been a part of it.

Burning Man

Burning Man 2015 was love and friendship and community and good energy and running and a little chaos and fun and dust and cold and mess and everything in between.

medusa

wayne finishes building something else. badass boy. i love him

means so much

meaning in mirrors

jose is ready for the beer mile :)

da man

this "ride" made me ill the rest of the day

utah and me

yos, bernie, mike, and me. freaking cold and dusty day

fllaming lotus girls always impress

what i called the creepy temple

Our camp this year had amazing vibes (waaaaaay better than last year, when I left the playa in tears) and totally inclusive and helpful. It was great.

The ultra was great fun, even if we had a few duststorms during the later part of the race. Amazing.

The art was better than last year, some truly spectacular pieces.

I realized some major life changes that needed to happen.

i was marrying jim and leanne here

Wayne and I grew closer, as we always do on the playa.

me and wayne, in the midst of a dusty day

I made some great friends.

our camp....well, some of us.

I danced.

I laughed.

I lived. 

I was able to just be.

it's all abt fire