Good Night, Sleep Tight, Don't Let the Hippies Bite

Burning Man is an exhausting experience. The party is infamous for going on all night, but I never seem to have enough energy left by the end of each day to do anything but sleep.

It's a good thing I'm a sound sleeper, because the community around me seems to be decidedly anti-sleep. On the advice of Burning Man regulars, I make sure to camp near the middle of "the playa." The reason for this strategy is simple; the rave camps are located at each end of the city, and they are notorious for playing loud techno music throughout the night.

I can only imagine how annoying that must be. I am camped right next to "Kidsville," which makes me reasonably certain that my spot is among the quietest at night. Still, I am treated to constant rap music and loud yells throughout the night and into the morning. Fireworks go off in the night sky, which is great, and loud fire explosions erupt from all sides, which is not, mainly because these explosions are unceasing.

"Mutant" vehicles roam the landscape for all hours. These are cars that double as works of art, which generally means they barely qualify as either. They range from high tech elaborate theme cars that would make the Rose Bowl envious to glorified golf carts with bad crafts glued to the sides. Nearly all of them carry groups of loud people and nearly all of them come complete with music.

A few of them make it a point to roam the entire city blasting music loudly at inconvenient times. I can sleep through almost anything, but I'm pretty sure I could have brought physical harm to the group that felt the need to blare "Turn Around" at high volumes at four in the morning.

All said, it is easy to see why so many people leave Burning Man incredibly fatigued. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that the whole experience is significantly enhanced for those who enjoy licking toads.

There are, however, some positive aspects to the Burning Man experience even for the completely sober. I will detail these tomorrow for those of you tired of hearing me bitch about hippies. Until then, I am off to bed.