Feel the Burn.

What can I possibly say? Krishna Camp was there. We built, we cooked, we created, we opened our hearts, we distributed love, we conquered, we were sober.

I've done my fair share of partying. I have gone far out of my way to find a good party, crossing several borders and continents in search of a good time, and just when I thought I would take a break from partying this summer, I get a call from Nitai.
Burning Man is unlike any concert, festival, Rainbow Gathering, Demolition Party, etc that I have been too. We are talking 50,000 folks, average age of 35, assembled for one week of creative debauchery in one of the most extreme ecosystems on the planet. Brilliant.

It actually kind of is though. Everyone is totally out of their average day-to-day element. The festival is meant for creative, uninhibited expression. Everything has to be built from scratch, all materials carried in, including water, and not a trace to be left behind.

You'd be interested to know that this constructed city called Black Rock City is built on top of an ancient lake bed, an ecosystem called the playa. Batholithic deposits and sedimentary marine packages characterize this fascinating desert landscape. Fortunately, a few of us arrived early to set up camp and I was able to appreciate the land's unique beauty before the madness ensued.
I quickly locked in as the kitchen mobilizer. I've cooked in some interesting places, but never with 45 mph sand storms threatening the feast. Everyday the sand came, everyday the kitchen was destroyed, a half inch of playa covering everything.

We did manage to serve some incredible prasadam. Coconut-avocado smoothies, mango salsa, Spanish rice, donuts, pineapple nectar, oriental noodles with ginger-peanut sauce, hot puris and chai to name a few of the delectables.
The most amazing night was that of the official "burn." The major creative component of this year's Krishna Camp was to reconstruct a Ratha Yatra cart that was recently acquired from the Vancouver temple. The amount of work, effort, sweat, tears, suntan lotion and pure devotion that went into building the cart blew me away. When the cart was finished, a light rain showered the playa and a double rainbow appeared in the sky.

The "burn" refers to when the mascot burning man is lit up in flames while thousands of fire spinners dance around and tens of thousands of fellow burners do their thing amongst one another. I watched the madness from the most pacifying, exciting, secure, and satisfying seat in the universe, on Lord Jagannatha's chariot at the side of Lord Baladeva. For hours the devotees, new friends, and I sat and chanted, sang, prayed, observed, smiled, laughed, and cried while the havoc ensued down below. This was one of the most fantastic moments in my entire life. I felt complete confirmation from Krishna to pursue this spiritual path of loving devotion and purification.
Amazingly enough, I made it out sober, invigorated, inspired, and alive. The ol' feet got pretty busted but they are quickly recovering. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone at Burning Man for such an awesome experience and especially to the devotees and friends at Krishna Camp for their example of unmotivated, unalloyed devotional service. You are the personification of love and compassion. How can I ever repay you for the inspiration you have given me?

Count me in for next year. I love you all.