Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God – Kurt Vonnegut

Novel experiences are exercises for our brains. And Burning Man, the art-centric city that springs up every year in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, is teaming with them. But after fifteen years of burning, one runs the risk of getting burnt out. Rituals and traditions are important, and so is novelty. That's one reason I started attending more regional burns towards the end of the pandemic. Utah's Element 11 was first. Element 11 is eerily reminiscent of the flagship Nevada happening, except that its significantly smaller size allows one to easily find friends or reunite with new acquaintances. Florida's Love Burn is the polar opposite of the big burn, as it borders a beach and Amazon Prime delivers to the gate.

AfrikaBurn, one of the largest regional burns on Earth, had been on my radar for years. It always seemed exotic and otherworldly, and I honestly wasn't sure if I'd ever make the pilgrimage. When my Love Burn camp Cymatica started planning to attend, though, I began fantasizing about the possibility. I'd never been to Africa, and this seemed like the perfect chance to rectify that. Because fellow monochrome and part-time Cape Town resident Yellow Randolf is an AfrikaBurn vet, I consulted him for guidance. Synchronistically, Randolf's friends were involved with a theme camp planning to bring a literal ton of oranges to the burn. The fruit was being donated by Citrusdal, South Africa's biggest citrus-producing region. The camp's name? Ambient Naartjie. “Naartjie” is the the Afrikaans word for a soft, loose-skinned tangerine or mandarin orange. Talk about dustiny.

So how was it? A cascade of synchronicities led to singing the mantra “Baba Hanuman” with ukulele accompaniment for a spontaneous yoga class on day one. And magic continued to transpire from that point forward. I led a rousing “Hakuna Matata” singalong at a French music bingo dance party. Got goosebumps as the burning Tree of Stories kicked up a parade of dust devils. Co-facilitated singalongs with fellow Coloradan Danny Fantastic at ABnB. Was transported to the big burn via Monolink's set at Ubulanti. Serenaded my lovely German neighbors at Ambient Naartjie. Basked in sunset vibes at Mad Hatters Village. And was blown away by the musicality of Forefathers Ensemble's Friday night sound journey.

Color me grateful for new friends and memories.

Images: Lara De Wet