ePlaya

Hi everyone and thank you for having the time reading my post!

This year im not missing it by any chance, but since im in another country (Mexico) i was wondering what is my best choice since i cant fly with all my camp equipment i got here, there is a big chance i travel solo, And if my friends join could be 5 more friends.

Im looking for a camp i could make a donation and have all the amenities already there, since i i travel solo, will have no car, i think will be a struggle find a location to take a bath, cook, and of course sleep. In other words... which camp are the "best" for this i cant travel with pretty much anything and will arrive empty handed to Nevada, i think i could go to a wal-mart after the airport, but thats pretty much it.

Or DO i have to bring everything?

Sorry for the Newbie questions... Any camp is taking people like me for a donation? I need a place to sleep, eat and take a bath.

Saludos Amigos!! =)

Most of the people on this board have been for many years and have a whole basement, garage or storage unit of camping equipment, art supplies and even special bikes and mutant vehicles.

We have also seen a trend of people arriving at the event without preparing and endangering the existence of the event as well as its spirit of self sufficiency. It's a wilderness campout, not a festival.

What you want is a "plug and play" PnP camp. You can search using google - site:eplaya.burningman.org "plug and play." The other option is the hippie plug and play camp operated by the Green Tortoise.

There are dozens to hundreds of threads on "fly in."

But the first place to start is to read all the burningman.org reading at the top of the Greeters Station forum. Burning Man is not for everyone and there is no entitlement that comes with a ticket.

I think it is highly unlikely that you will find anywhere to take a bath in Black Rock City.

(maybe a steam bath, if you really hunt for it)

PacoAleman wrote:Or DO i have to bring everything?

Yes, that is absolutely the expectation. You need to bring everything you need to survive, whether or not you find a camp to join. You should view anything a theme camp promises to provide as a luxury that supplements what you have brought yourself, you should never count on it for necessities.

There are many burners who come from much farther away than Mexico and are still self-sufficient (and there are all sorts of posts in the eplaya archive about how they do it). If you read up and prepare, you can do it too.

One tip: the eplaya search function doesn't work well. The best way to search the archive is to use google, and enter "site://eplaya.burningman.org" to your list of search terms.

Without a doubt, you want to camp with Voted Best Camp.

They are extremely understanding of International Travelers, and they feel that the exposure it brings to our community more than offsets doing a little extra work for them.

If you offer to donate $50 or so, they will treat you like a VIP and show you the ropes.

They even offer free bikes that are already decorated, and they can help dress you up.

The meal plan isn't always perfect, I recommend eating the fresh fruit early in the week.

I have heard that their chef sleeps in sometimes, so don't be upset if you have to settle for cereal for breakfast sometimes. But he'll get up if you say you flew into the event.

Other than that you really can't go wrong.

One other thing is that you don't even have to book them in advance. They actually like it when people show up at the burn so they can get more credit for the work they do taking in International "orphans". It all goes into their annual report of community service.

They're usually placed around 2:00 & G, just head over there with your backpack and ask around for Voted Best Camp, or "VBC". They like to play music at their bar, so the neighbors will usually know where to point you

AWESOME! all replies been really informative, i will do as a main task read all your suggestions since i will probably go solo. =)

PacoAleman wrote:AWESOME! all replies been really informative, i will do as a main task read all your suggestions since i will probably go solo. =)

torrey is messing with you, EDIT: (there is a VBC, but approaching a camp on playa expecting to be taken in is terrible advice) END EDIT. torrey seems to have forgotten (heavy snark)'s not cool until page two.

Yes, please do the reading, look over the many discussions from international burners, and see how others have done this. Look at the various camps, find out if they do things you want to do too, if you want to join in, see who is accepting new campers. You almost assuredly will need your own basics such as a tent. Please continue to ask questions, and LOL, be aware some replies may be joking around! Welcome.

AntiM wrote:torrey is messing with you, there is no VBC. torrey seems to have forgotten that's not cool until page two.

There actually is a VBC. And believe it or not, I feel that I'm acting very much in the spirit of their camp

That spirit is somewhat... burneriffic.

Are you smoking hot and/or rich?

torrey.smith wrote:

AntiM wrote:torrey is messing with you, there is no VBC. torrey seems to have forgotten that's not cool until page two.

There actually is a VBC. And believe it or not, I feel that I'm acting very much in the spirit of their camp

That spirit is somewhat... burneriffic.

Ah yes, playful snark that's potentially deadly. That's what I miss around here.

Enough of all this defaultia discussion about guns.

Is it true that everyone staying at VBC gets their own Zorb & that it's never windy on the Playa? That's worth at least $75.

It's awesome now that no one needs to prepare and can just buy their burn. That whole creative process always ruined it for me.
















Disclaimer: The above post has no useful information and is intended to be consumed as fresh snark. Snark should never be left at room temperature for more than 51 weeks. Consuming snark can lead to feelings of confusion, blurry vision, and in some cases feeling like a dumb-ass. Should you have an erection that persists for more than 51 weeks seek an orgy camp immediately after passing Gate

AntiM wrote:

PacoAleman wrote:AWESOME! all replies been really informative, i will do as a main task read all your suggestions since i will probably go solo. =)

torrey is messing with you, there is no VBC. torrey seems to have forgotten that's not cool until page two.

Awe come on guys, are you banning snark? Did the foam bumpers just go up to protect everyone who fails to embrace the 4th principal?

If so then we should all stay at VBC because we want our Burn handed to us rather than actually do a few searches, read a few posts, & watch a few videos.

OMG! Halcyon where are you when we need you most (raises arms and looks to sky)

Paco, there are tons of posts here and youtube videos on how to prepare for your first burn. But really, start here

https://burningman.org/event/preparation/

And remember, just like "Safety 3rd" No one cares about Your Burn as much as you.

No, we aren't banning snark. Snark simply should never be one of the top replies in any working topics in the working forums. Snark as a response to earnest questions is what drives away newbies and make eplaya seem like an insider club, unhelpful and mean. That's why "page two" is a courtesy here. This is the official board, not just our playground. We have to hash this out every few years.

For anyone who hasn't hung out with them, VBC is a punishment camp that naughty theme camps can spend a cycle placed next to if they've been bad before.

VBC is an inverse of the 10 principles, which serves a valuable purpose in providing contrast and stress-testing our community.

Without forces like VBC, our community will tend to evolve into an ever more tepid and safe direction.

VBC is a Killer-T Cell for Obsolescence.

If you go hang out with them, get into character and invert the 10 principles, and have a raucous good time. Kick their bartender out of their own bar and take over. Tell 'em Sarge from Sextant sent you

And if my practical joke were to pan out, our new friend would either fall in with a great crew organically, or hopefully check this thread, see "Sarge" and "Sextant" in my post bracketing, and come find their new home and job as a Tesla Coil operator

In other words, ****-****-****

Peace & Love,

PacoAleman, google the Green Tortoise hostel. They have a bus that goes into the event, a placed camp, etc. You will still need to bring your own tent and whatnot, share in the cooking and work, so it might be good to pack well before you leave Mexico and arrive early in SF and shop for a day. I've heard good things about GT. It's not a luxury camp from the descriptions . . . there's no shower.

Want to smell good easily? . . . Bring a squirt bottle, body wash (easier than soap), hand towels and baby wipes (in the refill bag, not the plastic box). Plus some lemon juice or vinegar to kill the alkali on your skin, perhaps some deoderant of course. You'll be fine. It's not humid. The sweat dries pretty quickly.

There's also the option of getting an RV share with someone independent OR involved with a camp . . . or shell out the big bucks for something well-established with many years on playa. Camps can be great, or mediocre, or complete disasters.

Welcome!

P.S. I love Voted Best Camp (I do!) but I do not recommend you approach them . . . and if you visit them & walk away, wear a mask on the back of your head so they can't tell which way you're facing. It's safer.

Sarge, thanks for the explanation. I hope you can understand my concern, we don't want a hundred newbies to show up with just a backpack!

I certainly didn't mean to disparage your knowledge.

All good!

I see a lot of people perfectly prepared with camelbacks and goggles comfortably consuming everything they see in front of them in a blind party crawl.

Sometimes a little subversion can be healthy.

A little history: I used to be a super poor hippie kid travelling through Mexico and Central America protesting Reagan's Contras with my Dad. We would often be broken down in our jalopy as the Green Tortoise made its way down the same trail.

It was interesting for me to come full circle and see them on the Playa.

I've always felt a little off to the side. I'm grateful to this community for giving me a playground to be myself and build my tribe.

Read as Newbie looking for sherpa camp

Paco - I was tempted to snark u but I had random thought. U can be the Burgin Poster Child for all to learn from. Show all others how a 1st timer from a far away place can assimilate as soon as ur foot hits the playa. Just follow these easy steps: 1) Stock up at Walmart in Fernley with enough supplies to be self sufficient for the week, 2) Bring gifts to share with ur fellow burners, 3) Bring a trash-bag to collect MOOP that u find (along with yours) and take it out when u leave. You'll learn that there are 7 other easy steps and u'll need to follow those too. Fuck ur Burn!

It’s simple. If you need a place where someone else has provided you with bathing and eating and sleeping facilities, you DON’T want to go to Burning Man.

How the hell does someone fly in from a zillion miles away and provide for themselves? Well... it was your idea to attend an event like this, seems like that’s your goddamm problem.

If I couldn’t bring a truck I simply wouldn’t go.