The Café

The desert was dusty and hot. It was approx 40 degrees C, and sand everywhere, and the van often felt very varm and sticky. So the enormous tent on the Playa, the only café in the area, was an exellent place for resting, coffee and hot chai. Noosphere had a digital camera, and we used it a lot, trying to capture some of the athmosphere.

We could sit there for hours, and there would always be someone dancing, chanting, playing some instrument, reading loud or drumming. Day and night, - was an ever ongoing performance. Here was also an exellent opportunity to get to know other people visiting Burning Man, and sharing thoughts and experiences about this project. At one point I was resting alone, waiting for Noosphere who was standing in a cue in order to buy some chai, when a rich Cuban businessman and his young male secretary sat down and asked for company.
- Was I Swedish? And what did I do here?
- Norwegian, neighbour country of Sweden, travelling with a guy, I replied.
- Who was he, my husband?
- No, someone I met on the Internet.

I think my Cuban friend got rather shocked.

- You Skandinavians, he said, - are crazy. My wife is Swedish.
- Well, then you surely know all about that. So where is she?
- Travelling somewhere in Sweden.
- Sure. And what are you doing here, then? I asked.
- Just looking around, he said when Noosphere suddenly turned up with two cups of chai and was introduced to my new friends.
The rest of that conversation was rather interesting. As I told you readers of my blog once before: This might turn into a big novel! (And I'll come back to this story later!
I promise.)

Some people even used the tent to have a nap during daytime, because the activities at night were cooler and the show never ended. There was an ongoing party for five days. At least! And some got really exhausted, no wonder!