Boom

Boom – 6 days of music, art, yoga, food, performance and workshops in the heat of Portuguese summer. A great experience even though I only made it for the last 2 nights. The dance temple was unlike anything I’ve seen before, there were these huge dragons above the dance floor, sprinklers around the edges so you can cool off while dancing in the 37 degree heat, and wonderful psychedelic artwork around the outsides.

I need a retina camera and/or brain to Google doc writer…. Now that I am home I can’t put anything into words to describe Boom properly. But i will try.

** insert profound life changing epiphany here that is now forgotten…**

I went searching for something, I’m not sure what but i found a glimpse of something beautiful. I feel like i am just scratching the surface of this new world, a world where people of all cultures live together peacefully with respect for the land, each other, shared love for music and self expression. A world where money is not important*, where families become truly connected, where you can see that there could just be another way… another way away from the rat race, the concrete jungle, the 9-5, the judgement of society…a chance to reflect and see people truly enjoying themselves at a festival without alcohol abuse and aggressive defensive behavior. I was constantly surprised at the overall peaceful and calm nature of everyone, I felt safe the entire time, I never saw security controlling queues or anything like that. This was crucial I think to being able to relax and absorb this new life we get to be in while we are there.

(*There were markets there so it wasn’t a gift society like Burning Man)

The sacred Fire was a magical area that had so many nooks and cranny’s to discover. There were mushroom lights, fairy shops, little gardens, chickens, swings, a tree full of messages.

One of the most special moments I captured was a baby and his father foraging though one of the gardens.

The area was almost a desert, the land pretty much barren so the event organisers had spent months preparing pockets of fertile ground for the gardens. It was lovely when walking around to discover one.

While making my way back to my tent at 3.30am after a great dance, I wandered into this huge marquee that was screening documentaries about space so i went in there lay down and drifted off to sleep, never once feeling unsafe or vulnerable.

I loved seeing all the families there too, I have huge respect for parents who introduce their children to this culture early on, and they get to grow up seeing adults having a good time, running around acting young, playing, meeting other kids from around the world, they will learn to think outside the box and that there is more to the world than the default society.

I came away knowing i have so much to learn and explore and grow which is exciting, humbling and daunting.

Boom baby, i will be back!