Zorba: The Buddha Festival

Thousands upon thousands of dirty hippies (and even more Australians) traverse the desert by car, foot, and Egged bus to arrive at this random place.  We are greeted by welcome signs and balloons in a scene reminiscent of that one really trippy scene form Across the Universe. We drop our tents and few belongings under a mass tent and head inside to explore.  As we were early, it was still relatively quiet.   Lanterns and lights and tye-dye and hippie pants and people selling crafts and so many dreads and mats to lay on and grass to chill on and a smoking temple and a stage and 'ohelim' or tents set up all over with names like 'yoga world' or 'movement world' or 'masculine world' and babies running around naked and adults running around crazy and guitars and a gross amount of diggery-doos and free love and acceptance and peace and chill.

The Netzer Tent- it was visible for miles around

I spent five days there.  I took yoga classes and meditation and breathing and women's talk circles and I was blindfolded and danced to trance music and learned how to dance my way through the gypsy world and met so many cool people.  So much unhealthy food and waiting in line to drink cold water and sweating and burning holes in the bottom of the tent and climbing trees and thousands and thousands of people having individual and group experiences.
I learned a lot of new things over the course of Zorba, and here are a select few for your reading enjoyment:

• Of all the cultures I've encountered, of all the accents I've heard, and of all the nationalities I've met, I can positively say that I just really do not like Australians.  They had attended Zorba in large groups, loud and chill-distrubingly disruptive.  We spent the better part of the first few days avoiding these raucous clumps, but finally gave in.  After spending some quality one-on-one time with a few Aussies, I had changed my mind, but after another big group experience, I changed it back.  The final decision is this:  Australians are people just like me and you.  We have to meet them and get to know them, and only after can we make informed judgements on whether or not we want to be friends.  Australians en masse, however, are to be avoided at all costs.  Especially if they have diggery-doos.

• Being American is just not as interesting as being South African, but being Californian is.

• The more physical torture you put your feet through, the more tolerable they are to stepping on sharp rocks.  There's a strategy involved.

• If you think eating matzah and chocolate spread and only matzah and chocolate spread for five days sounds like fun, like I did, you are wrong.  There will be a point where you are willing to let the food service guy airplane some lavane into your mouth to get some real food.

• Swimming in a pool does not count as a shower.  Especially if that pool has been used by dirty hippies without being cleaned for four days...

• Being shouting 'zrichim lreddit' at to tell us to get down from a tree does not mean that you can't just walk to a different tree and climb that one instead.

• The dirtier my hands get, the less I want to bite my nails.  So after five days in the desert, I now have the longest nails I've ever had.

• Hair: it needs to be washed.  Frequently.

• It is always possible to get free ice cream and coffee.

• Diggery-doos musical circles are doomed from the start

• There's something to be said for meditation.  To be completely honest, I was skeptical, but I went in with an open mind and I'm glad I did.  The more open you were with everything, the more you got out of it.  There were so many times that I thought, if anyone just walked over and saw this, they would be absolutely and completely astonished and freaked out.  But everyone got into it and not a single person was giggling under their breath.

I like Chai Tea, who knew?

The overall mood of Zorba was accepting, chilled, musical, spiritual, and open.  Despite the dirt and bad food and Australians and foot injuries and desert heat, I'm glad I went.  Even though I'm sure there are still little green tree balls still in my hair somewhere...

The Sights

The food, it smelled so good but cost so much...

Benjy  decides to cool me off one hot day

Nighttime Chills

Ohelim Yaffim

A free dinner = treating ourselves to tea and cakes

Lights and Dancing, Dancing and Lights

Our Israeli neighbors

Trance Dance

Amazingly Artistic Abilities

A musical interlude

'Close your eyes'

The White at Night

...

The more you get into it, the more you get out of it