The setting was Burning Man, an annual happening in the Nevada dessert, where about 15.000 people gathered for several days to express their artistic creativity, to loose their inhibitions and behave as weirdly as they feel like, to be friends with all of the other participants, and to play and party day and night. There were hundreds of theme camps, some of which must have taken a year to prepare. At most of them you could participate in some activity (creeping through a giant spiral ammonite whose corridor becomes narrower and narrower, receiving a relaxing massage, jumping a trampoline, having your body painted, getting henna tattoos that stay for three weeks, getting flogged with soothing soft foam rubber bars, doing various games, etc. etc.). There were impressive works of art, like a scale model of the solar system that stretches for kilometers, statutes of all kinds, and structures and vehicles that defy description. Performances of all kinds were going on, including an opera with a cast of hundreds and a decor involving a life-size castle. Living rooms were driving through the streets of the temporary city/campground, a tank-sized flamethrower caused impressive ignitions, 20 meter long balloons floated in the sky, people were walking around and dancing naked, or in the most outrageous costumes, and music of various kinds was generated at many sources during the nights. There was no division between organizers and spectators; everybody participated one way or another. No money was charged at any attractions - everyone enjoyed sharing their creativity and goods with others. In fact everybody was welcome everywhere; you could walk into anybodies private camp, and be welcomed heartily. People were sharing their food and supplies with their neighbors, and were really nice to everybody else. One didn't have to lock ones car, and you could leave your camera anywhere without fear that it got stolen. There were no fights, and as far as I know nobody got hurt. All of this was in the middle of nowhere, at the edge of a flat alkali dessert, on which not even a single strand of grass would grow. Everyone had to bring food, water, and shade for the entire time with them, and prepare seriously for surviving in the harsh climate of the dessert. In the end, everything that had had its use was burned - fires everywhere, a pyromaniac's dream coming through. The climax of the event was the burning of the Man, a giant wooden structure filled with fireworks that had guarded the event.
Around 8pm, about an hour before the burn started, I was drinking a vodka-cranberry juice with the seven people camped next to me. They told me they were going to take ecstasy, and I said that I was really eager to try this out as well. One of the girls in their company gave me the only spare pill they had, something for which I will be grateful eternally. As was common at the event, maybe due to the heat, I hadn't eaten anything apart from a heavy breakfast 12 hours earlier, yet didn't feel hungry. This was a good thing, as the effect of ecstasy is more intense when taken on an empty stomach.
An hour earlier I had taken a mud/clay bad in a hole that people had dug in the floor and filled with water. The desert floor contains so much clay that the water doesn't disappear, but it becomes very muddy, and due to the alkali you float on top of it, rather than in it, just like in the dead sea. Consequently I was coated with clay, which just had dried up. The dry layer of clay was pulling my skin whenever I moved, which was a very pleasant sensation, felt all over my body. I didn't wash it off. As it was getting slightly chilly I pulled on a shirt on top of the clay, but this felt so awful that I took it off immediately, and decided attend the burn dressed in clay only, reasoning that the fire would keep me warm. In fact it turned out that ecstasy slightly raises the body temperature, and kept me (feeling) warm enough, even away from the fire.
About half an hour after intake, while walking from the campsite to the Man, the effects of the drug became noticeable. As predicted, I started to feel a strong tingling sensation all over my skin, which was very pleasant. The others in my company reported that they felt the first signs as well. The pulling sensation of the dry clay was strongly amplified; it was an extremely sensual feeling. I also got an erection, and it felt like I had no way to stop it. Not that I wanted to; I reasoned that at this event nobody would be offended, and it would be irrational to feel embarrassed - which consequently I wasn't. As it had gotten dark and my companions where all dressed, I couldn't tell if any of the males had similar reactions.
By the time we arrived at the Man, the tingling was not so noticeable anymore, but my skin felt absolutely wonderful. I felt a strong urge to get closer to my companions, touch them, feel intimate, and rub my hands over their bodies. Happily enough they felt more or less the same way, and didn't mind at all to be touched. We did a few intense group hugs, and finally sat down close to the man, themidst 15000 other people, pleasantly packed together on slightly less then touching distance. An enormous vibrant energy emanated from the masses. Everybody appeared to be radiantly enjoying. We shouted "burn!, burn!, burn!, ...". I sat as close as possible to the girl at my right, who belonged to the group I had joined that evening. The girl at my left-hand side was a stranger. Both of my hands had to be rubbing all the time. My right hand over my right neighbour, and my left hand over myself. Also the latter was absolutely rewarding; it had never before felt so good to let my hand slide over my own breast, arms, legs, etc. Only when I moved my hand in a smooth fluent movement from my left foot to my left knee, it had a tendency to go straight ahead to the knee of my left neighbor, something I was able to intercept most of the time (only). I asked the girl on my right if I was behaving obnoxiously in any way, but she told me to relax and go with the flow, which I was more than happy to do. The way I felt was not particular sexual, at least not in a genital sense (my erection had completely disappeared and did not return in any way), but I felt excessively sensual. In the meantime, the burn had started, and the masses were highly exited and cheerful, and I felt strongly part of the joy of all those people and the festive atmosphere. Probably I would have felt that way also without the aid of ecstasy - the event didn't need drugs to be absolutely wonderful. Yet, I believe that the drug-induced pleasure was added to the joy sprouting from the happening itself.
After the man had burned down, but a huge fire remained, people started wandering a bit, and I spotted a friend from Stanford's computer science department, where I work. I ran over to greet him and his friends, and spend a large part of the night with them. This was about three and a half hours after intake, and the effects of the ecstasy started to diminish. Still I felt deliciously sensual, and kept moving my hands over my body. The clay had a tendency to change to powder when rubbed, and consequently not much of it was left anywhere on me.
While being on ecstasy my control over my movements was somewhat reduced: I spilled a bit of vodka-cranberry juice over myself (I had taken the remains of my only glass with me) and I found it difficult to press the shutter-release button of my camera halfway. I did not loose my sense of judgment, and would not have done anything I would regret later. During the evening I felt very thirsty, and consequently drunk a lot of water, which others were kind enough to offer me. The desert makes thirsty anyway, and people were advised to drink one or two gallons of water a day and carry a bottle of water at all times. Personally I'm not at all a thirsty person and drunk relatively moderately. So far I had managed quite well without carrying water, as I don't like carrying things at all. Taking ecstasy made a huge difference in my desire for water; I understood why my original companions had taken a bottle each with them. Five to six hours after taking the ecstasy I felt almost normal again. Yet, during the night I felt neither hungry nor cold nor sleepy, and was able to dance, talk and enjoy until the early morning.