South Africa,
Botswana & Victoria Falls (Zambia)
African
Queens
A
gay group tours South Africa and finds a country rich in
contrasts
By
Andrew Mersmann
new york Blade - January 2003
The rubber on my
hiking boots is melting from being too close to the
campfire. But several courses of an al fresco gourmet meal
followed by brilliant red wine and a Cuban cigar has pinned
me to my chair. Such luxury under the vast African sky at a
private game reserve is such high style I fear a nosebleed.
South Africa, through the rosy red lens of a DavidTours gay travel journey, is providing a level
of opulence and decadence I normally experience only through
movies.
In South Africa, shantytown
life in the racially segregated (practically quarantined)
townships, systemic racism and a lot of recognizable if
sublimated anger, makes "diversity" a far-off goal. On my
tour, I experienced polar opposites of class and comfort,
and abject poverty and misery. Where apartheid is still a
fresh memory, the country is still a work-in-progress
politically, as it struggles to establish its own identity.
In the face of the chasm
between races and cultures, as well as the devastating
specter of AIDS, the tenacity and hopefulness of locals is
all the more inspiring. An incredibly advantageous currency
exchange rate to our dollar makes travel particularly
attractive.
A Johannesburg local told me
that in his father's generation, a common colloquialism
translated into English says that when strangers meet, they
embrace and "braid cocks," indicating the figurative
intimacy with which newcomers are welcomed. Where else could
you find that kind of reception?
DavidTravel (949-427-0199) specializes in luxury
travel for gay tourists. They will customize whatever you
would line and can work with more modest budgets,
too.
South African Airways
(800-722-9675; www.flysaa.com) is a cramped coach
experience, but the 15-hour flight to Johannesburg from New
York is the shortest trip possible from the U.S. SAA
provides the only direct flights to South Africa, from
Atlanta and JFK.
In the Bush
African dreams are filled
with wild animals and the occasional loincloth. Safari
lodges are the best way to experience wildlife.
Makweti Safari Lodge
(Welgevonden Game Reserve, Northwestern Province, South
Africa.) is the benchmark for service and
personal attention. An amazing chef spoiled us rotten, and
game rangers kept us laughing (and drinking) amid astounding
animal sightings. Private bungalows separated from one
another by meandering paths inspired feeling alone in the
bush, indeed, guests are not allowed out on the grounds
after dark for fear of animal confrontations.
Sunrise and sunset game
drives get us incredibly cozy with animals usually on the
other side of a ravine at the zoo, and the oh-so-civilized
tradition of "sundowners" (cocktails and appetizers out in
the wild) becomes comfortable very quickly.
Mala Mala Game Reserve (3650
Hillcrest, South Africa;) is one of the
most popular lodges. A stronger focus on animals means less
attention is paid to the guests' creature comforts. The game
viewing provided by the young ranger boy hotshots is unlike
any other. These guys stop at nothing as inconsequential as
brush, rivers or small trees to get us right next to
animals. Being close enough to a lioness and her cubs to
hear her lazy tongue lap across her paws as she grooms
herself and her young makes a jeep full of gay men want to
shriek.
Our third safari stay at
Singita Ebony Lodge (Benmore 2010, South Africa;) exceeds all rational expectations. From
personal plunge pools on our private decks overlooking the
elephants' favorite watering hole to the outdoor showers
beyond glass bathrooms, this five-star property is hard to
believe. Meals and open bar are expertly tended, and a
champagne reception and bush dinner amid lantern light in
the wild makes for goofy photos as none of us can close our
dropped jaws.
While not 100 percent gay
properties, these lodges are extremely gay-friendly. No one
batted an eyelash at our two jeep loads of screaming safari
queens or inquiries about same-sex honeymoon
packages.
The Other
Wildlife
Queer life in South Africa
is a large part of the nation's recent proud history, being
one of the only countries in the world with gay rights
written into the constitution. New decisions have made gay
and lesbian adoption acceptable in the eyes of national law,
and despite a few setbacks, same-sex marriage statutes
appear to be near at hand. The two main cities with lively
communities are Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Cape Town
Cape Town is a glorious
seaside city in the shadow of Table Mountain and other
lushly jagged peaks. The laid-back beach sensibility places
a high priority on watching the nightly spectacle of the sun
sinking into the confluence of Atlantic and Indian Ocean
waters. Beaches are crowded and popular, (their summer is
our winter) with nude beach Sandy Bay, and gay beach Clifton
#3 both worth finding.
Where to Stay
Capetonian accommodations
are a funky mix. We were pampered at the very posh
Table Bay
Hotel (50369 Waterfront, Cape Town 8002;) on the Victoria and Alfred
waterfront opening into Africa's largest shopping mall. The
hotel is surrounded by dozens of restaurants, and looks up
majestic mountains.
Alternatively, Cape Town's
gay village, De Waterkant in the Greenpoint district,
features several small hotel establishments and the
Village
and Life Apartments (Offices at corner of Loader and Waterkant Streets, Green Point;), a
cooperative of accommodations in are residences. Each being
privately owned, (and decorated) apartments, they range from
skanky to sublime, but definitely a bargain.
Dining
The Atlantic Restaurant
inside the Table Bay Hotel serves multi-course meals in
high-style Colonial digs. A short walk down the harbor to
Den Anker (Pierhead, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town;) provides seafood so fresh it keeps the
sea lions riveted.
Rozenhof Restaurant (18
Kloof St. Cape Town. 021-424-1968) is casually elegant and
provided one of my best meals.
Nightlife
The bar and club
establishments of gay Cape Town are scattered only steps
away from one another, with trendy
Bronx Action Bar (35
Somerset Road. Green Point;),
Club 55
(corner Somerset Rd. & Napier St., Green Point;), neighborhood friendly
Café Manhattan
(74 Upper Waterkant St., De Waterkant Village;), and leather/uniform hangout Bar Code
(16 Hudson Street, Cape Town; 021-421-5305) the most
popular.
A short stroll also turns up
the extremely popular Hothouse Sauna (18 Jarvis St., Cape
Town; www.hothouse.co.za) and The Barracks (corner Highfield
Rd. & Waterkant St., Green Point; www.thebarracks.co.za)
one of two boy-brothels, dubbed by our group "the lobster
tank" for the one-way mirror from behind which you choose
your "dinner" from the holding pen of relaxing men.
The Cape Town lesbian scene
is low key and women-only functions and clubs relegated to
scarce one-night-a-week (or month) events, but most bars
have mixed crowds. Look for
Womyn Magazine on newsstands to find current events.
Johannesburg
Locals in the Johannesburg
queer community are locked in cultural competition with Cape
Town eager to prove their hometown is the gay Mecca. In
Johannesburg, South Africa's capital, diversity and
cosmopolitan life are indeed in store.
Where to Stay
The Grace Hotel (54 Bath
Ave., 2196 Rosebank;) is a gem of
old-fashioned hospitality. Not only will they bubble wrap
and box the souvenirs you acquire, every guest gets a free
neck and shoulder massage upon arrival.
Dining
Melville is a hip
neighborhood with cafes and cocktail bars amid design shops
and hip eateries. I had one drink at new gay bar Statement
(Seventh Street, Melville; 011-482-5593) before a large meal
next door at LUST: Decadent Dining (Shop 6C, Seventh Street,
Melville; 011-482-6910).
Nightlife
The gay scene in
Johannesburg is most alive in a conclave of several clubs
sharing one cover charge, called
Heartland. (Braamfontein,
Johannesburg;). Among clustered bars
C-Men, Therapy, Purple Fly, Club Venom, Re-Load, The Vault,
and Club Giza, there is something for everyone in a perfect
example of one-stop shopping. Lesbian vacationers looking
for women-only events should consult Womyn Magazine's
schedules. But rest assured, dance clubs are mixed and
welcoming.