"Shedding the Old South Africa" - travel article

quote:

Originally posted by luvnaturism:
Sounds great. ...You write well.

Thank you for the compliment. It was one of the most enlightening trips I've ever been on, and would go back in a heartbeat. (This pic shows a small part of Sandy Bay nude beach in Cape Town.)

[luvnaturism]

Sounds great. South Africa is a country I'd like to visit someday.

You write well. Thanks for sharing.

I've had a couple of CFF members ask me to post one of my articles. This was published in 2002, I think, about how things have changed in south Africa and what naturists will find there.

Shedding the Old South Africa
c. 2001

It is not until you actually visit South Africa in person -- not by e-mail, not through cyberspace, not through a movie or over a telephone -- that the full scope of its 20th century history hits you like the everpresent, benevolent sunshine that has helped make that country so wealthy.

It had a horrible, racist government from 1948 until 1990, which promoted a sanctioned system of apartheid - a separation of the races. This dictatorial, non-democratic government instilled repression, mistrust and anger in countless citizens: black, white, and "colored" - the South African word meaning all the other people with non-European and non-black African backgrounds.

In 1994, the first democratically elected government of South Africa was placed in power with a tremendously effective president: Nelson Mandela. But it has only been six years, and growing pains are still clearly evident. Masses of rural Africans from other countries are flooding into South African towns and cities; unemployment is rampant; and schooling and continuing education is absolutely mandatory to see this country prosper for all out of the apartheid regime.

Some whites resent the new power of the black majority; other whites are happy and relieved with the status quo and glad they did not leave their homeland like many did in the mid-'90s. But most of all, the black majority is a forgiving one, in part thanks to the continuing leadership of people like former President Mandela and Episcopalian Archbishop Desmond Tutu. And a tourist must never forget that there are many whites who never, ever agreed with the policies of their former government. To not give South Africa a chance to develop its tourism industry would be yet another crime inflicted on its black majority.

This is not a history lesson, but it is to acquaint the non-South African naturist with what he or she will encounter in this stunningly beautiful country. The freedom to be nude in a social setting is still a relatively new phenomenon, and is practised by a surprisingly small number of people. This is undoubtedly due to the teachings of the Dutch Reformed Church, the country' s main Christian religion; a Victorian sensibility felt by those of British-descent; and an inherent shyness of full nudity by those of the African tribal societies.

Charl and Erna are a friendly middle-aged white couple who own and operate a small day tour operation in Cape Town. They started an offshoot to this business in the fall of 1999 by designing day trips for naturists visiting the Cape region. Charl had taken early retirement from a municipal government position, and today wonders what many of his professional colleagues might think of the naturist lifestyle he and Erna adopted many years ago when they began mountaineering as a hobby. Consequently, he tends to keep both businesses separate for the time being.

"The Calvinistic background of the majority of the South Africans of European descent means that they would be reasonably anti-naturist," Charl told me one weekday in February as we sat on a windswept Sandy Bay beach, the beautiful (unofficial) nude beach near Cape Town. I counted all of ten people scattered over the wide expanse of sand and rocks. Talk about privacy!

"But more than that," he continued, "is that the owner of a large naturist resort north of here got into financial trouble several years ago, and let's just say that his morals and ethics were making true naturists look like a joke. That turned off a lot of people, naturists and textiles alike."

Indeed, even when Charl, Erna, another couple and myself went hiking two days later in the mountains close to wine country and the town of Wellington, all seemed to voice the same opinion: naturism in the Cape region seems to be centred around small-knit circles of friends and acquaintances, while the larger naturist campgrounds and resorts are in the north, and close to Johannesburg and capital of Pretoria.

"Being a registered tour guide, I have many contacts who own several cottages and bungalows or small holiday homes," Charl explained. "We have approached a select few and asked them if they would be willing to host naturists on an exclusive basis when we have out-of-city customers. This way we can accommodate naturists from around the world in superior settings, but at a very reasonable price."

He's not kidding. The standard of currency, the Rand, is at a low ebb at the moment, and American, British and Canadian currencies can go a long way in South Africa this year. Consider a cottage with a stocked fridge, and transportation to and from naturist sites for about US$100 per night! Not a bad deal. [Author's Note: This was in 2001 - but prices have not changed much in 5 years.]

Charl and Erna are dedicated hikers and climbers, and the day trip to the mountain pools of the Slanghoek Mountain range at the top of Bainskloof Pass was - shall we say - a little strenuous for this novice "mountaineer". (Charl later informed me that they also host several other day trips that are on flat land and do not require great strenuous activity. I was just happy that I had stopped smoking last year and actually completed this trek without collapsing!) The scenery was beautiful on the way, however, and you feel a bit like a colonial explorer when you're trudging over the rocky terrain. Then it gets hot, and you're sipping water quite often, and then Erna reminds you to put more sunscreen on your neck and ears. (Incidentally, you are fully clothed at this point; it would be foolhardy to be nude in case you slipped or fell.)

After about an hour, you gingerly make your way down the very last incline, and -- lo and behold! -- you encounter the most magical series of pools and little waterfalls of your life. I was honestly at a loss for words at one point: unusual sky blue flowers and then a bouquet of yellowy-orange flowers - all unknown to me - were growing out from underneath the rocks. The mountains enveloped us in this tiny valley; it was almost too perfectly landscaped. No mosquitoes, no bugs, and certainly no wild animals. Tarzan was taking the day off, I guess. Everyone began cupping their hands to drink from the clearest water I've ever seen - and then the clothes came off.

"Can you imagine anyone wanting to wear anything in this environment?" I asked Charl as we began to position ourselves to jump in the water. Duh. Dumb question.

Later, Erna opened a picnic basket of home-prepared boxed lunches of cold cuts, olives, tomatoes, cheese, rolls & butter, juice and fruit. As with any food that is consumed in a beautiful place, it all tasted just slightly better than it normally might. Erna even had hot tea or coffee available, and asked me three times if I wanted a cup - a testament to her true Afrikaner hospitality!

For the naturist, South Africa is worth a trip. The flight from North America and Europe might be long, but South African Airways is excellent, with terrific service and tasty meals. You may want to try the campgrounds or mini-resorts of the Johannesburg area; otherwise, try the Cape region with its incredible wines, long beaches, mountain hikes and more nature than you could imagine.

I've had a couple of CFF members ask me to post one of my articles. This was published in 2002, I think, about how things have changed in south Africa and what naturists will find there.

Shedding the Old South Africa
c. 2001

It is not until you actually visit South Africa in person -- not by e-mail, not through cyberspace, not through a movie or over a telephone -- that the full scope of its 20th century history hits you like the everpresent, benevolent sunshine that has helped make that country so wealthy.

It had a horrible, racist government from 1948 until 1990, which promoted a sanctioned system of apartheid - a separation of the races. This dictatorial, non-democratic government instilled repression, mistrust and anger in countless citizens: black, white, and "colored" - the South African word meaning all the other people with non-European and non-black African backgrounds.

In 1994, the first democratically elected government of South Africa was placed in power with a tremendously effective president: Nelson Mandela. But it has only been six years, and growing pains are still clearly evident. Masses of rural Africans from other countries are flooding into South African towns and cities; unemployment is rampant; and schooling and continuing education is absolutely mandatory to see this country prosper for all out of the apartheid regime.

Some whites resent the new power of the black majority; other whites are happy and relieved with the status quo and glad they did not leave their homeland like many did in the mid-'90s. But most of all, the black majority is a forgiving one, in part thanks to the continuing leadership of people like former President Mandela and Episcopalian Archbishop Desmond Tutu. And a tourist must never forget that there are many whites who never, ever agreed with the policies of their former government. To not give South Africa a chance to develop its tourism industry would be yet another crime inflicted on its black majority.

This is not a history lesson, but it is to acquaint the non-South African naturist with what he or she will encounter in this stunningly beautiful country. The freedom to be nude in a social setting is still a relatively new phenomenon, and is practised by a surprisingly small number of people. This is undoubtedly due to the teachings of the Dutch Reformed Church, the country' s main Christian religion; a Victorian sensibility felt by those of British-descent; and an inherent shyness of full nudity by those of the African tribal societies.

Charl and Erna are a friendly middle-aged white couple who own and operate a small day tour operation in Cape Town. They started an offshoot to this business in the fall of 1999 by designing day trips for naturists visiting the Cape region. Charl had taken early retirement from a municipal government position, and today wonders what many of his professional colleagues might think of the naturist lifestyle he and Erna adopted many years ago when they began mountaineering as a hobby. Consequently, he tends to keep both businesses separate for the time being.

"The Calvinistic background of the majority of the South Africans of European descent means that they would be reasonably anti-naturist," Charl told me one weekday in February as we sat on a windswept Sandy Bay beach, the beautiful (unofficial) nude beach near Cape Town. I counted all of ten people scattered over the wide expanse of sand and rocks. Talk about privacy!

"But more than that," he continued, "is that the owner of a large naturist resort north of here got into financial trouble several years ago, and let's just say that his morals and ethics were making true naturists look like a joke. That turned off a lot of people, naturists and textiles alike."

Indeed, even when Charl, Erna, another couple and myself went hiking two days later in the mountains close to wine country and the town of Wellington, all seemed to voice the same opinion: naturism in the Cape region seems to be centred around small-knit circles of friends and acquaintances, while the larger naturist campgrounds and resorts are in the north, and close to Johannesburg and capital of Pretoria.

"Being a registered tour guide, I have many contacts who own several cottages and bungalows or small holiday homes," Charl explained. "We have approached a select few and asked them if they would be willing to host naturists on an exclusive basis when we have out-of-city customers. This way we can accommodate naturists from around the world in superior settings, but at a very reasonable price."

He's not kidding. The standard of currency, the Rand, is at a low ebb at the moment, and American, British and Canadian currencies can go a long way in South Africa this year. Consider a cottage with a stocked fridge, and transportation to and from naturist sites for about US$100 per night! Not a bad deal. [Author's Note: This was in 2001 - but prices have not changed much in 5 years.]

Charl and Erna are dedicated hikers and climbers, and the day trip to the mountain pools of the Slanghoek Mountain range at the top of Bainskloof Pass was - shall we say - a little strenuous for this novice "mountaineer". (Charl later informed me that they also host several other day trips that are on flat land and do not require great strenuous activity. I was just happy that I had stopped smoking last year and actually completed this trek without collapsing!) The scenery was beautiful on the way, however, and you feel a bit like a colonial explorer when you're trudging over the rocky terrain. Then it gets hot, and you're sipping water quite often, and then Erna reminds you to put more sunscreen on your neck and ears. (Incidentally, you are fully clothed at this point; it would be foolhardy to be nude in case you slipped or fell.)

After about an hour, you gingerly make your way down the very last incline, and -- lo and behold! -- you encounter the most magical series of pools and little waterfalls of your life. I was honestly at a loss for words at one point: unusual sky blue flowers and then a bouquet of yellowy-orange flowers - all unknown to me - were growing out from underneath the rocks. The mountains enveloped us in this tiny valley; it was almost too perfectly landscaped. No mosquitoes, no bugs, and certainly no wild animals. Tarzan was taking the day off, I guess. Everyone began cupping their hands to drink from the clearest water I've ever seen - and then the clothes came off.

"Can you imagine anyone wanting to wear anything in this environment?" I asked Charl as we began to position ourselves to jump in the water. Duh. Dumb question.

Later, Erna opened a picnic basket of home-prepared boxed lunches of cold cuts, olives, tomatoes, cheese, rolls & butter, juice and fruit. As with any food that is consumed in a beautiful place, it all tasted just slightly better than it normally might. Erna even had hot tea or coffee available, and asked me three times if I wanted a cup - a testament to her true Afrikaner hospitality!

For the naturist, South Africa is worth a trip. The flight from North America and Europe might be long, but South African Airways is excellent, with terrific service and tasty meals. You may want to try the campgrounds or mini-resorts of the Johannesburg area; otherwise, try the Cape region with its incredible wines, long beaches, mountain hikes and more nature than you could imagine.