Dear mother

Ive been away for so long - I feel compelled to share where i am and how lucky i am to be here - in Cape Town, South Africa!

And darlings, it truely is fabulous. You would not believe the changes that have come over this place since the end of the official policy of Apartheid.

the constitution here gives specific rights to homosexuals - how broad these are im not sure - but a right to exist and live "the gay lifestyle" (I think it really says that!)is a pretty good start - and leaves open all sorts of wonderful interpretations. The city itself even publishes a 'pink" guide. And the nitelife here is really hopping - fabulous queens, karaoke, t-dances, bathhouses, gay beaches - you would die of pleasure if you could scrape the 1000$ airfare to get here and back. While they're a bit too house happy (150 bpm is BIT fast for me, sweeties) - Im loving the 24 hour internet cafes and the fabulous Virgin Active (big mixed gym)

the dollar is easily 10 times the strength of the Rand here - which makes everything obscenely affordable. And the cab driver's here all speak English - yes - imagine holding a conversation with a cab driver - it happens in South Africa.

I love it here, but of course there is lot that needs work: The governement doesnt believe AIDS exists - you should see the backlash - i love democracy - the media and the medical community are NOT having it and reacting vocally en masse. And of course crime is high - but it always has been =- this is Africa, afterall -- its just that the whites are not as insulated from it anymore - thus the bad PR. After a while you get used to a certain level of caution.

HIV drugs are also relatively cheap for Westerners here - 1000$ a year Im told - and private medical/dental/eye care is also quite affordable - especially now. I saw a doctor here for a minor ailment - she was totally direct and feirce - it cost about 12$ (It didnt hurt that she's my brother's ex girlfriend). Next time I need dental work - Ill pay South African Airways - instead of my American dentist.

I get the feeling - the distinct impression that South Africa is a work-in-progress - and its going at a furious pace. there are a lot of creative people - of all colors working to make things better here. And many locals are cautiously optimistic - even if it seems like the "New" government (which does not represent all South Africans yet) is always simply knee-jerk "reacting" to the old regime.

In many ways SA is a bizarro parallel universe to ours - our colonial-era treatment of the "indians" here is mirrored in startling ways by South Africa's history. Being here has also given me a new perspective on th US - on both our isolation and our cultural influence abroad.

If my note has made you curious - good -- it feels like San Fransisco - and has better weather! Plus I think there are lots of opportunities here for creative solutions, for art and for education - and a 'gay' comfort level that Ive not felt before.

ciao ciao
Jaden

*chi chi - please delete this out of lucky bitches. I hadnt discovered this general area - and in this case - second thoughts prevail...

[This message was edited by Jade on 05-16-02 at 11:19 PM.]

Fascinating - I had no idea SA was so major and I'm sure you will enlighten alot of others here. I am very interested in hearing more if you have time to post - more detail on the clubs would be divine.

Anyway, sending lots of love to you there!

How long was the flight??

Cape Town is on my list of places I would love to see. Was there a stopover on the flight?

T

mmm its good here - so much to tell - and so much I have yet to know. I hadnt left the states in 12 years - weird to travel again. It's a 14 hour flight, at least (if you skip Europe, and go direct) and its definately cheaper if you can somehow purchase your tickets here. Ah, if only I was loaded enough for business class on British Air where the seats recline into beds - ah - can you imagine - painless!

the more people I talk with here - the more you get the feeling that the government has let them down. Peter Dirk-Uys - the most politically savvy,awesome performer (as man or woman!) Ive ever seen - has been "taking the piss out of" South African politicians for years - I even heard he was knighted by the Queen or something - (but as we know she'll knight just about anything) - I caught Uys' show last nite at "on broadway" theatre - he's such a huge star here and it was especially intimate. He obviously cares so much about children and AIDS in this country - his whole show was pointed, and beautiful and dead-on about realities of the SA AIDS problem - He began the show as a rather rough old queen, just chatting with us, then he transformed into a brilliant character of an a nazi wife (WIFE: Washing, Ironing, Fucking, Etc.) - fabulous! He then took us through "snapshots" of what he experienced of the children in the poorer schools around South Africa - and he had us rolling (especially the AFrikaners) I am hard pressed to think of someone in New York who has this impact, is this fresh or driven about a cause - but then , I dont get out much.

much more lay-tuh
Jaden

thanks for the good wishes - Chi Chi (we'll talk:), Ted & Di! Im back after the 20 hour journey. It's something akin to going through the looking glass - customs was so awful here, and JFK so putrid - I wanted to get back on the plane, almost.

Anyway. it was sure good to see things through 'foreign' eyes. If you want some world news thats from an African perspective, check out
http://www.iol.co.za

If anyone is interested in travel there (it IS major!) Ive heard it's best to get a one-way from here - then purchase a full-fare return if they ask you to there - you can always cash it in. If you buy your return there in the local currency, its almost half the cost, and you can usually get a visa upon arrival for 3 months

PS My brother is opening a fabulous guesthouse at the top of Kloof/Long Street in Cape Town (The area has a St. Marks or Fillmore West kind of feel). Email if you're interested in more info....

about your trip. It is one of the places that I always wanted to see. I am a big fan of history and the British Royal Navy bases in cape town and the old colonial presence would be something that I really wanted to see.

Will you be out and about at any of the future Factory Events? We will be at NOTS? hope to see you then.

T