Overwhelmed by the moral decadence you see in others? Perhaps in
yourself? Then you?re going to need more from a holiday than
just a break: you don?t want escape, you want redemption. Well
don?t feel too badly about it. A couple of hundred years ago
some rather talented people felt pretty much the same way. Like
Rousseau. Byron. Wordsworth. Turner. And a whole raft of others.
Exhausted by the squalor and brutality of a rapidly
industrialising Europe, they found their redemption in the Alps.
This was a new one. For 2000 years mountains had been considered
nothing more than a nuisance. Unproductive, obstacles to
communication and the refuge of bandits and heretics. Not any
more. ?Not a precipice, not a torrent, not a cliff, but is
pregnant with religion and poetry?, says Thomas Gray. Well two
hundred years down the track, that seems a bit excessive. But
even those of us with no religion like to claim that we are
spiritual, at least. And from time-to-time, one needs to remind
oneself that one is part of a greater whole. So if it?s
redemption you?re after, head for the mountains. Mountains are
good for that. Take the Drakensberg in KwaZulu Natal, South
Africa. It?s an ancient place, with ancient resonances. The
ancestral home of the Bushman hunter-gatherers. One of those
peaceful and harmonious societies that Rousseau et al would have
said proved their belief in the divinity of nature and the
superiority of natural man. Peaceful and harmonious, certainly.
But fragile too. ?No more do we Bushmen hunt in these hills.
The fire is cold. Our songs are quiet. But listen carefully. You
will hear us in the water. Look carefully, you will see us in
the rock?. Are you listening, carefully? Are you looking,
carefully? A starting point? The Royal Natal National Park in
the north. With its Amphitheatre - a work of art nature has been
patiently honing for millions of years. To the south, you?ll
find nature reserves, rivers and lakes. With these, to continue
the artistic reference, we have the composition. To animate it,
we need colour and movement. Here are the broad brushstrokes:
lush valleys, flushed dawn mists, implacable rugged peaks in
dynamic harmony. Volatile afternoon skies. Tall biscuit-coloured
grass glowing orange in the fading light. You may cross paths
with an oribi, or an eland on a hiking trail. Feed the soul. But
hey, you can?t plumb the depths on an empty stomach. More
brushstrokes: freshly caught subtly flavoured fish, farm stalls
with homemade fruit tarts and pickles, jam, unique cheeses and
organic vegetables, garden herbs. Cosy fireside pubs, delightful
out of the way gourmet restaurants. Feed the body. Even the
retail therapy has a spiritual edge to it. For a shopping mall
with a difference there?s an art and craft trail called the
Midlands Meander. Wonderful crisp fragrant linen, rainbow
beadwork, stylish ethnic basketry, tooled leather, woodcarvings.
Hand-tuned wind chimes to harmonise your soul. No bling, I
regret. Not. Can?t you hear it calling you? Even the names,
Mont-Aux Sources, Cathedral Peak, Giant?s Castle, Champagne
Valley, are evocative. Think the Holy Grail of getaway
destinations. Where astonishing natural beauty seems to be able
to just blot out your sins. Need redemption? Drakensberg,
Drakensberg.
About the author:
Brian & Janette Kemp own and run an award winning
tml>Drakensberg accommodation establishment. Halls Country House
is a 4-star country retreat in the foothills of the Drakensber
g mountains in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
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