Eshowe George Hotel & Zululand backpackers

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How did we end up here, of course the birding brought us here without really meaning to. The surrounding area did not have a caravan park for us to camp, at least we never inquired. The lonelyplanet and stephan/s guide book mentioned this place. So we payed, got our room and let's say, it was heck of a whirlwind experience. This place is old meets new. A style like no other and people like no other. ECCLECTIC, STrangely fascinating, intriguing, full of intellect, art, artists, punk, maybe my words won't do our experience here justice an my words can.t quit describe it. But lets say, there was a history club meeting in one room, the bar could have served their micorbrewery beer (but was defunct for the moment for repirations of the microbrewery), there were afrikaners sipping on their wine, nicely dressed black africans eating at the nice resteraunt (frank sinatra playing in the back ground) and then there was me in the mix, some thought i worked there others were confused by my prescence but it didn/t matter. Im teling you, old meets new...they had a grand hotel and the backpackers in the back (for us)...we got complimentary beers they had on tap, we made our way to the bar, ordered, there were some young locals already ordering, chatting, laughing...stephan and i got our drinks and made our way around the bar looking at all the fascinating art all around us....Peter came and asked "You like my art?"...all this then turned into whirlwinds of conversations, beer drinking, tequila shot, he introduced us to the younger kids who treminded us what traveling was about, here in south AFrica you must get all sides of the story for a better feel of where we had decided to travel to. So far we had one view, and that was from the upper class white afrikaner.

If you have a chance to stop in ESHOWE...this is a not to miss place, esp if u are here on a Friday...when the locals come out to drink at the bar. YOu won.t regret it, we didn.t. Lets just say we stayed up practically up all night and those who know us, we rarely do that!

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