New Orleans

A few days back we stopped for a night on the border of Louisiana at Lake Charles between Houston and New Orleans. We didn’t have time to do anything substantial but there were a few riverside casinos in the area and a nature trail that took in a number of beaches along the Gulf Coast as well as meandering through alligator infested swamp lands. However, the most interesting thing that happened to us took place whilst we relaxed in the hotels pool. As we casually swam beneath the sun, in the hotel drive way a middle aged, naked man stumbled towards us. Luckily he was being followed by police who kept him modest by wrapping a hi-vis jacket around his waist. Unfortunately we weren’t spared for long, after the police restrained him an ambulance turned up and the paramedics swiftly removed his make shift underwear as they placed him on a stretcher giving us quite the eyeful, nor not as the case may be. We had no idea who he was or why he was roaming the streets naked but let’s just say if we had a choice in the future we would prefer a scrape with the alligators.

As we drove into New Orleans yesterday, the site of Hurricane Katrina, we were ironically greeted by the worst storm we have seen so far. The rain was coming down so hard you couldn’t see more than 20ft in front of you and the way the roads flooded in a matter of minutes gave us a small taste of how a hurricane could swamp a city. Fortunately it passed quickly and by the time we got to the hotel the rain had stopped. After checking in and dodging the workmen on our way to our room (they started renovating the day we checked in...just our luck!) we took a short walk to the historic French Quarter.

We spent the afternoon wandering the streets and taking in the atmosphere. Bourbon and Royal are probably the two most famous streets; only a block apart however they vastly differ. Both feature the familiar balconies and architecture that New Orleans is famed for but Royal Street is full of art galleries, antique shops and coffee houses whereas on Bourbon Street you would see drunken teens throwing beaded necklaces from balconies and parade floats. It really is like chalk and cheese. On the one hand you have a historic street frequented by families and tourists from across the world and on the other you have Americas equivalent to the sort of seedy beach side night life you would expect on a Mediterranean coast, bar after bar broken up by the occasional strip club. It definitely makes for a unique mix.

We did go out for a few drinks the first night but Jenny, true to form, felt sick after a grand total of four cocktails and sure enough when we got back to our room spent a half hour hugging the toilet!* Therefore today we took it a bit easy and explored a few areas we missed yesterday, including a flea market and a stroll along the Mississippi River. We also popped into the original Harrah’s Casino to escape the heat as even though it is only a mild 95 the humidity here makes it feel more like 110. I left with $20 less than when I went in but that’s a small price to pay for decent air con!

*Disclaimer: Jenny isn't just a light weight, despite her continued defiance her body clearly has an aversion to alcohol.**

**From Jenny.