New Orleans - 22/4/10

This morning was lovely at the Quiet Oaks RV Park. We left in mid-morning and headed north to the small town of Kinder. From there we turned east again on the old US 190. We decided today to stay off the I10 as much as possible, to see some local color. Good decision.

US190 runs eastward through very lovely scenery, both bayou and well tended farmland, in equal portions. All of the small towns along the way are neat and clean, if modest. The locals really seem to take pride in their towns. There is not a blade of grass out of place in some places.

We passed through Baton Rouge at lunch time and it struck us as mainly a commercial town, so we drove straight through.

In the early afternoon we entered New Orleans and went to the RV park near the French Quarter where we were turned away because they were booked out. Then we made the mistake of trying to get to another RV Park four miles away through the back streets using a map, that we picked up for free from a visitors centre.

The map was woeful. It failed to show bridges and intersections and other important landmarks and even showed streets and whole areas that are simply not in existence. We wonder now if the map was printed pre-Katrina.

We got lost for over two hours driving around New Orleans' back suburbs. The flood damage is still very evident out here. There are hundreds of houses literally falling down. Just rubble. And there are entire neighbourhoods washed away. The streets are in the worst condition you could imagine and are far worse than many to be found in third world countries.

But there is a lot of rebuilding going on. There are road works everywhere and there are houses all over freshly rebuilt and repainted. People's love and pride in their city if evident.

Eventually we returned to the French Quarter and found an inexpensive hotel in a backstreet. It was an old European style hotel, very down at the heel, but right in the heart of the action. We discovered that we were very lucky to get a room in New Orleans at all, as the Annual Jazz Festival officially starts tomorrow. And the festivities are really kicking off today.

We set out on foot and spent all afternoon and evening exploring the French Quarter, the waterfront and some of the downtown. The atmosphere on Bourbon Street was electric. At sundown they closed the street to traffic and the party started. There was loud music of every description and neon light mixed with the gas lights. The spectacle is old and stately, loud and boisterous, cheesy, tacky and sleazy. It is wonderful and the senses were totally overloaded.

We had an afternoon drink at a Jazz beer garden and later, a three course dinner at a nice old hotel. We even tried gumbo and liked it.

We were tired but happy when we returned to our room.

Funny Fact: We drove over a couple of low bridges today that took over five minutes to cross at 65mph. That's a long bridge. We passed the road that leads to Marksville. We went into the Bubba-Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant and gift shop. We saw the Moon Over Bourbon Street.

Steamboat Natchez, Mississippi River, French Quarter, New Orleans, LA

Beautiful Buildings, French Quarter, New Orleans, LA

Canal Street at Dusk, New Orleans, LA

Bourbon Street, The Party hadn't started yet

Empty suburb, there is nothing left here except concrete foundations and lamp posts. A whole suburb is gone.

Nuf said!