Walked inside the reception office with my passport and reservation documents to check in at Sun Suits Hotel in Harvey, LA. It was around 3pm and we were a bit tired after the 6 hour drive from Carrollton. Even though I was never behind the driving wheel I was tired of sleeping on the backseat of a car for hours. After we checked in, we shopped for groceries, we also agreed to get a roasted chicken from Walmart so that we don't have to cook for that night. The chicken was absolutely delicious! Even the freaking chicken tastes better when you are on a vacation!!
Now to talk a bit about my colleagues. They are two French girls and another Sri Lankan guy. Let me tell you something about verbal English characteristics of both these countries. The French, most of the time, have trouble understanding and pronouncing English (Personal Experience) and Sri Lankans talk really fast English (Also Personal Experience). So imagine two Sri Lankans and two French in one room for 5 days! Had some of the best conversations that we never understood anything of what each other said. It was hilarious when someone butchers English and says something that's completely unrelated to the subject; but the language barrier was never an issue at any point.
After chilling for a couple of hours we started prepping for the night. The idea was to go hard on the first night since it was a Saturday and also the first night in New Orleans. Our goal for the trip was to experience New Orleans at its best. We had a very good start, turned out to be too good and no one could drive. So we took a taxi leaving the room around midnight and from there on our night belonged to Bourbon Street!
Day 2
Because of some interesting bets on the day before, I had breakfast in bed served by Marion (We actually called her 'mom' during the whole trip. I Still do..). The ladies wanted to go to a Gospel Choir in the morning so we headed to a church 20 mints away. Me and Kavan were not exactly thrilled at the church, specially after the old lady who started singing a song in a high note which worsened my headache, so we went out for some food. Later the girls joined us and we headed for a Starbucks in Magazine Street. The soothing joy of having hot chocolate on a mildly cold yet a sunny afternoon energized the 'crew' for our next experience to come. Air boating!
Air Boat Swamp Tour was something we all looked forward to since the beginning of the Trip. "Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours" was located 20 mints south of New Orleans. We arrived there 10 mints prior to the departure. I was excited cos I have never been in an Air Boat before but I think some of us were more interested in the Swamp as well.
We took the front row seats. It was one of those moments when I keep reminding myself front row seats are not always the best seats. The wind, occasional bugs and water splashing from the swamp were all in your face but we did have the best view of the swamp!
Our tour guide was an informed person who was also an Alligator hunter. He talked a lot. Mostly explaining the history of New Orleans and the "Cajun". He had a thick southern accent so I'm pretty sure the French girls didn't understand most of what he was talking about. The guy was an expert when it comes to alligators, he explained the hunting techniques and myths surrounding it. An interesting fact about alligators is that they hit the endangered species list in 1970 because of extensive hunting and the peoples solution to this was to shoot more alligators! Yes! The male alligators have issues with other males when it comes to reproducing with a mate. So they had to reduce the male population which will solve the 'issues'. The male alligators migrate to other areas of the swamp in the summer and the females don't. So hunters were allowed to shoot down alligators in Summer, which were male, so that the male/female ratio was controlled. Apparently the higher number of female alligators were doing a good job cos later on in 1987, alligators were taken off the endangered list.
The whole tour lasted for about 1 hour 40 mints but we didn't see any alligators since it was very cold and alligators hibernate under the mud or branches to preserve body heat. Still it was a very exciting boat ride. Note to future Air Boat riders, dress warm because the boat speeds up to 35 mph and if its not the summer the wind can get very cold.
Later that night we had an interesting argument about pro-life and pro-choice. Marion is a very good debater and so am I, Tiphaine and Kavan mostly enjoyed the debate as audience. Later on they joined as well. It actually lasted for hours and we simply agreed to disagree in the end!
Day 3
It was the "Shopping Day", one of the favorite days for the girls. After walking for hours we ended up in a restaurant called Market Place to have lunch. I ordered an alligator meat appetizer and a jambalaya. I had tasted fried alligator meat before (in Pelham, Ga) and frankly it tasted like chicken, but I wanted to give it a try again. My opinion about alligator meat didn't change at all. When I told that to the waitress, she said "May be its the chicken that tastes like alligators..".
In the evening we visited the St. Lois Cathedral, the largest Cathedral in USA. The ceiling and the walls of the Cathedral were covered with hand painted drawings of Christ and 10 apostles. Judas and Peter are not drawn here. The stained glass windows depict the life of King Louis IX. The interior of the building was very impressive. Also in the courtyard of the Cathedral there is a statue of President Andrew Jackson whom the "Jackson Square" is named after.
It was time for evening tea, we headed towards Cafe De Monde, the best place in town for Beignets. Cafe De Monde was something unique! To begin with, they only take cash and takes about 40 mints to get the food on table after you sit down because the place is always crowded, but still the delicious food lives up to its reputation. Also they only had one restroom and I had to wait 20 mints in the line to relieve my self!
Later that night we hit the Bourbon Street and it was still alive even though it was a weekday. Frankly, I think I need a different blog to post our experiences at Bourbon Street, at least the ones that I remember!
Day 4
It was our last day and we didn't really have big plans for the day but we all wanted to try a jazz club before we leave. During the morning and afternoon hours we were walking around French Quarter for some last moment shopping and exploring. Around 6pm we all agreed to go to Hard Rock Cafe in Bourbon Street for some food. Here I had the best cheesecake I have had in my life and I recommend it to anyone. The food is relatively expensive but please do go for the cheesecake, its worth it! They also had some celebrity belongings framed on the walls such as Elvis Presley's microphone and Madonnas G-String.
Since it was our last night we decided to order pizza for dinner and we got an 18 inch pizza from Slice Pizzeria. This was a very large pizza; one slice of it was the size of 2 large pizza slices from Papa Johns. It was delicious and hot, quite worth the 20 mint drive.
We finally ended up going to a Jazz club that night at Frenchmen Street. The music was live enough for a couple of dances and I would say it was a perfect ending for the last night.
Now to talk a bit about my colleagues. They are two French girls and another Sri Lankan guy. Let me tell you something about verbal English characteristics of both these countries. The French, most of the time, have trouble understanding and pronouncing English (Personal Experience) and Sri Lankans talk really fast English (Also Personal Experience). So imagine two Sri Lankans and two French in one room for 5 days! Had some of the best conversations that we never understood anything of what each other said. It was hilarious when someone butchers English and says something that's completely unrelated to the subject; but the language barrier was never an issue at any point.
 |
| @ Bourbon Street |
After chilling for a couple of hours we started prepping for the night. The idea was to go hard on the first night since it was a Saturday and also the first night in New Orleans. Our goal for the trip was to experience New Orleans at its best. We had a very good start, turned out to be too good and no one could drive. So we took a taxi leaving the room around midnight and from there on our night belonged to Bourbon Street!
Day 2
Because of some interesting bets on the day before, I had breakfast in bed served by Marion (We actually called her 'mom' during the whole trip. I Still do..). The ladies wanted to go to a Gospel Choir in the morning so we headed to a church 20 mints away. Me and Kavan were not exactly thrilled at the church, specially after the old lady who started singing a song in a high note which worsened my headache, so we went out for some food. Later the girls joined us and we headed for a Starbucks in Magazine Street. The soothing joy of having hot chocolate on a mildly cold yet a sunny afternoon energized the 'crew' for our next experience to come. Air boating!
Air Boat Swamp Tour was something we all looked forward to since the beginning of the Trip. "Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours" was located 20 mints south of New Orleans. We arrived there 10 mints prior to the departure. I was excited cos I have never been in an Air Boat before but I think some of us were more interested in the Swamp as well.
We took the front row seats. It was one of those moments when I keep reminding myself front row seats are not always the best seats. The wind, occasional bugs and water splashing from the swamp were all in your face but we did have the best view of the swamp!
 |
| 16 Passenger Air Boat |
Our tour guide was an informed person who was also an Alligator hunter. He talked a lot. Mostly explaining the history of New Orleans and the "Cajun". He had a thick southern accent so I'm pretty sure the French girls didn't understand most of what he was talking about. The guy was an expert when it comes to alligators, he explained the hunting techniques and myths surrounding it. An interesting fact about alligators is that they hit the endangered species list in 1970 because of extensive hunting and the peoples solution to this was to shoot more alligators! Yes! The male alligators have issues with other males when it comes to reproducing with a mate. So they had to reduce the male population which will solve the 'issues'. The male alligators migrate to other areas of the swamp in the summer and the females don't. So hunters were allowed to shoot down alligators in Summer, which were male, so that the male/female ratio was controlled. Apparently the higher number of female alligators were doing a good job cos later on in 1987, alligators were taken off the endangered list.
 |
| The Swamp! |
The whole tour lasted for about 1 hour 40 mints but we didn't see any alligators since it was very cold and alligators hibernate under the mud or branches to preserve body heat. Still it was a very exciting boat ride. Note to future Air Boat riders, dress warm because the boat speeds up to 35 mph and if its not the summer the wind can get very cold.
Later that night we had an interesting argument about pro-life and pro-choice. Marion is a very good debater and so am I, Tiphaine and Kavan mostly enjoyed the debate as audience. Later on they joined as well. It actually lasted for hours and we simply agreed to disagree in the end!
Day 3
It was the "Shopping Day", one of the favorite days for the girls. After walking for hours we ended up in a restaurant called Market Place to have lunch. I ordered an alligator meat appetizer and a jambalaya. I had tasted fried alligator meat before (in Pelham, Ga) and frankly it tasted like chicken, but I wanted to give it a try again. My opinion about alligator meat didn't change at all. When I told that to the waitress, she said "May be its the chicken that tastes like alligators..".
It was time for evening tea, we headed towards Cafe De Monde, the best place in town for Beignets. Cafe De Monde was something unique! To begin with, they only take cash and takes about 40 mints to get the food on table after you sit down because the place is always crowded, but still the delicious food lives up to its reputation. Also they only had one restroom and I had to wait 20 mints in the line to relieve my self!
 |
| Beignets | Cafe De Monde |
Day 4
It was our last day and we didn't really have big plans for the day but we all wanted to try a jazz club before we leave. During the morning and afternoon hours we were walking around French Quarter for some last moment shopping and exploring. Around 6pm we all agreed to go to Hard Rock Cafe in Bourbon Street for some food. Here I had the best cheesecake I have had in my life and I recommend it to anyone. The food is relatively expensive but please do go for the cheesecake, its worth it! They also had some celebrity belongings framed on the walls such as Elvis Presley's microphone and Madonnas G-String.
Since it was our last night we decided to order pizza for dinner and we got an 18 inch pizza from Slice Pizzeria. This was a very large pizza; one slice of it was the size of 2 large pizza slices from Papa Johns. It was delicious and hot, quite worth the 20 mint drive.
We finally ended up going to a Jazz club that night at Frenchmen Street. The music was live enough for a couple of dances and I would say it was a perfect ending for the last night.
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