Naughty N'awlins

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Oh NOLA NOLA, how you've bewitched and enchanted me! I could have stayed inside you forever. You'll have to excuse this post a bit, too much happened and I am so slow in keeping this updated, major events may be missed.

New Orleans, what is there not to love? The whispering cypress trees draped with Spanish moss? Love it. Wandering back through time in the magical French quarter? Love it! Stopping in the heat to absorb the rhythms of a jazz and blues street band? Adore it! Munching on Beignets, rum sauced covered bread puddings and po'boys washed down with some purple haze Abita? Oh my god scoff it! Scoff it all! Nothing! New Orleans. I like you. I like you very much. Just as you are.

My first night in New Orleans I wandered across to the canal and tried my first Po'Boy. Abbreviated from Poor Boy, this sandwich was created in the early 1900's to feed the working man. It traditionally consisted of a sandwich of potato with some roast beef and gravy. So of course I had to try that. Verdict. The messiest sandwich I have ever eaten, filling everywhere and not enough napkins to mop it up. But boy oh boy yum. Then the special stomach we all have just for desert kicked in and the Po'Boy was swiftly followed by bread pudding smothered in rum sauce. Nuom nuom nuom. Finger linking good and there was no deep fried chicken in sight.

Staying at the Inda House backpackers hostel, it wasn't long until a group of us got together, chatting and hanging out. It's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of enjoying that awesome openness and friendship that comes from fellow travels. The majority however were all between the ages of 19 and 23, with the odd stray 27. One morning I even got asked 'as the adult at the table, what do you think of...'. In my head I'm still 24!!!

So rather that go day by day with N'awlins, I'll just give a summary low down of how it went. French quarter wander, French quarter tour, haunted ghost tour (wooooooooOOOoOoo), swamp tour, jumping alligators, GUMBOOOOO! Pretty cathedral (oldest in USA) drinking, duelling pianos, drinking, jiving jazz bar, drinking, dancing, drinking, dancing, drinking, dropped drink, another dropped drink, 3rd dropped drink, unhappy face, shot, hostel, fireball whiskey drinking (oh yes, it's delicious), talking, silliness, walking, sunrise, oh the head, the pain, the hangover, the uselessness, outdoor statue musem, Creole Plantation, Louisiana road trip, thunderstorms, voodoo museum, pick up snake, pharmacy museum (first licenced pharmacy in the USA don't you know. Also believed to be derived from the Harry Potter books, it was THAT cool), drive away from New Orleans, sadness and longing. Sigh.

I must meet you again.

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