Yestarday night we drove through a big storm. Lots of rain and wind. Today once again we woke up late and we went for a walk in the French Quarter of New Orleans. We met cousin Billy at the Superdome's truck parking lot and we talked about our route through Texas. We saw lots of damaged buildings, abandoned houses and ugly areas. But also, we saw a lot of fun stuff. The streets of the french quarter are full of music and art. Very neat houses and architecture. We wished we could have stayed longer. +/- 30 miles out of New [View Full Entry]

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Being that this is my first entry on Travelblog, I thought it might be a good idea to say that my first few entries are going to be about places I have visited in the past. I am going to the Cayman Islands at the beginning of December and will certainly share what I hope to be an amazing experience, but at present I have decided to document destinations and adventures that have already taken place. This is mostly for my own benefit. I do not ever want to forget why I have chosen to skip expensive clothes, clip coupons [View Full Entry]

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October 27, 2009 Today we had a leisurely breakfast and then Donna, John and I took a four hour tour of the city…it was wonderful. The tour started out in the city or business district, continued into the garden district, then the arts district, the French Quarters and then a tour of Ward 9 where the worst damage from Katrina occurred. The guide was great and gave a lot of history. As we passed through each section of the city he told us how it was impacted by Katrina. The business district, where our hotel was, got just a couple of [View Full Entry]

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October 26, 2009 Today was an interesting day. We set out early; we had a long way to go to get to New Orleans. When we left Galveston we drove a bit and then took a ferry that eliminated many miles on the road to the Big Easy! I hate ferry rides but this one was delightful. There were dolphins cavorting in the water, the sun was shining and it was …short! (and the sea did not roll so that Donna did not “you know what”! )When we landed on the other side, we drove right off the barge…it was quick [View Full Entry]

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In the last posting, I indicated we were on our way to Texas, but a funny thing happened along the way. After we left Albuquerque, hoping to make significant progress toward Dallas by Sunday evening, we headed East on I-20. After about 50 miles, there was a loud noise and vibration--one of our rear tires was flat. We unloaded the car and jacked it up, but the wheel stubbornly refused to come off. Fortunately, I pay an auto club for road service, and now I know why. They dispatched a fellow who brought his sledgehammer to knock the wheel off, then [View Full Entry]

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New Orleans - Friday 9th October We decided to take a slightly different route to New Orleans along highway 90 rather than the interstate as it was a lot more scenic. We stopped and bought some plums from a stall by the side of the road and got two bananas thrown in for free - I love a bargain! The Highway 90 followed the Gulf Coast all the way round to New Orleans and passed the worst affected areas of Katrina. It was really quite mad as the beach looked beautiful with newly planted palm trees, the casinos and hotels were [View Full Entry]

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So 5 states in 1 day and 15 hours later we arrive in New Orleans. It has so far been smooth sailing... driving. Aside from breezing through the different states we had different weather. Fog after "South of the Border" Of which we have a really blurry picture of a huge sombrero. Cold! bitterly in Atlanta where we stopped to have a picnic lunch in Decatur. And then windy from Alabama to Louisiana. We crossed over the Mississippi river and into New Orleans in the dark. I have discovered I don't really like crossing bridges so I am looking forward to [View Full Entry]

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When Hurricane Katrina called on southeast Louisiana on August 29, 2005, it didn’t knock first. The wolf-wild winds simply huffed and puffed and destroyed more than 350,000 homes. Almost 2000 people lost their lives in the actual hurricane and in the subsequent floods. New Orleans didn’t escape. Unlike the immovable house of bricks in the fairy tale, the city’s metropolitan area was battered then lost under fifteen feet of water, resulting in over 200,000 homes and apartments being damaged beyond repair. In the years following, New Orleans has undergone a remarkable makeo [View Full Entry]

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Leaving Australia for a few months as a liaison person at a US medical facility with links to UQ School of Medicine in Brisbane Australia. It's a long way to New Orleans and the jet-lag is extreme! They say 'west is best' so 15 hours to the East must be pretty bad. Actually the flat bed on the Virgin plane helped and I did get some sleep. Los Angeles International Airport is a lot more confusing and a lot grubbier than when I was last there and I handed my bags to some unconcerned luggage handlers who thrust them into an [View Full Entry]

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Leaving Texas behind me I head to New Orleans, Louisiana. Most people associate New Orleans with Mardi Gras (alcohol, beads, party), Hurricane (the drink), Hurricane (Katrina), and good food, and, well, they are right! I arrive there in the morning and make it to the India House Hostel - great people, a pool, and one dollar breakfast. Also it is not dangerous to walk around the area - at daytime. The first stroll is towards downtown and through the French Quarter, in the direction of the famous Cafe du monde. Famous for its baignets (Frieds pieces of dough with massive amounts [View Full Entry]

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