Our last
day in New Orleans, Louisiana, and we've booked to go on a tour of
the Honey Island swamp, where we're told we'll see alligators, and
much more besides. It's another early start, as we're being picked
up by coach from our hostel at 7.45 am, so once again, no breakfast!
We've been asked not to keep food in our room so as not to encourage
pests (mainly cockroaches, I think – they are active in the dark in
warm climates and are attracted by food). We do have crisps and nuts
and a couple of other snacks well wrapped up in a backpack, plus of
course our supply of tea bags.
Our
coach is on time, and it's blissfully air-conditioned with tinted
glass windows, and very comfortable. There are quite a few other
passengers to be picked up, from various locations in New Orleans, so
it's another 45 minutes or so before we're heading for the Honey
Island Swamp, about ¾ hour drive
away. As we drive through the outskirts of New Orleans, our driver
tells us how various districts of this city were affected by
Hurricane Katrina. Many homes and businesses were destroyed, and
although it's 9 years since the storm and flooding, rebuilding is
still taking place. Some industrial sites remain desolate, never to
be rebuilt. But, our driver tells us, there is a positive aspect to
the after effects of Katrina. There has been a surge of new
investment in the city, not only in businesses, but in education,
housing, and particularly in the film industry. New Orleans is
second only to Hollywood in the number of films being made.
The
swamp trip is well-organised. When we arrive at the swamp “outpost”,
we pay our money, get given a wrist band, wait a few minutes, and
then all those with that colour of wristband are collected by the
“captain” of our boat. I'm glad I smothered myself in factor 30
suncream and brought a hat – the weather is hotter by the hour, and
there is no relief from the sun in the uncovered vessel. We're given
a run through of safety procedures, including where to find the
lifejackets under our seats; the thought of having to enter
alligator-infested waters in an emergency doesn't appeal though! I
think part of the thrill of the trip is being a little afraid; it
isn't until much later that our captain tells us that there are 1.5
million alligators in Louisiana and there have only ever been 3
attacks on people – none of them fatal. (He tells us that
crocodiles, which aren't native to America apart from one small area
right down in the south, are a different ball game altogether –
much more aggressive and more likely to attack humans).
The
swamps have their own beauty, with elephant plants emerging from the
water and cypress trees, with sheaths of moss hanging from them,
overhanging the water's edge. Our captain stops the boat and hoots;
a troop of baby wild pigs (four months old) jostle up to the
riverbank. The captain throws marshmallows to the pigs (they are
obviously used to this – are marshmallows good for pigs?). These
sweet treats encourage the animals to come close to the boat for us
to take photos. The boatman explains that wild pigs are a problem in
the swamplands because they erode the soil; they have no real enemies
(unless caught by an alligator), and they are multiplying at a
terrific rate.
We
see a couple of snakes and swamp canaries, and finally we see the
nose of a young alligator – the boatman tells us it's about 4
months old – in the water. Again the marshmallows come out, plus
a sausage on a long stick, and these encourage the animal to draw
alongside the boat and jump up out of the water to retrieve the food.
We have a good view of the reptiles sharp teeth as it reaches up!
We later come across a couple of fully-grown alligators, who are
again enticed by tit-bits towards our boat for photo-shots. We joke
that marshmallows can't be good for alligators teeth either, but a
fellow tourist quips that since they spend most of the time
underwater, their teeth are continually being cleaned!
Further
into the swamp we find a couple of fully grown wild pigs, or boars,
and one of these is encouraged to the boat by marshmallow treats. It
suddenly hauls its hoof over the edge of the boat, showering me a
brown spray, and, muddy snout upwards, it opens its mouth for the
titbits. The tourists love it, and cameras are clicking away. Reg
laughs that I happen to be the one who receives the muddy shower!
We enjoy
the trip, and learn a little about alligators and about people whose
weekend homes at the edge of the swamp were destroyed by Hurricane
Katrina.
We're
soon back on the bus and, back in New Orleans town, opt to disembark
in the French Quarter. We have a quick look at the inside St Louis
Cathedral (it's Sunday, and there's a Mass taking place, so we don't
stop long), and wander into the French Market, before sitting under
umbrellas outside Louisiana's Pizza Kitchen and having our lunch.
We buy
sandwiches for our tea in the CVS pharmacy, and return to the hostel,
as Reg needs to print out our e-tickets for the Queen Mary, which
have just arrived, plus a new hostel booking for San Francisco.
We've changed our plans a little, and at the beginning of June will
spend less time in Los Angeles, and more time in Yosemite National
Park.
Back at
the hostel, the sandwiches taste awful and we can't eat them. Our tea
now consists of crisps and a melted Snicker bar each, which I've been
carrying around for a few days. We are not eating very heathily
today!
Tonight
we pack up again – we catch a train early tomorrow morning for a 2
day journey to Benson, Arizona. Once there we will hire a car and
visit Tombstone - a historic Western city.
As we are travelling and are unlikely to have wifi, there probably won't be another blog posting for a couple of days.
No comments:
Post a Comment