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Out of the frying pan.....
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I had turned off the air-conditioning before I went to bed as I know it is prone to giving me headaches. So when I woke up at 3am feeling a bit hot, I thought I'd switch it back on again. I didn't seem to get any cooler, in fact, when I woke up again at 5am I was actually even warmer. So this time I turned a light on and put my glasses on, and noticed I had actually put the heating on rather than the cooling. Ooops. Got a bit more bearable after that!
I had a bit of difficulty waking up properly, but forced myself up in the end at about 9am. I looked out the window and it looked a little overcast. I assumed it would be hot again so put on a skirt and vest, after coating myself from head to toe in Deet. That Deet is good stuff - it repels me so goodness knows what the bugs think of it. I headed out with the intention of having a wander along the river and then a walk downtown. it was not until I actually made it outside that I realised this was going to be a lot harder than anticipated. The temperature had risen, the humidity was unbearable and thunder was rolling around the skies. Ergh. Still, at least it wasn't raining.
I set out and headed down towards the river, which was just a block away from my hotel, behind the Convention Centre. It appeared the best way to get to it was via the Riverside Mall, a split level walkway housing some eateries, shops and entertainment, so I headed up into there. It was nicely air-conditioned so I forgot how hot it was until I walked out the door to look over the railings and see the water. I never realised just how huge the Mississippi actually was - it is incredibly wide, much wider than I thought it would be. It was not quite blue in colour, more like the Thames on a good day, but it was still pretty impressive. It seemed to be flowing quite fast and there were no boats on it, at least not moving ones. A little further up two of the big paddle steamers were moored, the Creole Queen appeared the biggest and this hosts dinners and entertainments in the evenings. I quickly retreated back inside, much as I hate not being out when seeing new places. When I came out of the other side of the centre I was about half way to downtown - sadly there was no other option but to stay out in the heat for the rest of the journey. I sat down on a bench for a bit, where there was someone listening to radio. They announced (at 11:30am) that the temperature in New Orleans had hit 104 degrees, with a 91% humidity rate (I'm never entirely sure what this percentage actually means, but it was bad!). It truly was like walking around in a sauna with no way out, with the added bonus of thunder getting ever louder. Funny place.
I continued along the street until I hit the French Quarter, where the best of New Orleans was to be found (at least according to my guide books). It was plainly obviously that New Orleans was not the city it used to be. Despite it being pleasant enough, there were still shops that were boarded up, the occasional collapsed building, balconies were not dripping with plants and it seemed the spirit of the city was a little dampened. There was hope there, though, and they were definitely working through it. I felt a little in awe walking around places that had been totally destroyed, but that through hard work and the determination of those who would not abandon their hometown, were slowly coming back.
I wandered through the tiny little streets, passing various shops selling all sorts of souvenirs, voodoo things, alcohol and other bits. I walked up to Bourbon Street and passed the Old Absinthe House, which you will all be pleased to hear that I didn't go into! I was going to pop into the Voodoo Museum, but to be honest it looked a little creepy so I didn't! I came back to Jackson Square, a pleasant green area where people could sit with the backdrop of the church of St Louis on one side and the Mississippi on the other, via Dumaine Street, which smelt suspiciously like marijuana all the way along it. I had a look around the Jackson Brewery Mall. There is actually a brewery here, but there are also a few little shops. The brewery was one of the places ruined by the hurricane, but they have recently started brewing again, so theirs is a happy story.
I then decided it was time for lunch, as I had skipped breakfast and my water had run out. I found myself a Hard Rock Cafe (believe me, if there is one there I'll find it!) and just in time too, for no sooner had I walked in then the heavens opened and rain the likes of which I had not seen came down. It was like a monsoon - it was just bucketing it down and it didn't stop for about an hour and a half, by which time the streets were under an inch of water and everyone was absolutely soaked. The state of some of the people who rolled into the HRC to buy t-shirts was amazing. The only good thing to come out of the rain was that it lowered the temperature and little and reduced the humidity. Fortunately I had the pleasure of watching all this through a window whilst I enjoyed a particularly good steak. Not sure I needed an entire broccoli plant with it, but it was very good, and the staff were very friendly.
I needed to be back at the Convention Centre for 3pm to help my colleagues from our New York office set up so I left the HRC at around 2:30pm. I went back to my hotel and picked up some bits and headed over. Once again I did not appear to be registered for the conference, but unlike at the SLA at least this time they added me very quickly. When I got to our stand the others had pretty much finished it. I just rearranged some of my bits and added the stuff I had brought with me - it looked pretty good and was very well organised. We stayed there until 5pm before all heading off our separate ways. I had a 5:30pm meeting at another hotel so I headed off to that. Sadly that went on for so long I ended up missing the dinner with my colleagues, so I had a little wander before heading back to my hotel. I borrowed the fitness kit and decided to do half an hour of stretching, which was a good idea in theory. Perhaps tomorrow I might try and to something with the weird yoga brick....
As I have an early start tomorrow I caught an early night (well, 10pm is early for me!)
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