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Day 160 New Orleans
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Day 159 New Orleans
With a day planned in New Orleans, we were up and breakfasted in time to catch the Shuttle at 9am.
The Shuttle is free from the KOA and the driver gave a narration along the way that took us alongside the levee. An interesting misconception about the levee being breached during Katrina hurricane in 2003, it was not the actual levee that was breached but a section in a canal that was not correctly installed that leaked underneath the 20ft deep sections that was supposed to be driven down to 60ft. The engineers have driven sheet steel down in the section of this canal to 100 ft and it is still leaking underneath a bit. They are unsure what to do at this point.
The levees have been there ever since the plantations were alongside the mighty Mississippi, and each plantation owner was responsible for their section of the levee at that time. Now the Army corps engineers are responsible for the whole levee.
It certainly is a dominant feature alongside the road as we drove along into town. It is grassed and 160ft wide and about 20ft high, level on the top with bike and running tracks along the top.
We drove through streets lined with some old plantation houses, also some pre-civil war houses mixed in with some sixty style houses. The building of these, was halted during this time when the Government at the time, realized this new housing was destroying history.
We drove past a hospital that had its own hotel and shopping centre. All in all an interesting ride into town.
We were dropped off near the Old town French sector and alongside the Mississippi. The city has two sections, the French section in the old part of town and over Canal street, you are in the American business section. An amazing line or divide in the city.
We unloaded at a paddle steamer docked alongside the wharf, it had lunch cruises for a couple of hours, up and down on the Mississippi.
We proceeded towards the French quarter, certainly an old sector and preserved that way. Narrow streets and balconies with wrought iron guard rails and a lot of small shops with plenty of nick knacks and a lot of Mardi Gras items, feathered hats, masks, beads and anything your artistic side would choose to complete that costume in your own unique style.
We were early in the town and it was only beginning to wake, yet bars were open and the streets were filling. We found ourselves in the section of Jackson Square with a fence surrounding the park, hanging on the fence were paintings with artists sitting on the sidewalk painting the next masterpiece, while waiting for someone to purchase the work on display.
Also a few stalls selling necklaces or earrings, as well as a couple of psychics, one reading palms, the other reading bones! Interesting but we do have a West Indian or Caribbean influence in this area.
It was time to head back to the Paddle wheeler to take a cruise. As mentioned it was a steam driven paddle wheeler, one of only five steam driven in the country, the steam is generated by an oil burner now, not wood or coal as in the past.
On the top was a person playing music on a key board that used the steam from the engine room to play organ pipes, quite an effective way to attract attention of the tourists. Certainly it was loud music and quite distinctive.
We loaded up at 11am and found our way to a table on the top deck, a bar served drinks of all descriptions but no tea and a not so good cup of coffee, with the only food selection being a packet of crisps or pretzels. MMMM?
Never mind, the boys went for a wander to find the restrooms and the engine room that was open to the public. The engineer was available and described the workings of the engine and suggested to ensure we took a look when it was underway especially when it was turning.
As the boat headed off the narration was describing the different aspects as we cruised up stream and at a fair rate of knots, it was a reasonably quiet movement on the water.
The descriptions of the French quarter on the way up as well as the docks and street wharfs alongside the river, was interesting but a little difficult to understand with the accent and the speakers. A section had been destroyed by fire that took hold after Katrina went through, as well we passed the section of the Canal No3, the one that had breached in Katrina, it was clear the section that had been repaired.
We moved downstairs, into the dining section, to watch the shore and have an early lunch.
The lunch was not what you would head back on board to have in a hurry, but one of the travellers had to try the alligator sausage and the crawfish sausage, (the crawfish was certainly a Cajun hot flavour, the alligator was nice).
We continued up past an oil refinery, with an oil tanker in unloading.
We turned around at this point and as soon as we noticed the turn, we headed down to the engine room to watch the workings and the shifts in the reverse to forward to enable the turn.
Very interesting to be in an engine room that was not loud and we were able to talk in an normal voice as we watched the steam pistons moving the 26 ton arms that were connected to the wheel that drove the boat.
We then moved to watch the paddle wheel at the back, up to the top deck to look down at the large wooden paddles driving the boat through the water.
Also travelling the Mississippi were a lot of barges being pushed by push boats, not tug boats, simple because they are set up to push the barges, not tow them. They push up to six long barges at time, strapped two aside and lined up three in a row. Certainly the river is still used to transport a lot of bulk cargo.
We returned to the dock after our two hour cruise happy to have had the experience and the fun of being on a Steam driven paddle wheeler. Another tick on the chart of the our journey of experience.
We chose to walk in the other direction towards the American section of this town, to a Riverside Walk, this apparently holds shops, restaurants' and food sections.
We walked through this area and then out back along the street, eventually finding a Starbucks to call in for a tea and coffee.
We then headed back into the French quarter, at this point the crowds had begun to grow and a few more musicians had taken up sites to begin making their mark.
A crowd had gathered around some street performers of break dancers, we took a place and enjoyed the display; it was along similar lines we had observed in Venice beach over the other side of the country.
We found a market place that had a few little bargains that took our eyes. It was another part of our absorption of the New Orleans life, no Mardi Grass or Jazz Festivals happening during our visit, but it doesn't take a lot of imagination to see or hear it being created along these streets. Evidence left by the participants of the Mardi Gras is left hanging in the overhead wires and trees, by way of beads thrown there during the parade. It is considered unlucky to remove them, thus they are left as a reminder of the grand parties and the parade route taken.
Tired travellers headed back to the pickup point to wait for the shuttle bus, to find another couple already waiting, and not long after the rest of the KOA Campers arrived back, all tired after a full day of absorbing the sights and sounds similar to ourselves.
Tomorrow we head to Baton Rouge.
Where I stayed:
New Orleans KOA
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