New Orleans

I must admit I am surprised, but I found New Orleans to be a very interesting place and I’m looking forward to planning another trip here again. I guess I didn’t really know what to expect. In my mind, New Orleans was all clubs, drinking, jazz, Mardi Gras. From what I’ve seen, it’s so much more than that.

OK, first, to be honest, I came to see what Hurricane Katrina did to the place. I went on a tour which showed us the devastation caused by the Hurricane, the reasons why the towns were destroyed and also the recovery efforts. It was a very good tour. It’s very humbling to see how these people are picking up the pieces andputting their lives together again. The first pic shows a lighthouse which was destroyed and the second is of the new houses which Habitat for Humanity have started building for the people who lost their homes.

The main tourist areas, although damaged by Katrina, were mostly up and receiving tourists. New Orleans has these Cities of the Dead. Because of the frequent flooding, they have come up with a system of burying their dead in tombs above ground! Very surreal.

In their parks, there are many beautiful Oak Trees. The key feature being the branches spreading out and even reaching down to the ground. I loved finding these beautiful oaks.

The famous French Quarter had some very beautiful buildings. Many had the famous cast iron or rod iron railings. The funny thing is… there is nothing very French about the French Quarter. Most of the buildings are actually of a Spanish design coz the French buildings were mostly burned down in the early years of the settlement.

I also decided to be a bit adventurous and try the famous Gumbo and some creole food. Actually, I know this is kinda insulting, but I thought that they basically taste like very strong tomato stew with different spices. But it did taste quite nice, although it was kinda salty. They served some rice inside the dish but it was so little… almost like a spoonful for the whole plate! Being the Chinese that I am… I ordered an extra plate of rice. Heh. I think they must have thought I was some crazy asian guy, butchering their dish like this.

I didn’t get to do much of the Voodoo tours and I also didn’t get to visit the swamps. I look forward to doing them the next time!