jazzin' up the big easy...

so, we're back! from the birthplace of jazz. the queen of the south. the hot-spot for mardi gras. the place with rich history, culture & absolutely superb food. the city of voodoo and vampires. and of course, the city which is now identified as the katrina-ravaged town. we lived in the heart of downtown... from where almost everything worth seeing was within walking distance. *except the swamps and plantations* and didn't really get down to seeing the destruction. but then, that i've seen on tv. so often, that i actually thought the whole town would look like that. i was SO surprised to see it that i absolutely fell in love with n'awlins...!

vin DID attend his conference... and that gave me some me-time. and the time to explore a bit on my own. so now, i've finally figured out a way to go on vacation alone, but with him.

plantations, rich in their history and tales... felt like taking a guided tour of scarlett o'hara's mansion.
the swamp was fascinating. the kind of place which makes one go absolutely silent. in awe. there are LOTS of swamps around the place! being in the middle of a live one felt like being in a movie. without the insects and anacondas! the alligators took me by surprise. totally. i've never been this close to alligators. and honestly, i didn't know that alligators, unlike crocodiles, are docile creatures who don't normally attack humans. yeah, before we went into the swamp... i was kind of expecting an alligator to chase the boat! :D no, that didn't happen! but we did get to see 'gators of all sizes and some gorgeous blue herons and egrets...
as is wont, we were a little lost on the way to the swamp. but by now, i've started enjoying the "journey" instead of focusing on the destination... so it was fun! to drive through quaint little towns... knowing that i'd never see them if we'd stuck to the route. to see how beautiful the houses were... how life was so much simpler there...

i'd heard that it's always mardi gras on bourbon street. and now i realize how true that is. if you're a non-drinker, bourbon street stinks. horribly. and it's LOUD. coz every bar has a live band performing. what u get to hear when u're out on the street is a mix... of pop jazz, creole, zydeco... and i don't know what other types of noises! but once u're drunk, it's all music. and it all sounds fab!
the streets of downtown are alive. they have a soul. and a story. the city's a beautiful mix of the old and new. the horse carriages look so stately on the backdrop of jackson square... it's like being transported back in time. i haven't felt this good since i left bbay. and i've never been to another place which has soul. or maybe, i never felt it. and yeah, if u ever go there.. .make sure u're at riverwalk around dusk... it's one of those sights which stays with u for a long long time... and i mean that positively. the town looks fantastic when the lights are just coming on...

and of course, the food. foodies that we are, we absolutely pigged out. there's food that originated here... so yeah, even the food has history! even thinking of all that yum food now is making me hungry. the crabmeat cheesecake we had was by far the bestest crab meat i've ever had! i finally got down to tasting an alligator to the list of animals i've tasted. that leaves me to try octopus. someday....

it's also the town for vampires, this one! it hosts the infamous halloween ball. which is attended by actual vampires. from all over the US. REAL vampires. people who ardently believe they are vampires. *and they call me cuckoo! yeah, right!* the tales of the supernatural that you get to hear here... they're unparallelled. they also have vampire & ghost sighting tours... i felt like i was in rural india when i heard those tales. the voodoo stores kind of psyched me out tho. i mean, the things they have there... it's amazing to know that people actually have faith in it. also, i'm too wary of it to challenge it by saying it doesn't exist. there's lots that i don't understand and/or have no explanations for... i shall add this to that list!

i don't know whether new orleans is actually that gorgeous... or was it just coz i had absolutely no expectations from the place that i loved it so. but yeah, love it i did! so much that i actually won't mind going back.

and oh yes... the ac's working. they got us a new one the day we left... so there! all's well here. how've u guys been...?

edited to add: pics are from the new orleans official site
dunno the photog.