New Orleans; Beads, breasts and balconies.

June 12th, Mobil -> New Orleans via beaches at Pass Christian and southern pie at Bay St Louis.
June 13th New Orleans.



Photos can be found here

New Orleans is interesting indeed, although in an entirely different manner than I expected. We are staying in an area called the French Quarter, this is also the area where all the nightlife is. It is an area of about 60 blocks of colonial style houses converted into bars, hotels, bars, clubs, bars, restraunts and er, bars. Most of the nightlife takes place along Bourbon street, which runs the length of the Quarter, and is lined with balconied clubs and bars. The idea is that you pick up some drinks and, drink in hand, wander the length of the street popping in and out anywhere that takes your fancy.

Now the surprising part is that it is the custom to buy yourself a load of beaded necklaces, stand on the balconies and yell at passers by that you want to strip. Amazingly loads of people flash ass or breasts or sometimes, er, other bits. After they have flashed their, um, goodies, the callers chuck them a load of beads. Very wierd, but makes an interesting backdrop to an evening.

Our evenings here we spent cruising Bourbon street, drink in hand, soaking up the atmosphere and crashing other groups of people to have a blether. It turns out that doing a road trip and coming from another county gives as loads of conversational ammunition and the local cocktails, the 'hand grenade' and 'hurricane', were giving us plenty of fuel.

So the whole place has an atmosphere of non-stop party. However it it is like a Spanish resort style party not a down'n'dirty R&B grind fest or finger clicking jazz / blues chill out, and in this respect New Orleans was not what I was hoping for, although its still a real fun place.

In other news I was ripped off to the tune of $300 dollars from the bag in my Hotel room. Insurance or the Hotel will cover it, however it meant I had the dubious pleasure of chatting to New Orleans Boys in Blue. They popped around to the Hotel for an interview. Most of the interview seemed to be spent persuading them it was unlikely to have been, as they suspected, Keith. Or as he put it "Trust your buddy with you life but not you money or you wife".