The swamp tour and Jazz Festival

Our agenda for the day was venture out into the swamp/delta/bayou area of New Orleans and then return to New Orleans for one last night. Both adventures proved to be worth the time, and provided one last look at the culture and energy of the area.

We decided to take the slower of the two tours traveling down the waterways at a pace slower and quieter than the air boats. Our guide was a native to the bayou and actually lived in a area where he could get home faster on boat than by car. We were not disappointed with the narrated parts of the tour. We saw numerous alligators from his small pet on board, to large 8 foot ones out amongst the swamps. They will come up to the boat for the customary treat including several who jump up to get the raw chicken that the guide brings with him. We were able to see other birds, turtles, and fish as we slowly moved through the other canals.

We returned to New Orleans in time to find a huge Jazz festival was scheduled for New Orleans all weekend including numerous free concerts along the waterfront of the Mississippi. We enjoyed the festivities including dinner on a balcony overlooking the riverfront and open market. We left early enough to miss the second wave of tourist who enjoyed the music and the party. We did watch a group of protesters, who missed the Governors meeting, out in the street wanting the education funding reinstated for colleges. The camera came, the protesters yelled, the cameras left, and so did the protesters.

Enough excitement for the day. We got back on the free ferry with the rest of the old folks and families with children, and headed back to the camp to leave the real party people in New Orleans.