The Big Easy

New Orleans greeted us with a hot and sunny embrace. This dynamic city is the perfect people watching destination. My favorite was a woman dressed as an elf all in silver. She approached a jazz trio that were playing in the middle of the street to request a song. The trio were happy to oblige and struck up an upbeat swing. The silver woman danced a jig 

OMG, Swamp people do exist!!!

For dinner on our second night we went for po' boys at Mahony's

The picture below on the left is their Voodoo beer, perfect for washing down a po' boy or two. On the right are string onion rings. They are very thinly sliced onions, lightly battered and deep fried; genius!

 Two great po' boys were the fried oyster and the fried green tomatoes and shrimp. Crispy, crunchy toppings stuffed between delectably soft bread makes for a memorable meal.

Sightseeing in New Orleans is a very dynamic experience. The city has a laid-back vibe but there is always a buzz of activity. People playing music, making art or performing.

What's this toy police car doing in the middle of the sidewalk?? 

It's a transformer, robot in disguise! 

Since we hadn't had enough fried food the day before, we decided to get beignet's for breakfast. They are best enjoyed screaming hot from the oil, drowned in powdered sugar with a large latte to wash it down.

 Everyone very much enjoyed the beignet's, as this picture clearly demonstrates.

On our last morning in New Orleans we went to a Creole sugar cane plantation. Below are a collection of pictures from that day, ranging from the plantation house, the grounds and the slave quarters.

On the left is Bryan, our awesome tour guide at the plantation. Please note that hipsters exist in the deep south too, who knew!

 After our tour, we went for a bite to eat at an American Colonial plantation. It was a very grand house and the drive up to it has the longest line of oaks in the country, which made for a beautiful setting.

 At least one of them is attractive :P

 Craw fish kickers (left), crispy, moist and spicy; and fried Alligator (right), chewy and bland.

The family taking a stroll in the Colonial plantation

Vacherie means dirty trick, not such a nice name for a town. 

We are now halfway through our trip and the amount of calories we've consumed probably triples the number of kilometres we've driven. Time to fill up the gas tank and head to St Simons Island to fill up our stomachs!