New Orleans Day Two.

Good Morning, Big Easy! Last night, the sights and sounds of Mardis Gras continued late, late into the night. After I showered, I hit the New Orleans cafe for a wonderful dinner of a fresh garden salad with delicious homemade vinegarette, followed by a New Orleans fresh shrimp medly of rice with 4 kinds of fresh Gulf Shrimp. Very delicious. I then walked around a bit before retiring, as I was very tired from a day of travel. I am just not into this scene, and this would not be my ideal concept for a vacation. Nevertheless, it has been interesting to see it firsthand.

These photos give you a little idea of what Mardi Gras is all about but, to by truthful, you just can't adequately describe it unless you are here! I haven't taken as many photos as I expected yet, because I just didn't feel safe having my expensive camera out in this crowd....lots of people who looked like they just might want to snatch a nice camera if they got the chance. It is definitely a cacophony of stimulation for all the senses:

• Smells--The first thing that hit me were the smells. Think a huge carnival times 1,000! There are vendors selling food on every corner, so you have the smells of sausages and caramel corn and fried foods. Combine that with the heavy smell of alcohol and pot....yep, it's all done out in the open here. Most of the storefronts have huge tables selling open alcohol of all shapes and sizes. And while there are lots of police standing around, they look past all of the obviously young young (we're talking tweens, here) kids drinking. Add to this the smell of humidity and human sweat and a bit of vomit thrown in.....the smells of Mardis Gras.
• Sights--Can you say colorful? About half of the people are garbed in colorful costumes, some very classy but alot of them very scanty and, shall we say, slutty? I've never seen so many fish net hose with butt cheeks hanging out in my life. Even the dogs and the babies are dressed to party. Colorful sequined masks, crazy hats....and then the beads! All of the floats in the parades throw thousands of strands of beads......all different colors and shapes....and some of them throwtoys and carnival prizes, too. People from all different countries and ethnicities and walks of life......Definitely lots of visual stuff going on......
• Sounds--Blaring music, honking horns, huge crowds of people screaming......police car sirens, DJs yelling out of their sound systems from many storefronts.....people speaking very diverse languages and lots of black/Ebonic English with a southern twist.......that's what it sounds like.
• Tastes--Quite frankly, I really didn't get a taste of Mardis Gras in terms of the vendor food and alcohol.....just not my style. But lots of people were partaking in large amounts...I'll just stick to my Gulf shrimp!
  
  One of the things that really struck me was the GARBAGE.....this photo gives you a bit of the effect, but it was everywhere.....piles and piles of used food items, half-eaten items, broken beads.....it almost made me sick. And then, later in the afternoon, when the alcohol really started flowing, there were pools of spilled beer and so many beer cans and bottles.....this must be job security for the garbage men all year long, that's all I can say.
  
• Last night, I had been sleeping for about an hour and was startled awake by huge noise.....apparently, at midnight (which marks the end of Fat Tuesday and the beginning of Lent) there is a huge countdown followed by sirens, blaring music and shouting....this went on for a good 10 minutes......it is what I imagine Times Square must sound like when the big ball drops on New Years Eve. I watched a bit of it from my window......wow, these people enjoy their parties.

Today, it seems much calmer. Lent has begun and I'm sure that plenty of New Orleans are lying low to nurse their 10-day party hangover. Many of the businesses are closed today and tomorrow....kind of like a recovery period, I guess.

So, that is a little about my Mardis Gras experience......I have about 100 strings of beads to take home to the kids, including some strings given to me by my new friends, the Marlos......more about them in the next post. I'm off to Cafe Du Monde for a fresh cup of coffee and some yummy New Orleans beignets.......more to come.