Louisiana- Natchitoches, Beaux Bridge

Sorry folks this being a tourist is busy work.
Day8- Monday
Well we are on our way to Louisiana (just love the way that it rolls off your tongue) but we have made a stop over at Conroe as it is about halfway to our next destination being Natchitoches and as the locals say Nack-a-tish. It is a town in the north of Louisiana and don't ask either of us why we chose to go there but we are very glad we did.
On the way to Nat.... we drove through the flattest landscape I have ever seen. At one stage we were on a slight crest (very unusual) and it was like looking out over the ocean to the horizon and seeing a straight line except you are looking over land (green) instead of blue which is what we are used to. (I'm lucky I'm not writing reports at school as I couldn't end a sentence like that but who cares, sorry for all you non Eastwood people). Not much at Conroe-it is your usual town along the many highways that has all the 'chain accommodation' (big western, holiday inn etc) and food outlets with all their BIG signs and the BIG supermarket with the drive through chemist attached and the liquor department (bottle shop) but only wine and beer attached- as you can guess we are still in Texas.
The last thing we did in Texas had to be very Texan so we went to a very typical Texan roadhouse and had ribs and steak with a side of rattle snake bits. Very noisy, crowded and stuff hanging off every knook and cranny and TVs on every wall it was a total sensory overload just like Texas.

Day9 - Tuesday
4 and a half hours on the road. Drove through some really out of the way places one was called Cut-n-Shoot, thought it was a joke at first but there it was on all the town buildings eg. Cut-n-Shoot City Hall a little old building in a little old town. After driving through dense forests we came to a place called Many.

Off the beaten track road through dense forests

Asked a local a good place to eat and we were sent to Country Boys. Well this was fine dining sitting down to checkered plastic cloths after ordering an angler plate of cat fish, FF CS and HP. You guessed it the FF is french fries not what you might think Cath, CS - coldslaw that was pink and HP - hushpuppies these fried balls of cheese. Was very unusual but we are in an unusual part of the USA.

Fine dining at Country Boys!!!

Landed at Natchitoches(Nack-a-tish's) tourist info and thank heavens we did as we had booked a hotel prior and it was well out of town as there didn't seem to be anything else on expedia etc but this very helpful girl informed us of a quaint hotel and we got out of the other booking and situated ourselves smack in the middle of a very picturesque part of the world.
Busy day but worth the drive.

Pics above and below of the river front in the picturesque Natchitoche

View from front balcony of The Church Street Inn where we stayed.

Day10 - Wednesday
Decided as you do to be tourists again. We meandered along the banks of the Cane River on route119 through rows and rows of sugar cane, old plantation homes and old heritage bungalows with rocking chairs on rickety verandahs.  Came across St. Augustine Catholic Church. This church was the first roman catholic church established by and for people of colour in the U.S. It was also the filming site for the wedding scene in Steel Magnolias. After a tour around the countryside we headed for an another not so memorable experience.

An original building from a plantation including the rocking chairs

St Augustine Catholic Church

We went to an alligator park to see 'wild' alligators. Well couldn't wait to get out of there as it was soo00... hot and touristy. Back to the car with a thermometer reading of 106 F - 42 degrees.

Very touristy

feeding time at the zoo(alligator park)

Lunch stop was at another "have to go to spot" called Lazyone. There you have to have fried pie and beans - they need to come to Australia to see and taste a real meat pie. Food not so good up here. Did my first bit of ironing in 2 weeks today Mez hasn't ventured into the domestics yet.
Dinner - fried green tomatoes - good but fried.

Day 11 - Thursday
Drove down to Breaux Bridge, 2and a half hours, to Linni and Trent's bnb. Amazing place, beautiful grounds right on the Bayou Teche meaning big snake and it also has an inground lap pool. The actual bnb is a studio apartment just off the main house.

Inside the studio where we are staying in Breaux Bridge

Outside by the pool - bali experience

trying to master the art of hammock riding under the trees by the Bayou on property

Great lap pool 

Settled in then around to a vegetarian restaurant, very nice. Walked to tourist info met some lovely, helpful people who told us some good things to see and do. I think they hear the aussie accent and feel that we need help. Even the sheriff came and gave us his card- 'if y'all ever need anythin give us a holla'.
Back for our first swim and guess what the water was at least 30 degrees sitting in the heat all day it never cools down. We did get a tad cooler as a storm came over and that was the end of the bathing beauties indulging in the warm bathtub.
Went to Pont Breaux for dinner and watched the oldies, some youngans, dance to Cajun music- very different to anything you will hear.

A little bit of cajun music and dance with our alligator and shrimp

Eat like the locals except we chose grilled alligator and shrimp instead of fried. Also in this area you have to try gumbo- a seafood gravy soup and jambalaya- like a rice pilaf.
Trent and Linni caught up with us about 10pm and can they talk, headed to bed about 1.

Day 12 -Friday
Today was swamp tour day with Coerte(Kurt). Coerte is an old man of the river he was in his younger days a geologist but his love is the river/swamp. He and his son now run eco swamp tours and get off the touristy areas so much so at one time Mez and I looked at each other are we going to make it back. They took the boats through areas that looked like a carpet of water lilies, no water in sight it was real swamp and if it was an overcast day it would have been very eerie.

Forging a path through the swamp

It was hot hot hot and of course us silly Aussies didn't sit under the cover inside but at the back and fried. Along the way we saw alligators just submerged under the water keeping a watchful eye on their nests on the bank. They lay eggs on the edge of the bank and then cover them with mud etc to incubate - all very interesting. Its a bit spooky-if you fell over the side of the low boats to the water, you would be supper.

Atchafalaya swamp just beautiful

the stunned jumping carp in the back of the boat 

Coerte and Mez, look behind at the massive bridge covering the swamp

Mumma alligator watching ready to pounce

They have the most amazing fish that are called jumping carp. They actually jump out of the water when the boats go past. One of them jumped into the boat and hit the back of the seats we were sitting in at the back-very exciting.
I know I'm going on about this Atchafalaya Swamp but it was cool. Coerte the 84 year old loved us Aussies and wanted to take us home. What can I say we've still got it!!!!

Day13 - Saturday

The band was unreal featuring a cute washboard expert

You have to get up early in these parts if you want to see a night club atmosphere at 7 in the morning. There is a well known restaurant just down the road that is pumping from 7 till about 11.30AM. We got there just after 8 and had to wait with heaps of people at the bar till 9.30 to get a table. The name of the place is Cafe des Amis and it is renown for its zydeco music that the band( with wash boards etc)plays, everyone drinks bloody marys and mimosas(we know them as champagne and orange). They all go there to dance zydeco style and it is amazing. The place is pumping and I even got a dance lesson from an old guy at the bar- this has convinced me I've totally still got it!

Bar and dancing amongst people eating brekkie. The guy in the cowboy hat was there for all to see and if you look closely the guy in yellow was dancing with everyone. We were ducking for cover so he wouldn't ask us.

When the band ends the girls strut their stuff in a local dance - great fun, good to watch

We were seated at the end of a long table with locals from Baton Rouge and they were very curious about us and the accent and one even took our picture to send to his friend in New Zealand- don't know why but that's Americans for you. At brekkie we ticked another food box and had boudin(boo-dan) with an omelette. It is just like sausage mince with lots of spices and veges- was ok but nothing to write home about even though I am. Also we had grits - some sort of cheesy, creamy mix with rice bits through it, not very healthy or nice.
After took a drive to Avery Island and the huge tabasco factory next door. When arriving home Linni and Trent invited us join them and their guests for a few drinks by the pool and dinner - they are very hospitable people.
BIG DAY.

Day 13 - Sunday
Today we went to the Progressive Baptist Church to see gospel singers at their best. It was huge - in a congregation of between 700- 900 people of colour, all in their Sunday best we stood out like sore thumbs. It was an experience I won't forget for a long time. The singing and involvement from everyone there was all consuming. The people were so welcoming so much so that at one stage the Pastor asked for all first time people in the congregation to stand up and we felt compelled to and everyone came over and hugged us and shook our hands and welcomed us to their service. The sermon was a little long and full of fire and condemnation and after 2 hours, it was still in full swing, but we back doored it gracefully.

Progressive Baptist Church

Drove down to a place called Whisky Landing for another must see local zydeco dance didn't stay long had to get back to finish this blog.

Just to let you know we are safe at the moment with the Hurricane evacuation route.

Tomorrow another adventure but before I go I want to congratulate Jessie and all of the Jillaroos for winning the World Cup Rugby League in London by beating the New Zealanders for the first time in 13 years. So excited and so proud of my daughter for being named in the World Dream Team the best 13 players in the world. Am over the moon.
Hooroo for now.