New Orleans - San Antonio

B.B. King was even better than we imagined he would be. The gig itself was an intimate affair where he took a great deal of time out to make jokes and talk with the audience. It was clear that a great deal of the man's friends and family were in attendance as it was the last night of the tour. What's more the concert was being filmed for an upcoming DVD release. He said he wanted to capture the atmosphere of the small clubs that he hasn't had much oppurtunity to play at this point in his career. For a man of 81 years of age B.B. hasn't lost any of his flair, ripping through classics such as 'Ain't That Just Like A Woman', 'Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah' and 'The Thrill is Gone'. It was great to see him in his element and it was an experience neither of us will soon forget. The following night was Halloween and we spent a small amount of time taking in the rest of Beale Street. Many places had already had their Halloween celebrations on the previous weekend but there was still a great deal of people running around in costume and their were decorations everywhere. However, we decided to take an early night as we had a train to catch the next morning.
The Amtrak trains are so much more comfortable than the Greyhound buses. Our seats were of business class proportions with a huge amount of leg room, it felt like another world from the cramped conditions we have been used to in recent weeks. We were provided with some excellent views of the country side as we passed through the state of Mississippi and northern Louisiana. Mississippi is probably the poorest state in the US and looking at some of the houses on the outskirts of the towns felt like looking back in time. It was interesting to see some of the out of the way places we wouldn't have seen on the bus and to watch the landscape change as we worked our way south. The most dramatic changed occurred when we reach Lake Pontchatrain just north of New Orleans where the train line runs next to the water in the middle of the swamp. We saw plenty of white cranes laying in wait on the banks and fish jumping from the water. The contrast between this part of the Mississippi river and the part we had left behind in Memphis was remarkable. It really put into perspective the fact that we had been following the same stretch of water since we left Chicago on the other side of the country.
We had booked into a guesthouse called St.Vincent's in the Garden District about a twenty minute walk from the tourist areas of the French Quarter. The weather was wonderful and it was a joy to walk up and down the leafy boulevards lined with colourful and intricately carved wooden French colonial houses. Some of the buildings showed signs of damage from the flooding but it seems that for the most part areas further north and south of the French Quarter were the worst affected. We experienced no trouble while we were there and it was clear that residents were glad of the returning tourist trade and it's help in rebuilding the city.
Our first full day in the city was spent in the French Quarter where we visited the cathedral and the Farmer's Market before stopping at the Voodoo Museum on Dumain Street. This consisted of two rooms filled with voodoo dolls, paintings and other assorted artefacts. These included bones, feathers, roots and herbs and stuffed animals all of which held the ability to act as charms or hexes when used in particular ceremonies. The second of the two rooms contained an altar which is still used regularly by local voodoo practitioners. Many visitors had left offerings and written wishes addressed to the Grand Zombie and various other voodoo deities. It was an intensely interesting place and showed us just how different New Orleans is when compared with anywhere else in the States.
That night we visited the famous Preservation Hall a tiny venue dedicated to the continuation of traditional New Orleans jazz. There we sat on wooden benches and were treated to a three hour long performance by a group containing a piano, drums, double bass, three saxophones and no amplification. The emphasis was placed heavily on improvisation and the three saxophonists in particular were a marvel to behold as they played solo after solo off the top of their heads and directly from their souls. We felt priveleged to bare witness to such an intimate spectacle and were reassured that the spirit of New Orleans is alive and well in it's proud musical history. We spent the following night on the tacky and foul smelling strip known as Bourbon Street which is the heart of the Mardi Gras celebrations. This was once again like nowhere else in the States that we have seen so far. People are allowed to drink on the streets and the party goes on until all hours.
The next morning we caught another Greyhound that would take us on an epic 13 hour journey into Texas and on to San Antonio. So far we have seen the Alamo and walked along the Riverwalk which follows the original course of the San Antonio river. Tomorrow morning we intend to make our way further north to the state capital of Austin for an extended stay by the lake. From there we hope to hire a car for a week so that we can make our own way across the rest of Texas and onto the Rocky Mountains of Colarado. We have reached the halfway point in our journey and look forward to further adventures as we head out West.