RULE NUMBER 16

Cowgirl Gem

Margarita Adam

Gem after a feed at 'Casa Rio' (cant show the massive belly!)

Adam at Casa Rio

San Antonio Riverwalk

View of the Riverwalk from our hotel room

d.b.a bar - frenchman st, merigny

Spotted Cat Jazz Club, Merigny

jazz / funk band playing on the street in New Orleans - AWESOME

Bourbon Street

One of the many colourful houses in French Quarter

Garden District, New Orleans

Merigny, New Orleans

Merigny, New Orleans

Areas affected by Hurricane Katrina - Lower 9th District

Cafe Du Monde, New Orleans

Cafe Du Monde french donuts

RULE NUMBER 16

Dont Mess With Texas!

Howdy,

Starting this blog off with the second full day of New Orleans (NOLA) fun and games. We hired a car from down the road and set about visiting some sites that interested us...not before getting some french dounuts and a tasty coffee from Cafe Du Monde on the Mississippi River foreshore. Second stop was an area called the Lower 9th District which was the area that was most affected by Hurricane Katrina...its the area that Brad Pitt is working on with the Make It Right Foundation. We ventured through Merigny (just outside the French Quarter) on the way out there to check out some non-touristy bars and jazz clubs and all of the quirky housing. NOLA is an interesting place. It is a small city - maybe 1,000,000 within the city limits and surrounds max but the heart of the city is only half that. It is a city that is financially poor for the most part but very rich in character and history. Obviously Louisiana has a mixed racial history like most of the south but like areas of Harlem you can tell that the rage is not too far beneath the surface. Having said that, we found the city to be in relative harmony...something that Katrina would have helped galvanise.

So, the Lwr 9th is a tough part of the city. There are a few areas like this...low income people (99% black) struggling to pay off their houses and then boom - a hurricane blows everything away. We were told to take it easy driving around this area as it wasn't the safest part of town. I didn't care about that. I have been to the hairy parts of the Philippines, India and we have already seen some crazy stuff over here...cultures are meant to be explored, appreciated and loved. We got a bunch of footage of these areas but we were very sensitive to the people who were there.

Following that, we went to the other extreme and checked out the rich part of town - the Garden District. It reminded me a little of some of the old streets in Williamstown except with those cool southern American timber homes. We were going to see the Plantation area (huge old homesteads from back in the slave era) but Gem got a bit queazy from all of the driving.

After a rest we hit Bourbon Street again - this time with the camera gear. Got heaps of footage, a few pics and had a beer as we strolled around. That place is mental. We then dropped some of the gear back at the hotel and ventured back to Merigny to have a drink and a late snack at a couple of the great old school jazz / blues joints...particularly, The Spotted Cat Jazz Club and d.b.a. Its only a small strip of places but the arty music scene is strong here and it had a real pleasant vibe. One thing that defines New Orleans is music. Young, old, black or white...the music is awesome down here and we were lucky enough to see a slice of it.

Wednesday we slept in a bit and then packed for the quick flight to San Antonio (via Houston). Flight was easy and we had a very friendly mexican dude for the cab drive to our hotel. San Antonio is one of those places you wouldn't normally go to....unless you are a crazy San Antonio Spurs fan like me!! As it turns out Gem and I are both in love with Sth Texas...its awesome. Big trucks, clean streets, good looking women, chivalrous gentlemen, the odd cowboy (for the ladies) and fantastic accents...oh and don't forget about that TEX-MEX food!! The weather is also very similar to Perth - warm, sunny and dry. Our hotel is on one of the waterways that run through the CBD and is a very short distance to the heart of the city - The River Walk. I have not travelled enough to know what this area looks like in terms of architecture but its got a lot of Spanish influence and maybe Italian?? That cant be right! I don't know. Either way, its gorgeous and we spent some significant time just strolling around soaking in the great smells and friendly faces. We have actually just gotten back from one heck of a satisfying Mexican feast...and a couple of cheeky margaritas...all for 50 clams. Of course, Gem also had to make a stop at Ben & Jerry's icecream on the walk home. Tonights meal out was one of the highlights of the trip. Best hit the gym big time tomoz.

Ummmm...ok...thats about it. Tomorrow we are going to see the Spurs play the Miami Heat. GO SPURS!! That game will be on ESPN on Sat morning i reckon so if you have Foxtel you can look out for us.

Love to all. Next blog from San Diago - a place named after a whales vagina.

xx