Intrepid Terrence "just so happens" to have forgotten to mention wearing sexy little lady's undies over his pants while walking down New Orlean streets. No one paid any notice- as that is Mardi Gras- and probably most everyone was drunk by then. But no need to fret! Our juicy photos show all!
Oh yeah, the girls went crazy after the beads on the last day. They were more aggressive after the beads than I was on the first day. By the last day, the marginal return of each additional bead for me had already reached zero.
To me, Mardi Gras turned out to be one big non-stop four-day frat party. The streets looked like a war zone every time a parade passes through. No problem with either- just a short commentary.
Oh yeah, Camilla's Grill is much overrated. The food was just as greasy and the line four times as long- as a typical diner.
Anyway, some additional comments:
* Still don't know what the celebrating's about. But who cares?
* The swamp tour guide uses props as owls and frogs in case they don't find any alligators for us to see. Proof: how can a guide see a frog on a log from two miles away? or a barn own on a tree branch hidden behind layers and layers of trees? Terrence kept saying "I can't see it! I can't see it!"
* The fancy restroom in the restaurant the first night. All marble. Soap came out of wine bottles! As I've commented, "This is the fanciest bathroom I've ever been in without a guy in there takingtips."
* The fancy toilet seat freshening kit in Louis XI. You push a button- and the piece of paper covering the seat revolves until a new piece of paper shows up. Hmm...I think the paper's reused.
* Learned to play poker and the memory game. The memory game was the best- although I will keep my strategies secret next time. In Chinese, the game's called Heart Attack.
* Edcon and I must have bumped into one another 28 years ago in a Hong Kong hospital. Our birthdays are only 5 days apart.
* Edcon's advice to me that our REM sleep cycle last 4 hours long- and that it is more refreshing to terminate our sleep after each REM cycle than to wake up in the middle of one. This little piece of advice will further improve my sleeping techniques.
* The Frommer's guide author must either have been drunk or took in some mighty big bribes.
* Terrence did a good impression of the immigrant subway salesman selling beads- "one dollar, one dollar- for you, two dollars!" Okay, not making fun out of others' misfortune- just impressed with Terrence's reenactment.
* The economic disparity in New Orleans looks pretty bad. Miles and miles of poverty punctuated by tiny districts of million dollar homes. Hmm...something's wrong.
Great trip! On to the next one! If only my vacation schedule'd allow.