7 hours in Nyorlins

Today’s post brought to you by: Voodoo

Trying hard to accept: Eeriness

Grateful for: Public libraries

This is going to be an early post because (a) I’m tired (b) I’m slightly scared (c) there’s dodgy wifi everywhere.

Have taken refuge in New Orleans public library to charge phone, use wifi and get off the streets as dusk falls.

There are more homeless than homed camping out here, sleeping in chairs or staring into space.

For someone who’s often mistaken for a young thing I was most put out when the librarian in the teenage section upstairs told me only young people could sit up there. “Don’t you know I’m 12??” I stammered.

There’s a shelf of free books, ironically almost all are travel guides to overseas countries. Most people in here can’t even afford to ride the bus let alone get in a plane.

I spied a copy of ‘Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico’ though so if anyone wants it, let me know.

This morning as the bus cruised alongside the Louisiana bayous, past manufactured homes and the odd plantation manor, Big Boy Seafoods and $6.99 buffet restaurants, I decided it was time for some observations, ie gross generalisations of American life, particularly in these southern parts:

• Manners are hugely important
• Petrol’s cheaper than diesel
• When you introduce someone you give their last name too
• Food isn’t seasoned much (ref earlier advice on accumulating salt sachets)
• You never have to get out of your car – there are drive-through ATMs, donut shops, pharmacies and wedding chapels
• It’s perfectly acceptable to take your time ordering food or buying stuff in stores, and to change your mind 6 times and to get into long discussion with waiting/serving staff about tailoring your order. The staff person will patiently stand there while you um and ah. There’ll be no muffled sighs, silent daggers in your back, rolling eyes or surly stares. God love ya New Zealand but boy do you have a thing or 10 to learn about customer service.
• Fritos are good. Very good.

Greyhound’s lived up to my expectations:

• Roomy seats
• Power points
• On time
• Heaps of room to spread out because there were only 6 of us plus 1 laptop on endless loud loop of cartoons and stupid songs that needed to go use the bathroom at the back of the bus and never come back.

Only 1 demerit point for Greyhound: Yes, there is free wifi. No, you can’t connect to it.

To stop myself eating Fritos I grabbed a 20 oz coffee when we stopped at the Shop-n-Bag in Houma (pronounced like Bart’s dad’s name).

The cup was 25cm high. It cost $1.19. If my gob wasn’t otherwise engaged in skulling coffee, it would’ve been smacked.

Rolled into New Orleans at 2pm. It cost me $8 but worth every cent to stash my backpack at Greyhound so I could be free to roam the street(cars) of New Orleans.

Gotta confess it’s not my favourite city. There’s an undercurrent of threat lurking. And I’ll never forget my last visit here when I spent an hour demanding compensation from Amtrak after they sent my bag on a magical mystery tour.

I just don’t feel safe here. A feeling reinforced when I saw an armed guard at the door of the supermarket.

It’s getting dark so am going to head back to bus station and hang out for 4 hours at a few of the hip eateries nearby and drink coffee and wine till it’s time to turn my bus seat into a bed for the night.

Oh crap, just remembered have to change buses at Mobile, Alabama at 11.45 tonight. Better ditch the wine idea and stick to coffee. These are words I never thought I’d write: I really like American filter coffee.

Good night y’all.

Afternoon tea! I could blame it on voodoo making me eat it but truth is it’s jambalaya, mac cheese, blue cheese crumbles, fried chicken and bacon bits. And that’s all I need to say.