We've been able to get the credit card to work at the pump a few times, but when they require a zip code, then we have to go inside. 90210 doesn't work, funnily enough.
The weather here is very Cairns-like. Warm. 80% humidity. Low scuddy clouds whipping by.
We crossed the bridge over the Mississippi into Louisiana, then back again, and headed south to Baton Rouge.
The Natchez Grand Hotel was a great choice last night. Quiet, comfortable. I had expected it to be expensive, but for $150 we were given a King Suite with a river view. The room actually had a hallway, it was so big! The lounge room was bigger than ours at home.
This is the land of big estates with neat fences and huge mansions at the end of gravel driveways. Gone With The Wind type atmosphere. Definite wow factor. Spanish moss hangs from the trees.
The roadside was a riot of yellow wild flowers and creeper vines that threatened to cover anything stationary. It is very fertile countryside.
Closer to Baton Rouge it became very industrial with a mix of defunct, decrepit factories sitting next to huge, active chemical plants and Exxon Mobil oil tanks.
We rolled into New Orleans at 4pm and became very excited as we neared the French Quarter. We checked in but our room at Bourbon Orleans Hotel on Orleans Street wasn't ready yet, so we waited in the hotel bar. I was keen to get out and see the world.
We were given a lovely room with a balcony overlooking Orleans Street, from which we could see an approaching storm front, with lightning and thunder.
We hurried out into the evening to see what we could before the daylight faded and the storm hit. There is so much to see here, just in the French Quarter.
Ducking into a cool looking restaurant through the pouring rain, we enjoyed a great dinner (Dom tried the local gumbo and creole court bullion) at Tableau, then had a drink at the Maison Bourbon, a jazz bar in Bourbon Street, which was great fun.
Mint julep
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