Louisiana

Louisiana…Louisiana….. We knew this state was going to be special; home of Jazz, authentic Cajun cuisine, home of the famous Tabasco sauce and sadly a witness of an act that is an embarrassment for the humanity: slavery.

The journey from Mississippi to Louisiana was uneventful but spoiled by the fact that all camping parks in the New Orleans area were full!! Understandable knowing that it is a vibrant touristic place. So, we had to stretch the trip and get a site in Broussard, 100 miles away. Oh gosh…

Dinner after a long trip; Scotty prepared to rest for a few nights and first lunch / dinner in Louisiana by Mr Chef. Beef and vegetables this time.

Louisiana is a land of African heritage so we decided to treat ourselves and visit a local restaurant that could offer authentic food from the region. Looking at the menu, we went for the Crawfish Etouffee and chicken and smoked sausage gumbo… a bit spicy but delicious!!

Next day we headed to the factory that supplies Tabasco sauce to the world…. History says that someone named Edmund McIIhenny, a banker that went bust decided to do the unthinkable; create a sauce that would make it to the thousands of people who were suffering at the time when crisis would engulf everyone. He ended up marrying the daughter of a member of the Avery family that owned a great island, Avery Island. Confusing information also tells us that Edmund managed to obtain a sample of a pepper seed brought from the state of Tabasco in Mexico. After quite a few trials, he came up with a recipe that contains red peppers matured to perfection, salt, vinegar and water. After 3 years stored in wooden barrels, he obtained the perfect spicy sauce that the world knows today.

Preservation Hall

Visiting New Orleans and not going to a jazz show is not acceptable, so we went to the best venue you can come across in the city; the Preservation Hall. From the outside you wouldn’t think that this is a concert hall !! But surprisingly it is a magical place! You need to join the line, buy the tickets online and be ready to enjoy 45 minutes of a great show made by authentic musicians.

This was fantastic….

Whitney Plantation Museum

Perhaps the best place to visit and savor the infamous episode of slavery that lasted for hundreds of years, is Whitney Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana. Back in the day it was a fully operational sugar cane plantation, one of the many in the area. Actually, today you find them producing sugar but of course, applying different labor conditions.

The tour takes you through the various buildings and areas and a guide transports you to those shameful times back in history where so many people of color suffered. It is really a disgrace, and you should be prepared to see what history unveils.

The landlord and his family along with white employees would live in comfortable separate homes whereas slaves would have different dwellings away from them in conditions nowhere near as comfy

The tour ends showing you the worst part; so many of them were killed trying to escape, or because they didn’t obey orders, or simply because they were studying or playing outside…. There is a monument with more than 100,000 names engraved in it as commemoration

And the picture below shows what happened to a few slaves who tried to organize a revolt… they were beheaded

And finally, a couple of news adverts offering a reward if you find slaves who managed to escape from the hands of the owners and also, adverts offering slaves for sale with a description.

On a kinder note, see who I bumped into the other day!!

Tree number 4!!

The tree that belongs to Louisiana found home in Broussard and Jason promised to take care of it!!

Finally, dinner in Shreveport the previous night to our next destination….. Texas!!