DAY 97
Week 14
AUSTIN (Texas, USA) to NEW ORLEANS (Louisiana, USA)
Monday September 25th, 2006
TODAYS MILEAGE – 522 miles or 840 kilometres
TRIP MILEAGE – 13279 miles or 21370 kilometres
Lookout Big Easy – here I come!!! 
Monday's aren't meant to start with a verbaling - are they??? I was at Champion Toyota as soon as they opened and was suprised myself by taking it pretty easy on the body shop service advisor, who had handled my vehicle from day 1. That was until he intimated that Chris and Dash were liars, and then started patronizing me like a two year old in front of a room customers. BIG MISTAKE!!!
I upped the decibel level to 11 and ripped the knob off (to ensure every man and his dog could hear) and let him have it with both barrels. At no time was it a personal attack, rather it was all about the piss poor service and the bad 'tudes that I had received in all my dealings with his employer - everything was such a drama with them. Anyways, after the General Manager said he'd cover the cost of repairs of the poor workmanship they perfomed when repairing my vehicle, I was finally on the road and headed to New Orleans (Louisiana).
I think that a few people within earshot learnt that morning that the word fuck can be a noun, pro-noun, adjective, verb, consonant and a vowel AND all in the same sentence.
The drive was uneventful for the most part except for bridge maintenance and roadwork slow downs. On I10 headed into New Orleans you run over these numerous concrete bridges that run for tens of miles, at a height of 20 feet, spanning what could only be described as swampland. A unique driving experience to say the least.
As it turns out, I just happen to hit New Orleans on the very same night the local NFL team, the Saints, have their first game in the Superdome after repairs due to Hurricane Katrina. The Atlanta Falcons were in town, as were Green Day, the Goo Goo Dolls and U2 to celebrate the re-opening of the stadium.
At lot of local and national media interest surrounded the game, as it was billed as the "re-building of New Orleans" and as a city, the Big Easy could stand on it's own two feet. The French Quarter, where I'm staying, is not far from the Superdome and people were everywhere on a Monday night ..... with serious partying on their minds.
Two things struck me as soon as I pulled up to my hotel, the Saint Ann Marie Antoinette, parking is near non-existent - anywhere in the French Quarter, but available for $25.00 a day. More annoying and disgusting was the rank stench of stale alcohol/urine/vomit and piled up garbage that emanates from streets.
At the recommendation of a mate, I had the oyster and shrimp Po Boy, washed down a couple of Newcastle Brown ales at the Acme Oyster House. I then spent the rest of the night wandering around Bourbon Street and it's surrounds, with people from all points of the compass having a giggle and people watching, while imbibing on drinks such as the "Hand Grenade", the "Hurricane" and Long Island "Iced Teas".
I got to bed around 2AM and I didn't take much rocking.
• NEW ORLEANS (Louisiana, USA)