Countdown to New Orleans

An airline ticket to New Orleans – departing Costa Rica September 12th.

Just the thought of that brightens Gerry’s day. And lately, that’s about the only thing that does: He’s going to New Orleans and leaving all this dreadful mess behind….

….all the drenching rains, the landslides, the muck, the bone jarring detours, the housekeeper’s kitchen with all her cats and kids, the solar power monster, the construction site…

New Orleans Here We Come! Back home to our peaceful flat in the Vieux Carre, where everything works and all is orderly. Where we can walk up for some Oysters (raw, followed by barbecued) at the bar at the Red Fish Grill and then down to Frenchman Street for some great music. Or maybe visit some friends uptown. Or drive out to a Bayou…

There is so much to fill up your senses in New Orleans!

But Gerry still has to get through 10 more days of Costa Rica before landing in our beloved Big Easy – and he’s running hard so that there will NOT be any delays. It’s been exhausting – running all day – finances, construction, employees, that dreadful detour – but soon, soon – NEW ORLEANS.

Mother Nature has not cooperated. After several days of heavy rains, the old road from Ciudad Colon to Rodeo collapsed into the river leaving a great gaping, mucky hillside. Big roadwork machinery is now digging a new road out of the mountain. Currently, it looks like a great Sea of Mud with a slashed mud road through it. Many people have sunk in the muck. The other night, a lady carrying her baby sank up to her chest in muck before getting pulled out by other travelers. She left her boots behind, stuck in the mud.

Tomorrow, if it is not raining, Gerald will make the climb – all outfitted in his wellingtons and walking stick to reach a taxi waiting on the other side of the landslide. This is just one of many reasons why Gerald is counting the days.

For all our friends and family reading this: New Orleans is still a blast to visit. True, population is 50% of Pre-Katrina levels while crime remains as bad. CNN is still focusing on the rebuilding problems but these are all in areas that you never would have visited before Katrina. The bad news is that those areas still exist and still need help.

The good news is that there are more restaurants and bars open now than before Katrina. So come and enjoy them. Eat, drink and be merry. And in doing so, you will do your bit to help ALL New Orleans recover.