Ragin’ Cajun
Just outside of New Orleans, there is a swamp. Actually, there are tons of swamps. New Orleans lies below sea level except for the French Quarter and some of the Garden District, so you can imagine the miles and miles of swampland that lies beyond its borders. Ragin’ Cajun’ Swamp Tours own this particular swamp. It comprises 5,500 acres of pristine bog. I don’t know what you imagine a swamp to look like or how you envisage traveling through a swamp, but I for one as a Floridian who has seen loads of swamps was surprised at how clean and fresh the air smelled.
I was delighted to see yellow and purple spring flowers and the long grass staggering under the bright blue March sky. These flowers are Louisiana Iris. They start to bloom in March. Unfortunately, the boat sped past them before I could take a picture.
Our guide’s name was Steve or Scott. I’m sorry. We showered him with so many questions and he never once was stumped. Except at one point when he told us about Popeye, a small alligator, being scared by Jack, a huge alligator because Jack growled at Popeye.
I asked, “Can you growl like a gator?” Leave it to me to ask the burning questions.
“No!” he answered, taken aback almost insulted. Well, it’s just that I know people who can imitate animals and they do it pretty well, too.
So I said, “Well, does it sound like a dog?” “No”, he said. All right then.
Pets
I also asked Steve Scott if he likes the gators. “I feed ’em,” he shrugged. “Would you have one like a pet, like a dog?” He looked at me, gave a quick shake of his head, and said, “No.” Some people do keep them as pets and then flush them down the toilet when they get too big. Hence, the urban myth of alligators in the sewers. When our guide gave me that look as if to say, “Lady, are you nuts?” I knew right then that we were in good hands while surrounded by man-eating half-ton reptiles.
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