The Samurai Guy

Music. Joyous and melancholy. Somber and lively. Songs of loss, of pain, and sorrow. Songs of faith, of love, and desire. It seems there is no limit to the range of feelings they can express with song, these people of the South. I remember seeing stories of the devastation that Hurricane Katrina left on New Orleans and the surrounding areas. To be here now and to see the strength and perseverance of these people stirs emotions deep. This is befitting the birthplace of jazz. Truly, if life could be expressed as sound, this must be it. Jazz is one of my favorite things I have discovered on this journey forward.

Even more than the Netherlands, 80% of New Orleans sits below sea level. It is one of the busiest ports in the United States and is the second largest producer of energy in the U.S. This is why it was so baffling that their President let Katrina wreak the havoc that it did. Further, 40% of the seafood eaten by Americans comes from here. Louisiana attracts the greatest chefs from around the world and combines culinary traditions from: Caribbean, African, Spanish, French, Italian, Creole and Cajun cooking.

I thoroughly enjoyed the airboat trip we took in the bayous and swamps. These giant lizards you call alligators are fearsome beasts. They look like fanciful drawings I have seen of dinosaurs. I wanted to jump in to see if it could best my steel, but the tour guide raised such a fuss I got back into the boat before I could find out. Some other time perhaps.