On the road, finally.
Well, after a crash course in the art of auto mechanics, finalizing everything for the trip and convincing my brother to join...
My 1983 VW camper is very special. It's a special aftermarket conversion camper; It has a very special and loyal owner base; Offers it's own special and unique look when camped at an RV campsite -It's actually a little funny parking the thing next to some of the monstrous RV's; Is referred to by it's own special name 'Rig" by the real RV owners; and also turned out to have it's own special problems, that needed special attention before I was able to take the road trip. What's especially special about all of this is that I've now gone through almost every part of this vehicle. Allowing me to use a new title "novice mechanic". If you're wondering whether I did all the work on the car, by myself... well, the answer isn't straightforward, but a little bit yes and a little bit no.
I currently write from within a hotel room- "a hotel room!?... why aren't you in the car, I thought this was a road trip?" The question is valid, and up until last night, my brother and I were sleeping in the car. Because yesterday was my b'day, we thought we'd splurge and stay a night at a hotel... So, as I was saying, I currently write this from a hotel room, in New Orleans.
We drove in yesterday afternoon, from Baton Rogue. The drive was quite scenic. While in Baton Rogue a very sweet lady in the capitol gave us a map titled "Up A Lazy River" and said it was a must if we had the chance. The drive basically guides you through some of New Orleans oldest Plantations- one place was presented as a fathers wedding gift to his 15, that's right(!), 15 year old daughter. It's currently on the market, so if anyone has a couple mil and is interested in owning a plantation built sometime in the 1800's, let me know.
Entering New Orleans was quite a shock. The best descriptive might be to think of Guatemala city, in a run down part of town, with most homes abandoned by the owners. I heard so much about how the city is still getting re-built, but some of the things I saw were just ridiculous. Imagine people living in their home but only half a roof remains; vehicles still overturned; street lights and stop lights still aren't operational (they currently have stop signs posted at the stop lights); trees still laying in the middle of the road. I don't know what the city has been doing for the last 7 months, but I'd be pretty upset if I were a resident.
Now, walk four or five blocks into the french quarter. One is essentially surrounded by a bubble. You'd have absolutely no idea what happened to this place if you were to just stay downtown or in the french quarter (both of these places were on higher ground, so they didn't experience the massive flooding.) In some ways it's kind of sad. If tourists were subjected to the slightest sight of what's beyond the French Quarter, there would be no doubt that the city would be reacting a little quicker with rebuild, but since it's primarily in an impoverished part of town... well...
My 1983 VW camper is very special. It's a special aftermarket conversion camper; It has a very special and loyal owner base; Offers it's own special and unique look when camped at an RV campsite -It's actually a little funny parking the thing next to some of the monstrous RV's; Is referred to by it's own special name 'Rig" by the real RV owners; and also turned out to have it's own special problems, that needed special attention before I was able to take the road trip. What's especially special about all of this is that I've now gone through almost every part of this vehicle. Allowing me to use a new title "novice mechanic". If you're wondering whether I did all the work on the car, by myself... well, the answer isn't straightforward, but a little bit yes and a little bit no.
I currently write from within a hotel room- "a hotel room!?... why aren't you in the car, I thought this was a road trip?" The question is valid, and up until last night, my brother and I were sleeping in the car. Because yesterday was my b'day, we thought we'd splurge and stay a night at a hotel... So, as I was saying, I currently write this from a hotel room, in New Orleans.
We drove in yesterday afternoon, from Baton Rogue. The drive was quite scenic. While in Baton Rogue a very sweet lady in the capitol gave us a map titled "Up A Lazy River" and said it was a must if we had the chance. The drive basically guides you through some of New Orleans oldest Plantations- one place was presented as a fathers wedding gift to his 15, that's right(!), 15 year old daughter. It's currently on the market, so if anyone has a couple mil and is interested in owning a plantation built sometime in the 1800's, let me know.
Entering New Orleans was quite a shock. The best descriptive might be to think of Guatemala city, in a run down part of town, with most homes abandoned by the owners. I heard so much about how the city is still getting re-built, but some of the things I saw were just ridiculous. Imagine people living in their home but only half a roof remains; vehicles still overturned; street lights and stop lights still aren't operational (they currently have stop signs posted at the stop lights); trees still laying in the middle of the road. I don't know what the city has been doing for the last 7 months, but I'd be pretty upset if I were a resident.
Now, walk four or five blocks into the french quarter. One is essentially surrounded by a bubble. You'd have absolutely no idea what happened to this place if you were to just stay downtown or in the french quarter (both of these places were on higher ground, so they didn't experience the massive flooding.) In some ways it's kind of sad. If tourists were subjected to the slightest sight of what's beyond the French Quarter, there would be no doubt that the city would be reacting a little quicker with rebuild, but since it's primarily in an impoverished part of town... well...
posted by Arin | 10:59 AM
1 Comments:
Sounds like a lot of fun. By the way, type "failure" on Google and you'll see what comes up first. You'll get a kick out of it. T
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