Day xx, New Orlean's - Dinner on the Mississippi

After a big day of shopping around New Orlean's, I barely made it back for the bus which was leaving to take us out to our dinner akboad a paddle steamer as it travels down the Mississippi. As we arrived, I noticed PAt our driver taking some shots through his SLR which operated on film and not digital like so many of them these days. Pat obviously had a deep passion for photgraphy and was lining up a great shot of the clouds and the setting sun realesed a pink glow which reflected over the Mississippi river, it was quite a shot, but I don't think the Nikon Coolpix captured it quite the same as his SLR complete with Fish's eye lens. AS we board the steamer we all take our seats to dine on a 3 course dinner complete with steak, salad, chicken, and all the standards. The meals served throughout the different polaces I visted certainly did vary, so the meals in New Orlean's were nice but nothing to write home about, thus why my description is quite bleak. After dinner we all move to the outer and upper decks of the steamer to watch the scenery pass us. There was everything from the City lights of New Orlean's, to wharves, refineries, cargo docks, kyou name it. The Mississipi was once one of the most heavily trafficed rivers in the world however these days a lot of the transportation is accomplished by road and rail. Photo flashes are illuminating the river banks as we pass, people line up against th rails of the steam to have their picture taken with the lights of New Orlean's in the background as the steam makes its approach on the way back.

About this time with dinner and dessert settling in our stomachs we get talking and one of the Australian's starts talking about how she isn't that close to her family and going into some medium detail about how she doesn't talk to her parents or siblings, not that she doesn't want to, but she doesn't particularly like them (which in my eyes is not likeing them!) and that her parents are particularly close to her. Now she's telling us this for what reason I was still to discover but she's doing a fair job at justify her blatant dislike for her immediate family and everyone of thr group listening to this conversation (about 5 or 6) is in utter amazement thinking exactly what is about to be said by John the South African traveller, 20, wmhen he blurts out "Jesus Christ! That is really fucked up!" and I've never heard such a silence break the air before. For this woman basically opened up her head full of horrors on the steamer for all to hear about, and this is our response, but honestly, I have no idea how else to sum it up. Anyone who wants sympathy from expressing their blatant disregard for others is a dreamer and best go back to sleep. So the conversation between me, Paul from Essex and John takes a turn to fidelity in relationships and how the tour would react if anything happened between a single member of the tour and one of the couples. John then goes to explain how he would ordinarily (apart from the tour - ofcourse!) have no guilt or hesitation whatsoever in maing a move on a taken woman and going all the way. I asked him "So John, you wouldn't be implicated in any way by the whole fact that she has a boyfriend who got there before you?" he laugh it off by saying "I wouldn't even hesitate for a second, I tell you!". I gotta say by this stage myself and Paul look at each other and are suprised. I went on to ask "How about if she's married?" and this is where it gets good. John sways back rolling his eyes almost in ecstasy "Oh I tell you, if she's married is even more tempting. I tell you, to fuck a woman in her husbands bed, there is no other feeling like it in the world!" Now at this stage, we're picking our jaws up off the floor, cos I can't believe what we're hearing. It was interesting to hear someone from another culture express their thoughts on fidelity, glad I don't share that point of view. Now following this stemmed the whole issue of respect to women. I mentioned how back in Brisbane I had an angry fat woman in a pub get a little fiesty in conversation which resulted in her slapping me, very lightly of course, but none the less insulting. No after I've explained this to John, with Paul smirking, his smirk soon turned to shock as John said

John: "I fucking tell you, if any woman ever so much as laid a hand on me, I would hit her so hard that she wouldn't get up in a hurry" Me: You're kidding me right"? John: "No, absolutely not, I would teach her a lesson that she would not forget" Me: "Well the bouncers in Brisbane ain't gonna let that happen." John: "How?" Me: "They'll cart you out of the place mate, you'll be gone, or if they really don't like you, they'll bash you out the back and tell the cops you got hit by a passing car." John: "I tell you, if that happened, I would come back with a gun so big, I would blow that fucking bouncers head off and he wouldn't be fighting so hard then! hahah!" Me: "Umm the cops would kill you if you did that" John: "You kidding me right?" Me: "No...if youhad a gun they'd point there's at you and tell you to "Drop the weapon!" and if you didn't they'd drop you then and there, it's happened before but they prefer not to do it as it's a lot of paper work afterwards, haha!" John: "You kidding me right? Would they absolutely do that?" Me: "Yeap it's no joke, the whole guns thing in Austrlaia" with a slight pause he says John: "Oooh well in that case, I'd get her to come outside with me" Me: "Well if she's drunk or stupid enough to come outside with a guy who has a gun then maybe she deserves a hit cos that could snap her out of it! haha"

The conversation about this, basically hit a brick wall at this point, but it really showed me the mentality to me about how SOME South African's seem to have little to no value for human life, but John was a nice guy and after all the bullshit talk, I'd honestly be suprised to see a young bloke like him to the things that he said he'd do to people, but then again, I'll mention later that when in Memphis and interesting situation arose and he was lucky to escape given the way he handled it.

More New Orlean's travel stories

• Day xx, New Orlean's - Hurricane Adam
• Day xx, New Orlean's - Huka Bar
• Day xx, New Orlean's - Dinner on the Mississippi