How cold is It?? It is so cold.....

The frozen fountain in courtyard of the cafe
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This morning we were up early for a tour pickup at 8am to go high-speed air-boating. At 8.30 and still waiting, I rang the tour office to be told there was ice on the roads making it dangerous. They offered a 10.20am pickup in lieu, which gave us time to pick up a hot coffee, and for me a 30min kip.

After the pickup and the 20min drive to the dock, we exchanged our vouchers for tickets and had a look at the young alligator they had penned up out the back. We rugged up and boarded the boat with our driver Reggie.  With orders to keep us as dry as possible, we headed out slowly and then picked up speed as we approached the mangroves/marshes. As we floated along the surface of the icy water, we saw picturesque tributaries leading off both sides of the canals, with the Sphagnum Moss laden trees offset against the clear blue skies.  It was way too cold for the Gators to be out, with Reggie informing us that at this time, they would have wedged themselves deep under the water and have stilled their heart beat to between 1-4 beats a minute.  There was no way we would see gators today with ice at the water’s edge.

... that even the fountains are freezing...

The only gator we saw today was the one in the pen at the dock - Ali
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We spotted some white Egrets and other large grey birds, a squirrel, and something that was a cross between a water rat and a beaver as it scurried away from the noise of the boat. We also spotted a large cormorant bird – warming its fully splayed wings in the sun.

The ride back to the dock against the wind was chilling to the bone.  We were both happy to get back on the shuttle bus to the city with its warm heating. I was just about thawed out by the time we got back to the hotel at 2.30pm. After unloading backpacks in our room we headed out grab some lunch at the famed “Court of Two Sisters restaurant”, only to be told that the kitchen had already closed. After a brief walk down Tolouse, we stopped at the Chatres House Cafe which had a table with example meals out on the footpath.

About to head out on the airbout
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Once inside the door, we headed straight for a table in front of the fire to warm our icy bones. Joe decided to try the “Tastes of New Orleans” platter which included Jambalaya, Chicken Gumbo and Red Beans and rice. I opted for mug of Crab and Corn Bisque which was just divine, and the shrimp platter. We finished off our meals with cocktails, Joe going to Voodoo Juice and me the Big Easy Tea. Both were very potent but enjoyable.  On a trip to the bathroom, Joe discovered a fountain in the cafe courtyard that had frozen due to the cold weather – it was no wonder there were no patrons having their lunch out there!

Picturesque scenes in the swamp
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We decided to head towards the river to walk off some of our lunch, and as the cold crept under our layers of clothing, we decided to head back to the hotel. I was beginning to feel a little merry as the effects of the Big Easy Tea took hold. As I started to go through photos for today’s blog I couldn’t keep my eyes open, with the warmth of the quilt and the alcohol in my veins proving a perfect  recipe for sleep.

Sphagnum Moss laden trees
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Tomorrow we have another travel day as we head further south-east to Orlando via Miami.