Today was our day to roam the streets and city of New Orleans on our own without having class time. My roommate and I decided to go on an Alligator Adventure Tour. We were picked up by a shuttle provided by the company, and dropped off in the swamps where the boats were docked. We then boarded the airboats (which do not have brakes or reverse), and went out into the swamps to see swam-life such as turtles, alligators, birds, and nature. The tour took roughly an hour and forty minutes and we got to see a gator that was two and a half feet long, turtles that were perched on a log that hung over the swamp waters, and birds that were wading in the shallow parts of the swamp looking for food. From the start of figuring out which excursion we wanted to partake in, I was nervous to come that close to an alligator. I remember when the airboat first took off faster than it was going at the start of the tour between the smell of fuel, wind on my face, the boat bouncing up and down with the waves, and the water slightly splashing the sides of the boat spraying the passengers aboard I had a lot of adrenaline running through me. In this photo pictured below, not only did I see a gator, I held a baby one. With one hand around his neck and the other clasping his tail so he couldn't bite or free himself from my grasp I held him. His skin felt and looked similar to that of a snake; hard, scaly, and earthly colored. The moment that impacted me most was looking into his eyes. They were yellow on the outside with tiny slits the size of a pinky nail for pupils and reminded me of when someone is jaundiced and their eyes become yellow toned. We got to see where the alligators nest to reproduce. When we arrived home we ate leftovers for lunch, changed clothes, and headed down to ride the streetcar and people watch. We ended up grabbing dinner at a restaurant called Houston's which had many food options that were closer to Illinois food options. We say that we ended up there on accident because we originally planned on going to a place called "The Big Cheesy" and when we got to the spot where it was supposed to be it was closed and torn down. After dinner we went to Jackson Square to watch the parades. They were as incredible as they are described to be by the locals.
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