Week Four Wrap Up

It’s hard to believe that four weeks have already passed by in such a short space of time. Days pass at a different rate for me at this point in my travels (which also helps to explain why this post is late…sorry!). I have lost track of days of the week, I’m completely unaware what the date is most of the time, and the only reason I seem to remember I have a flight or train trip coming up is the helpful reminder from my Google calendar…

Week four was a fairly low key week, one in which I was able to reflect on the nearly full month of travel I had completed and what I thought of it all. In summary, it’s freaking great and I love it.

Day one of the week was my final day to get out and explore New Orleans. The morning started with beignets for breakfast then a trip down the Mississippi river on the Creole Queen, a large paddle boat. The trip was hosted by a local historian, who told the story of New Orleans from settlement through to now, covering the industries that made it a viable city and the complex history of its ownership by France, Spain and then the United States. It was a fantastic lesson and I’d recommend the cruise to those interested in a bit of history. Lunch was fried chicken from a place voted the best in America. Another title I couldn’t agree with. Perhaps it’s best to stop relying on “best of” titles, although on this occasion it was also recommended by locals and that’s usually a sure sign of something good. By this stage I had my first cold of the trip, so I was exhausted, sick of the Louisiana heat and went home for an early night.

Day two was time to farewell New Orleans. There were elements of the city that I liked but it was not my favorite so far. One thing I have yet to mention about New Orleans is the ongoing impact of the flooding after Hurricane Katrina. Having not seen the city prior to this event I’m not sure exactly what state it was in. Regardless of this the damage is still clear in almost every area of the city. It has affected the houses as well as the people – they have been through a lot and it has definitely changed the way many feel about the city for better or worse. The French Quarter, wealthy areas, and anything capable of bringing in tourist dollars have been repaired and restored. Other less affluent neighbourhoods are beginning to gentrify. Everywhere you look houses are in some state of renovation, from being completely stripped out and rebuilt, to repainted and redecorated. It’s a wonderful thing to see and in a few years time the city will be restored to her former glory.

The end of day two was a train ride to Memphis. It was my first experience in an Amtrak train and I thought it was great. Much more room and comfort than a plane, so it will be my go-to option whenever I’m not in a hurry to get somewhere. Memphis is where one of my best friends lives, so the rest of the week was purely an opportunity to catch up with her, meet her ten month old daughter and experience my first 4th of July barbecue. It was a pretty low key week and one that I really needed.

Fireworks tent….4th of July here were come

I realised after arriving in Memphis and having a few days with nothing planned how nice it was to have a little break from all the activity. I didn’t have to lock away my belongings to leave my room, I had space to spread out and a shower with decent water pressure. These are small comforts, but they’re something I hadn’t even realised I missed until I stepped into the luxuriously hot shower. I made a decision then and there that I needed to book myself into a nice hotel once every month or two and do nothing for three days straight, catch up on washing, have a really hot shower, and completely unpack and repack my bag. Many of the travel blogs I’ve read in preparation for this trip have advocated for the need to travel slowly in order to avoid travel fatigue and I completely agree with them. Although all my stops so far except Detroit have been 4 days or more, the pace of this first month has been tiring. With a lot of planning to do for the next three months of my itinerary in the US, Mexico and on to Honduras I will keep what I’ve learnt in mind.

Our fireworks ranged from little sparklers….

….to big explosions!

While the tiredness caught up with me, I got sick, I complained for the thousandth time about having too much in my backpack, I came to the conclusion that I love travelling like this. I love not having an end date and being able to sit back and enjoy each day instead of feeling the need to go everywhere and see everything like I would on a short holiday. I was meant for this and it was meant for me. A thought to hold on to when times get rough as they’re sure to do.

The week ended with a flight to Denver, Colorado. The Rocky Mountains are my home for the next week and the start of a bit of a slower pace to the trip with eight weeks left in North America and only six destinations to visit. I look forward to slowing down and particularly this week losing myself to nature.