*** PHOTO Trip Journal aboard Carnival's CONQUEST (Sept. 2012, Caribbean) ***

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The drive to the boat that took us "swamping" was smooth and uneventful.

 

 

 

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As we're getting closer and closer to the meeting point to start our Swamp Tour,

I had flash backs to my first glimpse at Louisiana's swamps as we were touching down in the New Orleans airport,

the embarkation day of our Western Caribbean cruise:

 

VIDEO (arrival in NOLA's Airport via a Jet Blue flight, 09/23/2012):

 

 

 

New Orleans is surrounded by water. Lakes, rivers, swamps and marsh.

 

To get the real feel of what makes New Orleans so geographically isolated, you have to take either an aerial tour or a swamp tour.

 

Either one will take your breath away as you begin to realize that New Orleans is a giant Venice,

 

an island city, built on wetlands and held hostage to the forces of water all around it.

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Once the van driver dropped us off at the meeting point for the boat, the check-in process was a breeze:

 

 

 

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Got our colorful boat tickets and stayed in the waiting area for couple of minutes,

mingling with the rest of the gang and chatting over refreshments.

 

 

 

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For visitors like us to New Orleans, the best way to see the environment that both besieges the city with the threat of inundation

and blesses it with a bounty of seafood, waterfowl, lumber, oil and natural gas, was to take a Louisiana swamp tour.

 

 

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The Swamp Tour in the New Orleans area proved to be entertaining, educational and lots of fun for the entire family.

 

Many swamp tours are close enough to New Orleans to be enjoyed in a morning or afternoon

( leaving the rest of your day for more sightseeing in the Big Easy).

 

 

 

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All aboard!

 

The Captain invited us to join him for a unique journey back to the early days of Louisiana bayou and swamp explorations.

 

 

The weather couldn't be better and we were so happy that we waited 'til the last day in NOLA to complete this combo tour!

 

 

If you're wondering where we were that Tuesday, October 2nd 2012, read the banner below! : - ))

 

SWAMPING with the... 'gators!

 

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VIDEO (watching the gator by our boat):

 

 

 

The top predator, the alligator, is a reptile largely unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs.

 

During this tour, we wanted to capture the beauty of the swamp, as well as the stillness of the gators that watched us glide by.

 

 

 

VIDEO (watching the stillness of a gator):

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We started moving slowly but surely...

 

 

There are over 1,000,000 alligators in Louisiana, and the population is growing.

 

Alligators have been around for 200 million years and have been described as a "living fossil".

 

Today, alligators can be found in swamps and marshes from the Carolinas to Texas.

 

Louisiana’s swamps and marshes are home to the world’s largest population of alligators

according to the 2005 Scholastic Book of World Records with Florida a close second.

 

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VIDEO (start of our narrated Swamp Tour):

 

Adult alligators typically grow to 12 or 13 feet and 800 pounds but can grow much larger.

 

The largest alligator ever recorded was caught at Marsh Island, Louisiana.

The monster gator was 19’ 2” long and weighed nearly 2,000 pounds.

 

 

 

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Allen, our Boat Captain and knowledgeable tour guide, introduced us to the privately owned wildlife refuge area in the Manchac Swamp.

 

 

Manchac Swamp, located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, near the city of New Orleans, is also known as "swamp of the ghosts."

 

In the belief that this move surrounding swamp was cursed by a sinister adept senior voodoo cult, in the early 20s of last century,

when locals were imprisoned her, on charges of witchcraft.

 

Three small villages located near the swamp were burned to the ground after a

hurricane that swept everything in its way shortly after the spell of the woman alleged.

 

 

VIDEO (narrated Swamp Tour, the beginnings):

 

"One day I'm gonna die, and I'm gonna take all of you with me," oracle Julie Brown would sing from her front porch.

 

And in 1915, on the day of her funeral in Frenier, Louisiana, it happened.

 

A hurricane swept hundreds of residents to their deaths in the Manchac Swamp near Lake Pontchartrain's western shore.

 

See the mass graves by torchlight on a night-time swamp tour through the cypress trees.

 

Hear stories of the spirits sighted, and see the red eyes of crocodiles as you float into the moss-draped darkness.

 

 

VIDEO (narrated Swamp Tour and the gators):

 

Edited February 10, 2013 by daliflor

[daliflor]

 

 

Swamp creatures, seeing our boats daily, recognize it as part of their normal environment.

 

 

Unafraid and responsive to the boat captain's call, they peak out from underbrush and between moss-draped trees and shrubs,

frequently coming directly to the boat.

 

 

 

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As our boat drifted through the waterways, we learned about the Louisiana Wetlands,

the inhabitants of the swamp, particularly the life and habits of the American alligator,

as well as the unique history of the Cajun town of Frenier.

 

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The Louisiana swamps have an appeal to many people, from historians, to ghost hunters, bird watchers and artists.

 

 

The beauty of the Manchac Swamp is undeniable.

 

Tendrils of Spanish moss hang from the lanky branches of the cypress trees, skimming the knees that rise from the water.

 

Tupelo gum and cotton wood trees shatter rays of light as it makes its way through the canopy,

leaving bursts of bright that contrast the heavy shadows in the water.

 

 

 

[daliflor]

 

Tupelo gum and cotton wood trees shatter rays of light as it makes its way through the canopy,

leaving bursts of bright that contrast the heavy shadows in the water.

 

The beauty of the Manchac Swamp is undeniable.

 

In the safety and comfort of our boat, we were able to actually come within a few feet of jumping gators.

 

 

Our swamp tour was nicely narrated by a native who discussed the plants and wildlife, history and folklore surrounding the area.

 

VIDEO (our Boat Captain feeding one of the gators):

 

 

The two-hour tour took us through a section of a privately owned wildlife refuge, making for calm scenery and ideal gator watching.

 

Edited February 10, 2013 by daliflor

[daliflor]

 

 

 

This Manchac Swamp adventure was a fantastic New Orleans swamp tour that took us through the beauty of the bayou of New Orleans.

 

 

 

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For fast thrills in the swamp, consider aboat swamp tour!

 

We had such a FANTASTIC TIME that Tuesday!

 

 

 

[daliflor]

Manchac Swamp, located in the state of Louisiana, near the city of New Orleans, is also known as "swamp of the ghosts".

 

 

Still, for all of us it was an ALLIGATORS paradise and so enjoyable!

 

 

 

It was as enjoyable as whale watching in Alaska! Great FUN!

 

 

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Exploring a world of mysterious secrets and extraordinary beauty hidden deep within the swamps of Louisiana!

 

 

 

 

The shadows created by the heavy vegetation become precursors to tales of haunting and werewolves.

 

 

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A special THANKS to truby's DD who's allowing me to use their Photobucket account to be able to finish this photo trip journal!

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIDEO (alligators watching @ the Manchac Swamp, Louisiana):

 

 

 

 

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VIDEO (Captain Allen feeding the alligators @ the Manchac Swamp, Louisiana):

 

 

 

 

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"In the bayou lived a big old gator.

Everything else feared being lunch later.

Cajun and gator tussled.

 

 

Gator was soon out-muscled.

It was stewed with peppers and a tater."

 

 

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The American alligator was designated the state reptile of Louisiana in 1983.

 

 

 

The word Alligator comes from the Spanish "el lagarto" (the lizard).

 

Native to the Southeastern United States, alligators construct burrows, or "alligator holes" for shelter and hibernation.

 

 

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After surviving nearly unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs, and having virtually no natural predators as adults today,

 

alligators were headed for extinction only 20 years ago due to intense hunting from man.

 

Protecting the species and alligator habitats has allowed the status to be changed from endangered to threatened.

 

 

VIDEO (spotting an alligator @ the Manchac Swamp, Louisiana):

 

 

A typical male reaches 13-14 feet in length and can weigh over 600 pounds

(there are unconfirmed reports of alligators over 16 feet).

 

Immature alligators have yellow cross-bands on a black background for camouflage.

 

Adults can be long and thin or short and stocky.

 

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Other nuisance animals in Louisiana include raccoons, opossums,

rats, mice, beaver, otter, skunks, squirrels, rabbits, and armadillos.

 

 

New Orleans Raccoons - a masked animal that's fairly common in New Orleans, LA.

 

VIDEO(spotting Louisiana raccoons @ the Manchac Swamp):

Like many of the southern states with a abundance of water, Louisiana has a thriving population of alligators.