After a very delayed flight, 3 musicals, a super long wait for the hire car and an electric thunder storm we arrived at our BnB; A Chateau On The Bayou well past midnight. - Well at least that's one way to get over jet lag.
On our first full day in Louisiana I was super excited to be kayaking on the Bayou. But first, coffee.
We made a beeline for Breads on Oak where natural ingredients and sustainable practices are key. Here I kicked off my foray into into trying the local cuisine with a biscuit...or to be more specific, a Pumpkin Cheddar Biscuit. The savoury scone with alioli, scrambled tofu and andouille sausage. was so full of flavour and delicious that I could still taste it halfway down the the 90 east freeway. Needless to say, I would highly recommend. Whilst there we also picked up some pastries for a post kayak snack.
For the day's main event we met up with Wild Louisiana Tours for a Manchac swamp tour. When I was looking up where to go kayaking in New Orleans I was initially hesitant about going on a 'swamp tour' - thinking that a swamp would be marshy, boggy and gross but how wrong I was.
The fresh-water bayou was gloriously beautiful but don't go into the water or you might just get bitten by an alligator or probably more more likely, have a leech latch onto you.
Our tour guide Ryan was super informative as he told us about the local floral and fauna, as well as sharing fascinating stories about the history of the area, the ChocTaw tribe and the wildlife. Pointing out a bald eagle nest way up high in the Cypress trees, the alligators that were keeping cool in the water, a white Egret as well as a Limpkin - whose call sounds a bit like a chimpanzee. 
A pulled muscle and thumb blister later we returned to the BnB to get ready for dinner. I chose to wear my Scarlett dress in black. After it had been rolled up in my luggage for so long, the dress was not looking it's best but hang it on a hanger for a few hours and the creases literally just melt away. - Love it!
It was all you can eat catfish at Abear's cafe in Houma. The family run restaurant opens for dinner exclusively on a friday night and is a popular spot with locals.
