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Mardi Gras

teagandavis47

Mitchell and I arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, for Mardi Gras. Luckily for us, a fellow traveling friend had told us the perfect place to park for free for as long as we wanted. It was a spot along a wall that was within walking distance of everything, and was full of different kinds of travelers and nice folk.


We arrived late evening and walked up and down the street meeting a few friendly faces. Along the way we ran into Kevin, our friend we had met back in Florida at the Rainbow Gathering. We stayed and hung out with him and a small group of people who was gathered around a big bus parked on the side of the road.


Mardi Gras was a whirlwind of beautiful chaos. There was so much going on that everything blurred together. We were in New Orleans for about ten days altogether, yet it didn’t feel like we were there that long. I’ll do my best to share the amazing moments through the blur of the magic.


Kevin had given me a red and gold Mardi Gras face mask. I didn’t have any other Mardi Grad attire yet, so I put that on, and Mitchell, Kevin and I set out to explore the town. It wasn’t long before I acquired more accessories though; the ground was littered with them, like different cool bead necklaces, scarves, and everything you could possibly imagine. It wasn’t long before I had an entire outfit.

Maggie, my pup, explored alongside us with her leash tied to my backpack. She even found a lot of balls, her favorite toys, to play with on the ground.

We walked down Bourbon Street, which is the craziest street of all. There were so many people everywhere that you had to be careful not to get stepped on. I had to carry Maggie through that part. As we waded through the sea of people, random hands popped out to pet Maggie; she loved all the attention.


Balconies lined the street from above. They were full of random people yelling out and throwing beads and other knick knacks to the people below. As we walked, we ran into different street performers along the way doing crazy dances. Multiple people also banged empty buckets with drumsticks, making astonishingly incredible music.


We somehow lost Kevin in all the craziness. Mitchell and I went over to sit by the Mississippi River. There was a spot right on the river that had huge cement bleachers where random people gathered to sit. This was my first time ever seeing the Mississippi, and I was amazed by how large it was.

The next night Kevin, Mitchell, and I set out exploring again. As we were walking down the street we ran into my traveler friends, Jefferson and Will, with his dog Texas. I excitedly ran up to them, thrilled because I had no clue they would be there. They introduced me to their new friend Pato, and we all set out to explore the town together. Jefferson and Will played their guitars and sang as we hung out and met all the new, random people around us.

Once it got to be late, Kevin, Mitchell, and I headed back to our spot by the wall. As we did, we passed a train going down the tracks. It was moving slowly because its stop was coming up. I had always wanted to jump on a train and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I stood close to the train and waited for a train car with a ladder to go by. As soon as one did, I grabbed onto the ladder, hoisting myself up. I rode the train for just a bit before I jumped off and ran back to the boys. It just didn’t feel like enough excitement for me though, and then I thought about how those ladders go all the way to the top. I ran back over and grabbed another ladder, and this time I climbed all the way up. I stood with my arms spread, embracing the world on top of the train as it chugged down the tracks. I felt free and full of bliss.


The next evening Mitchell, Pato and I headed towards what we were told was a parade. Once we got there, all we saw were a bunch of people hanging out in a parking lot. I was confused until I learned that WE were the parade. Once everyone gathered, a marching band led us off down the street. As we marched on through the city, people along the street stopped to watch us. At one point, we came upon a giant dragon made of sheets held up with sticks by multiple people. They lifted the side of the sheet to make a tunnel and our paraders ran through the dragon as we continued on.

Eventually the parade took a little break next to the Mississippi River. While we were there, I found friends that I had originally met up in Maine at the People’s Perch, Markie, Nolan, Dan and Evan. We hung out for a bit, but once the parade started again we lost each other in the crowd. The parade eventually came to a halt in a giant parking lot where confetti rained down on us. Mitchell put me up on his shoulders and walked around so I was able to actually see all the excitement.

The next day Mitchell and I were told about a boat parade. We took his motorcycle off the back of the bus and rode it over to where we were told the parade would take place. It’s a good thing we took the bike because there was nowhere to park a car. As we walked up and down the sidewalk along a small river, we got to see many of the boats. Some of them were just canoes and kayaks, but others were air mattresses, and funky little boats made with boards and barrels. Anything you could imagine that floated was there. One man’s boat was even made to look like a sandy beach with a palm tree in the middle.

Once enough people gathered, the parade started to move down the river. Mitchell and I went over to a small bridge that was nearby. I sat on the railing and watched the watercraft pass beneath us. A man with bagpipes stood on a rail of the bridge and played music as they passed. A canoe with two men in it went by; the guy in back had a guitar sitting on his lap, but was paddling along, and the man in the front was laying down and playing the tuba.

A makeshift vessel of two row boats side by side attached with wood, adding another wooden platform in the center for people to sit on, went by, towing an inflatable pool. Every boat was as unique as the last; it was a sight to see.

We arrived back at the bus as the sun was setting when we heard a big boom coming from the sky. Fireworks! We ran up the stairs to a nearby pedestrian bridge and watched as the pretty lights filled the sky. A guy who came up started watching the fireworks with us, and I introduced myself to him. His name was Devin, and he walked along with us as we all talked for a while before going our separate ways.


That night Mitchell and I went back out on the town with Maggie in tow. I went out in my normal clothes, knowing a costume would find me. We walked down a busy street and came across a table with a sign that said: free face painting. Of course we needed that! We went over and started talking to a guy a little younger than me who was seated at the table. He said there was a girl who normally did the face-painting, but she was busy, and he asked if it was okay if he did it, adding that he had never done it before. “Of course you can!” I exclaimed. I thought that would make it even more fun. He did some hearts on my cheek and picked out a stencil with two dolphins for Mitchell. Once he was done, I asked: “now can I do yours!?” And to my delight he said yes. I gave him random little designs and he loved it as much as I loved mine.

We ventured on towards Bourbon Street, and I found bits and pieces of my costume everywhere. I tied a light-up balloon to my backpack, and found a green feather boa on the ground. Mitchell collected glow sticks as they were thrown from the balcony above, connecting them all in loops before attaching them to me with one for Maggie. To complete my outfit, I found a pink fuzzy cowboy hat on the ground. As we continued down Bourbon Street, I noticed bubbles and foam coming from a balcony ahead. I knew Maggie would love that, so I raced over. Once she realized the bubbles were coming down, she was ecstatic, jumping and twirling all around, biting at every bubble she could reach.

As we wandered through the wild streets, we came to an area that was even more dense with people than Bourbon Street had been, which I didn’t even know was possible. We went over to see what all the excitement was about, and it was a huge parade! There were big, crazy floats with people throwing things out to the crowd. We stayed to watch for a little bit, but not very long because it was a little bit too much chaos for Mitchell.


The next day was actual Mardi Gras! I put on the red mask that Kevin had given me, along with some beads. Maggie got some beads too.

Mitchell, Kevin, and I set out to explore. We planned on heading to one of those big parades with the floats, but having no sense of direction, we never found it. We did find all sorts of other excitement though. The streets were a sea full of people so dense that you couldn’t walk without bumping into people. We wormed our way through the crowd until we came to a decorated vehicle that was blasting music. Everyone was dancing around it so I joined in and danced my heart out.

We wandered on through the chaos, making different new friends along the way, and somehow lost Kevin again. Eventually we made our way back to the bus to eat, and when we did, Devin from the fireworks was parked by us. He had brought us food too! He introduced us to his girlfriend Elma, and the four of us set out together. We made our way over to a fire on the side of town, and sat there a bit taking in the night before setting out for more exploring.

Then just like that, Mardi Gras was over. We spent a few days recouping. We went over to Devin and Elma’s house, where they let us do laundry and gave us lots of supplies. We also cleaned out our vehicles and gave all the things we didn’t need away. In return, people brought us food, groceries, and other goodies. I was able to visit with some of my friends from The People’s Perch too. We took a ferry over to a cute little town where we explored and listened to a band play.


I loved all the craziness of my first experience with Mardi Gras. Now that I know the area I know how to be better prepared for next year and I’ll make sure to bring something that will float so I can be in the boat parade. I met amazing people and made good friends. To say the least, the whole thing was magical, I’m already excited about next year.





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