Cancel Cambodia- Hello Cajuns!

We were packed and ready for our trip to Laos and Cambodia. My Mom and E.D. were ready to take Mija and we had our ride to the Orlando airport scheduled. Then, we kept hearing these distressing BBC reports about bird flu in Cambodia. Knowing a bit about the Influenza of 1918, we had visions of being quarantined in SE Asia with no means of getting home. The reports kept getting more and more dire and we got cold feet. We cancelled our plans and were faced with the prospect of a winter at TGO.

Then came the call from Charlie and Gloria. They were heading to the Cruisin’ Cajun Mardi Gras rally and told us to get in our coach and come on over to Rayne, LA. We’d head some great stories of these rallies and while we were a bit skeptical of motorhome rallies, we thought we’d give it a shot. Days at TGO weren’t exactly thrill packed- the highlight of our day was a golf cart ride at happy hour with the dog. While Mija loved these nightly excursions, they did get a bit tedious. So, we packed up the motorhome and headed west to Louisiana – an 800 mile journey. Little did we know that we’d be making this journey every month for a while. We arrived in Rayne, two Yankees in a gumbo of Cajuns. Charlie met us at the entrance to the Rayne Civic Center and showed us to our parking spot. Within a few hours, we were in the swing of things- Cajun style. We found the check-in desk and got our Visitor Badges and welcome packets. We found our names on Charlie and Gloria’s table in the huge Civic Center auditorium- decorated for Mardi Gras. John quickly found the beer wagon- a fixture at these rallies. 24 hour access to beer on tap!

We were a bit overwhelmed – but Charlie and Gloria made sure that we were introduced to everyone and we were made to feel so welcome. Charlie even convinced John to participate in the Friday afternoon games!

Now getting John to put a shower cap on his head and shave cream on top was a sight to see! We made it through the day activities- but then came the evening – and the DANCE! For two Yankees with a combined 4 left feet, we were really intimidated. The dance started at 7PM and was going strong at 11PM on both Friday and Saturday nights. The dance floor was packed the entire time! It took a bit of coaxing to get us onto the floor, but we gave it our best shot. We’d never even danced together- much less with some of the best dancers you will ever see! They’d all been dancing since they were kids –learning from their parents.

On Saturday, the Cajuns put on their own Mardi Gras Parade- throwing beads and blaring Mardi Gras music from their floats. It was quite a sight!

That night, before the dance, the “show” was amazing—the “guys” came out for their own special “fashion” show. (When Charlie sat on John’s lap – this was the last picture that our camera ever took- it flashed and died!)

We met a wonderful couple that parked next to us- John and Brenda. They came over to introduce themselves- and brought us a King Cake (a traditional Mardi Gras cake). We were so taken with these absolutely wonderful people – and definitely wanted to become “Cruisin Cajuns”. So with our sponsors and paperwork in hand, we became official “First Timers” and made plans for the next 2 rallies so we could become official club members.

With the rally ending on Sunday morning, we still had another rally ahead of us. Charlie and Gloria had convinced us to attend the American Coach Mardi Gras Rally in Patterson, Louisiana. So, we headed from Rayne to Patterson with a large group of American Coach owners. We spent the afternoon at the local Patterson Mardi Gras Parade – caught our share of beads and enjoyed the local color. The American Coach rally was quite a change from the Cajuns. They did manage to get one of the extraordinary Cajun dancing couples to come to their rally and give some dance lessons. Every little bit helps!!