New Orleans and the River Styx

While in Louisiana I stayed with a man who was building his home form reclaimed materials and helping replant native plants in the marshes. I met him through couchsurfing, in short if you helped on the property you could stay there less than five minuets from the French quarter. That was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had. I slept in a tree on a platform he had created before starting his house, from the top lookout you could see all of the ninth ward as well as over the levy into New Orleans. Through the time there I was part of the community treated with unmatched hospitality and acceptance. I learned so much from each of the people I met down there.

But into the reason for the title, I thought I had gotten poison ivy, and for me, it could kill me. So I went on this adventure while everyone was off doing their thing to get it taken care of. Thin was I had to find a hospital, No big deal right?

Wrong.

Storm hit, and everything and EVERYWHERE started flooding.

Then to get to the mainland and the hospital, I have to take a ferry in this rainy crazy stormy weather. It was two dollars to pass.

Then through more hell, high water, and hydroplaning. I finally make it to the hospital. Only to find out it was something called scabies. WTF is scabies? Look it up, it’s a stupid little mite thing that you can get from camping in damp areas, who knew. But I wasn’t dying from poison ivy witch was good news for me.

So I get back and I tell my friends where I went and what had happened.

"so, you have rabies?"

"no, scabies"

"scurvy?"

"no, scabies"

"WTF is scabies?"

"I don't even fucking know, but they’re dead"

"Ok, we'd have gone with you to the hospital. We don't care that you have rabies/scurvy as long as you’re going to be ok"

"Thank you.”