Cajun Country 2008: Me, Myself and I

I debated whether to blog about the food I've been enjoying or the sites I've seen here in Cajun Country (the Lafayette, La. area) but decided to share my experience of traveling Acadiana solo.

It really isn't much different than other places I've visited alone. On my flight between Atlanta and Lafayette, the passenger next to me asked if I could sit where her friend was so they could sit together for the 60-minute flight. Didn't she take into consideration that I reserved a window seat for a specific reason and that I didn't want to sit in an aisle seat? Of course, I agreed to move.
As for dining, like other times I dine solo, I still get funny looks when the restaurant hostesses ask, "How many?" and my reply is, "Just one."

Last night's restaurant, Prejean's, placed me front and center of the restaurant so everyone walking into the place could see I was dining alone. And, I was placed right in front of the restaurant's live Web cam so the whole world could see I was eating alone. *sigh* I didn't die from embarrassment and had a tasty meal.

The four tours (Rip Van Winkle Gardens, Conrad Rice Mill, Tabasco Sauce Factor Tour, and Jungle Gardens) I took today were very interesting as a solo traveler. Three of the four were walking tours and on all three, I was the ONLY person on the tour. It really doesn't bother me but could tell it made the tour guides uncomfortable. It was also interesting to see how two out of the three didn't personalize their spiel for one person, meaning, they could have made it more personal rather than making it evident I was the 897th tour they've given and stuck to the monotone script.
But overall, everyone's been extremely nice here in Cajun Country. I've done a LOT of driving, thank goodness for the GPS! Which, by the way, I'll be able to write up a review once this trip is over. I learned a lot about its capabilities (and challenges).

If I had a choice, I wouldn't travel solo (nor live as a singleton, but it's the way it is now), however, if I sit around and wait for someone, anyone, my trips probably wouldn't happen so I just go.

Anyway...

What am I doing tonight? I'm lame. I haven't mastered the courage of going out to experience nightlife by myself so I'm finding respite in my hotel room at the Hilton Lafayette.

More posts to follow along with photos. The included photos are from the Rip Van Winkle Gardens. I head back home tomorrow and have a full itinerary planned before leaving Lafayette.

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