Driving along Highway 49 to New Orleans, Louisiana, the pitch-blackness of the night created an eerie feeling. I was jumpy and frantic during the car ride because the road was scattered with several dead animals, especially raccoons and muskrats. The highway was encroached by trees on all sides, thus animals tended to spring into the road without prior warning. My eyes definitely widened upon seeing a dead alligator in the road, its twisted neck sickly serving as the platform to a bent cocked open mouth. Flipping through my brochure of Honey Island Swamp, I became quite enthusiastic for my daytrip. If there were so many animals on the road, imagine the diverse creatures inside the swamps!

The eroded wooden sign read: “Honey Island Swamp.” The unforgiving mosquitoes began to viciously bite. The itching was unbearable, but I took my mind off the annoyance by looking at the lush green marsh. The Cajun tour guide arrived, and the tourist crew of about 15 people followed along the trail to the boat. The guide’s eyes stared straight ahead while many of us peered awkwardly towards the ground as we walked along the path, cautiously aware of strange creatures. Upon reaching the small wooden dock, we entered the small boat. I put my foot onto it and felt it sway; it seemed mighty light and tiny, and an alligator could easily hop in and join us!

The guide started the motor and the boat slowly inched across the river. Judging from the turtle-like speed and the loud groan of the motor, I developed a mindset that this tour would consist of a hopeless search for alligators, and none would be spotted. Perhaps the guide would apologize, stating the warm weather as an excuse for the lack of sight seeing. But just when my draining thoughts came to a climax, the boat began to gather speed; swiftly riding the waves, and the breeze blew pleasantly against my face.

The guide’s voice was simply entrancing as he described the area, it sounded like a mix of a Southern, Jamaican and French accent. He told the story of the famous legend of the Honey Island Swamp Monster. The monster was described as bipedal, seven feet tall, 300 pounds with orange fur and yellow eyes, and looks somewhat like Chubaka from star wars. The strange creature is accompanied by an atrocious smell. The local legend tells of a train crash in the early 20^th century. A traveling circus was on a train and a group of chimpanzees escaped and interbred with alligators, producing the creature known as the “wookie.” What a bizarre, unlikely legend.

On a sadder note, the guide pointed to a pile of rubble which apparently used to be a house. Hurricane Katrina caused many houses to break apart from their foundation and float miles down the river. Insurance for houses located in the swamp costs as much as the house itself. The boat traveled a few miles down river, and we saw the house that had floated down the river. Much of the house was still intact and it lay there, posed among the wild green grasses of the bank. This was one of the many devastations of Hurricane Katrina.

The boat sped along, coming to a halt when the tour guide spotted an alligator in the water. The guide tossed a few marshmallows into the water, which landed only a few feet away from me. Nearing me, the alligator approached sleekly to the marshmallow; its skinny arms and legs made butterfly-like patterns as it glided through the water. If I dared, I could reach my hand through the bars and touch the alligator. The dark green body looked rough and bumpy, but the eyes are what captured me the most. Alligator eyes are like cat eyes, but much creepier. The gator’s pupils were greenish yellow and diamond shaped. The sharp eyes gleamed brightly.

The alligator interrupted the calmness of the water as it opened its huge jaws and viciously chomped on the minute marshmallows. When she opened her mouth to tear apart the marshmallow, she looked as if she were smiling, then she abruptly shut her mouth and the water became serene once again. Staring at the awed tourists, the alligator floated in the water for a few moments. The tour guide informed us that the boat was so low that the alligator could jump in, but that would never happen. In the duration of the trip, at least 10 more alligators including baby alligators approached the boat in the same style.

The next adventure was through the depths of the swamp. Hollywood portrays swamp scenes as filthy, grimy, and slimy bug infested areas. But I was in for quite a pleasant surprise. Before entering the swamp, we had to travel through the intimate grassy banks. Our guide casually mentioned that the banks were home to several poisonous snakes, and if a snake happened to enter the boat, remain still to avoid a bite. Each time a blade of grass brushed against my back, I jumped about a foot high. Thankfully, the boat made it through the bank without any snake attacks. After intensely praying a snake would not appear, I immediately relaxed upon seeing the natural wonder of the swamp. I breathed in the calmness and smell of azalea flowers. Gnarled cypress trees sprouted from the scattered algae filled water. The tall cypress trees formed giant shadows over the water, and the sunlight brightly peeked through the opening of the trees. I had never seen such a natural wonder.

©Jenisha Devadoss