Of all the cultures in the North American melting pot, none are quite as fascinating as the Cajuns. Making their home in the bayou, or rural wetlands of Louisiana, the twang of the French Cajun accents and the “joie de vivre” (joy of living) of their lifestyle, can’t be missed.
This photo of a Cajun cabin in the Louisiana Bayou was taken in the Manchac Swamp, on the Cajun Pride pontoon boat, during my amazing seven days of Mardi Gras adventure a year ago. If there’s something everybody who wants to have fun should do, it’s go to Mardi Gras!
But, back to the bayou. It’s one of my favorite places for lots of reasons: the sage-woodsy smells of the cypress trees, their knuckles poking up out of the muddy water, its ripples as an alligator floats stealthily near the shore, and the Spanish moss streaming like tinsel at holiday time, just to name a few.
While it may seem strange that a prairie girl could feel so at home in the Louisiana Bayou, it’s all about the joie de vivre, which is also a part of living in rural Saskatchewan.
Here’s a video to give you the Canadian connection to Cajun people of the Louisiana bayous.