November 23 , 2005 - page 2

Last Saturday some friends and I decided to venture to Celestún, a coastal town here in Yucatán.  The town is famous for its mangroves, which are inhabited by a variety of wildlife including flamingos – which were really the main reason for my excitement in visiting the town.  The drive took about an hour and a half, but it was totally worth it.  Upon our arrival, we had a beachside lunch of delicious baked fish and Coca-Cola Light, and delighted in digging our toes into the cool sand.  We bargained for a reasonable mangrove boat tour price – it seems that in Mexico, there is no end to the practice of negotiation. 

Our subsequent canoe tour was absolutely lovely. The mangroves were so cool – like big trees with all the roots exposed.  And there was a veritable plethora of birds in the area that our knowledgeable guide pointed out:  white herons, pink spoonbills, ducks, geese, and of course flamingos (my personal favorite).  Our guides took group photos of us in a lagoon area, and later we had the opportunity to try our hand at propelling the canoe with the gondola-esque wooden pole our guides used.  Surprise, surprise – it was a lot harder than it looked.