Travelogue part 2: Celestun

Saturday we went to Celestun, an estuary where flamingos, other birds and tons of seafoood live.

We were picked up by a tour van, then picked up three other individuals--another American and two women from Spain. The ride to Celestun was twisting and turning, but our tour guide Antonio did a good job of telling us about the towns we were going through (including his hometown, Uman). Antonio went on the boat ride with us, and did a great job telling us about what we were seeing, and it was fun to hear it in two different languages. Patrick was hooked at the cormorants in a row--he wasn't sure he wanted to go, but he was hooked. The flamingos were so graceful--they looked like they were skating through the water, and they were beautiful in flight.

We went through some mangroves too, first by boat and then on a small trail. There was a small cenote (natural spring) in the middle, but it was so mosquito ridden, that we all made a beeline back to the boat!

We then went into the small town and had lunch at one of the hotels on the beach. For "tour group food" it was great! Then we had some free time on the beach--there were TONS of shells--so many that it was hard to walk. We collected a bunch to bring home for the kids. The water was very shallow--in nearby Progresso, the pier goes out 5 miles to get to a depth where the cruise ships can navigate.

The return trip was uneventful, though Antonio told us about a free concert that evening that sounded interesting. So we returned to the B&B, showered, and went looking for the concert, without success. We had asked one of the assistants at the B&B for a dinner recommendation, and decided to try it out. The food was awful, but the singers were great! We did stop by an Oxxo (7-11 type) and got some snacks, then headed back to bed. A long but fun day!