mexico part two: celestún

in the midst of our whirlwind love affair with mérida, we managed to pry ourselves away just long enough to explore the hidden treasure that is celestún, an inland lagoon and nature reserve near the gulf coast of the yucatán peninsula. we sped through the lagoon on a motor boat, racing toward the much sought after flamingo colony, zipping past various less impressive winged creatures of little to no importance, apparently, to our guide. our “eco-tour light” (as coy termed it) had but one leading feature, and that was the brilliantly colored and awkward looking flamingo. it was quite astounding to see the birds at such close proximity.

some of the supporting actors of the eco tour light

approaching the flamingo colony

flamingos up close look like they just stepped off the page of a dr. seuss book

local fisherman

cormorant?

entering the mangroves

mangroves

heron taking a stroll along the boat dock

following the highlight, we took a quick detour deep into the mangroves to examine the bubbles and ripples of an underground spring. a crocodile lurked in the shadows, assuring us that this was not a prime swimming locale. luckily for us, our “eco-tour light” had made other arrangements for our swimming needs. lunch was served at a beach side restaurant overlooking the waters of the gulf of mexico. we strolled up the beach, braving the blazing hot noonday sun, to watch pelicans fishing near the dock. it was, perhaps, the most entertaining part of the trip. no offense to the flamingos, of course, but their eating habits are not altogether fascinating. watching pelicans dive-bombing fish from twenty feet above the surface of the water, now that is a most pleasurable experience.

beach just outside the restaurant

shells literally piled up along the shore

seagulls perched off the dock. due to the positioning of the sun i was unable to get a suitable shot of the aforementioned pelicans. just know that they rule.