Plan of the day was a boat trip so our first stop was the pier. We found the tour with
seven or eight different stops ... mouth of the river, salt flats, hacienda ruins where salt mining business used to take place, "petrified" forests, flamingoes, mangroves, crocodiles, and beach time. There were not too many flamingoes unfortunately (something to do with the wind). We learned that while fishing is the #1 industry in Celestun, salt mining is #2 and tourism is third. 
Salt mining here is not too different than it was in the time of the ancient Maya people. It is hard and grueling work. 
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| Huge termite nests are common in the mangroves. |
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| "Wait for us!" Our boat was trying to go on to the next stop. |
We learned that the "petrified" forest was really the unfortunate collateral damage of a hurricane some 40 years ago. The storm surge of salt water saturated the land and killed all the vegetation leaving limbless spires of trees. It looked rather goullish and sad. For today though, ... on to cocodrilles.
"Humans are the problem for crocodiles not the other way around," said our guide. The animals were classified as endangered when the preserve was created five years ago with only 75 crocs. Now they have 750 and here, they are considered a protected species. The agreement they made with the ecological society was that they can use skin and the meat for food after the fifth generation.
At lunch we had time to visit with our other tour friends. Xavier, an architect from Mexico City and Choko and Jimena, newlyweds also from Mexico City. Jimena just finished her masters degree in public policy at Duke and she's applied to a PhD program in Sweden. Choko will follow her wherever. Great to hear their stories and to share the day with them. And yes we all agreed that while the meat had the taste of fish it had the texture of chicken.
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