Chankanaab Park

Today we visited Chankanaab Park, a popular "eco-park" in Cozumel. There's a little something there for everyone: botanical gardens, a self-guided walk through replicas of archaeological ruins, beach, snorkeling/diving, swim with dolphins, shopping, etc.

The day began with us walking into the park and a man with a parrot and iguana asked if I wanted to hold them. I said, "No, gracias" while Dave simultaneously said, "Yes, do it." The next thing I knew I had a parrot on my head and an iguana on my shoulder. I think the photos clearly depict my feelings....

Overall, the eco-park was cool. They had definitely paid attention to the environment when planning the park. For example, this limestone salt-water lagoon was left mostly untouched and no one is allowed to swim in it. The beach and ocean are to the left in this photo.


There are other parts, though, that seemed strange or unnatural to me. For example, the beach was lovely, but beaches on the west side of the island are not naturally sandy, which means they brought all the sand from somewhere else to make the beach.

The whole park reminded me of planned authenticity, rather than natural authenticity. (If that makes any sense....) But I appreciated the attempt to increase awareness of environmental protection and increase knowledge about the ancient cultures of Mexico.

Chankanaab is part of an underwater national park. There are live coral reefs and tons of fish! Again, I saw several kinds of fish that I've never seen before. And the coral was beautiful. The fish were all the way up to the stairway entrance!


Dave and I did the Sea Trek thing, which we had previously done in St. Thomas. You wear these really heavy masks with air flowing into them that allow you to actually walk upright on the ocean floor. (See photos below.) The differences from the first time we did this (in the US) and the second time (in Mexico) were intriguing. For example, in St. Thomas we had a 45 minute preparatory lesson before we got into the water; the same session today was two minutes, at most!

We were underwater for about 30 minutes. Guess what was the first fish I saw when I went under... a barracuda! I seem to find a barracuda on every ocean vacation trip! I tried to take a photo, but it didn't turn out. Dave didn't see it either, even though I pointed right at it and mouthed the word "barracuda" several times. :)
I've been doing great speaking Spanish, too, which is exciting! I even initiated a conversation in Spanish with two couples from Spain this afternoon. The locals have been very gracious with me and my imperfect Spanish. I noticed that Dave and I get treated differently, too, when I show that I can speak Spanish. No one has treated us poorly, but it seems like we get grouped into a different "category" when they learn that I speak Spanish. It also just makes me feel like a more responsible tourist.

Many signs and menus here have been translated into English. Here's one of the funniest ones we've seen so far:

Tonight we ate dinner at a restaurant right on the oceanfront. We saw the sun set over the water and then watched as the lights in Playa del Carmen (a city on the mainland of Mexico) began to turn on in the distance while the sky darkened. Very cool.

Here are some of Dave's thoughts about the trip so far:
I must confess, before we left I wasnt sure this trip was what I wanted. I wanted a cruise experience. But this is one of those times when you are thankful that you didnt get what you wanted.
This has been an amazing trip already. I love where we are staying. The air conditioning blows cold and it has a shower with water pressure that will push you back to icy Indiana. (Hot water also!) The weather has been excellent. I am learning to drive like a Mexican: Keep shifting gears and going faster; the people will move, you just have to show them you're not gonna stop. We have been to some really cool beaches. Megan is even throwing some cultural anthropology my way. Dont ask me to repeat it... I am not sure I remember it, I just know its been thrown my way. I was glad we got to do the sea trek again. I had my arm scraped or bit by some fish. It left a little scrape. Never been injured by a fish before until today. I foresee many trips to Cozumel and the Coral Reef Inn. I give it and this trip 4 out of 5 stars already.