Find Enchanting Underwater Worlds & The Unexpected At The Indianapolis ZooWritten by By Melody Schubert
One of gems of Indiana’s Circle City is Indianapolis Zoo located at 1200 W. Washington Street in Indianapolis. With 350 species of animals living in natural habitats at Zoo nature always offers something unexpected and exciting to see. The Indianapolis Zoo’s newest exhibit showcases enchanting underwater world of Pipefish, Seadragons, and Seahorses in Waters Building. Looking in tank we strained to spot one of these colorful creatures. But wait… what’s this…Master’s of disguise. The unusual creature we’d mistaken for a leafy piece of seaweed is actually a Seadragon. This strange creature uses its natural ability to disguise to hide from predators. The Seadragon lives in cold waters off coast of Australia and New Zealand, and like its relatives Pipefish and Seahorses it is a master of disguise. These amazing fish have gills to breathe underwater and can range in size from 1/8 of an inch to seven inches in length. Another unique characteristic of Seahorses is their pouch, similar to a Kangaroo’s, where their young are kept safe. The Indianapolis Zoo’s Dolphins show will return to a new facility in May 2005. The Dolphin Pavilion offers visitors a one-of-a-kind experience in 12 foot high, underwater dome centered in dolphin performance pool. A coastal village wharf and special in-water dolphin program give visitors an opportunity to be up close to these amazing marine mammals. With expansion of Dolphin Pavilion and programs held throughout year at Indianapolis Zoo continues to promote education and awareness. After watching playful penguins, seals and polar bears romp around we headed over to Café on Commons for a cup of hot chocolate. In warmer season Enchanted Mill children’s Play Area across from Commons becomes a cool retreat from summer heat. Children love water features and special activities designed especially for them. The playground located in front of Café on Commons is also accessible for children with disabilities. In addition to shows in Amphitheatre and pony rides Indianapolis Zoo has other exciting avenues of entertainment to enjoy. Hop on White River Junction Express Train, take a trip on 4-D African Safari Simulator, or try thrilling Kombo Family Coaster.
| | Overview of Cozumel In MexicoWritten by Clint Leung
The island of Cozumel is only 12 miles (19 km) off Mexican Yucatan Peninsula's east coast and 44 miles (71 km) south of Cancun. For years, Cozumel was a quiet sleepy island that didn't get many visitors until Jacques Cousteau did a documentary on it after discovering world class scuba diving at Palancar Reefs nearby. Since 1961, Cozumel has been known as one of best scuba diving destinations in world. In fact for decades since that time, only tourists visiting island have been primarily scuba divers. Mainstream tourists went to resort intensive Cancun in mainland instead. However, Cozumel became a regular cruise ship port of call in recent years and today it is one of busiest with two separate terminals. It is common to have five or even six different cruise ships at port on any given day. I've been to Cozumel twice, first time staying several days on a scuba diving vacation and second time for a day via cruise ship (also scuba dived during my second visit). As a result of cruise ship boom, there has been lots of retail development along main waterfront road of Avenida Rafael Melgar in island's only town of San Miguel de Cozumel. There are countless jewelry and t-shirt shops most with staff standing in entrances enticing visitors to enter their stores. Both silver and liquor can be good bargains here. There are also some nice Mexican crafts shops too. The one problem that we found was that after about 4 jewelry shops, they all started to look same. It was almost a retail overload. For those who came for a wilder time, there are some bars such as Carlos 'n' Charlie. The town's main outdoor square, Plaza del Sol, is just opposite main ferry dock to mainland. There are usually street vendors and artists in Plaza as well local entertainment during some evenings. The artists do some amazing artwork with spray paints and their prices are very reasonable. San Miguel's main tourist area can be very busy during day when cruise ship passengers are in town but since most ships depart at dinnertime, evenings are actually very quiet. The only tourists left at night tend to be scuba divers staying in Cozumel.
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