The pink flamingoes as seen from the 24-seater boat, The ride which costs Rs 300 per head, moves slowly on the creek and doesn't make you feel unsafe. Pics/Sameer Markande

It's a happy coincidence that we signed up for the newly-launched boat ride to Airoli's Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary on World Wetland Day - February 2 marks the date the Convention on Wetlands was adopted in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. After all, the Mangrove Cell of the state forest department, which launched the ride, plans to promote the flora and fauna of Mumbai's wetlands through this flagship initiative. While the cell's pet project was slated to begin in May last year, technical glitches pushed it back by nine months. But, was it worth the wait? We hopped on board to find out.