Annual Humane Society Art Auction
Posted Friday, March 5, 2010

The date for the Annual Humane Society Art Auction is set.

The event will take place on Friday March 26th starting at 7 pm,
and will take place at the Gallery Istanbul, located right on the
waterfront, downstairs from the Casa Mexicana Hotel. Entrance, to
this long awaited event, will be $10 usd or 120 pesos. Beer and
wine complimentary. This year’s event features 2 silent auctions
and one live auction. For more information, please contact Greg at
Galeria Azul, since he has once agreed to be the official auctioneer
for the evening.

Party Time !!
Posted Sunday, February 14, 2010

For those of you who do not know, it is Carnival Time in Cozumel!!
Everyone is putting on their party hats (and beads) and dancing
in the streets.

In truth, the carnival events have been going on for weeks.
Everything comes to a frenzy about now with the street dancers
and night time parades.

Anyone who has been here for carnival knows it is a special time
and a time of year not to be missed if at all possible.







Everyone takes the party atmosphere seriously.
It is such great fun !!!

I will try to find a few moments each day to post something from
that days activities.

Hope you enjoy !!!

Local Taxi Rates
Posted Friday, January 29, 2010

If you ever wondered whether there were published rates for
the local taxis, here is your answer.

http://taxicozumel.com/veringles/price/price.html

Click the above link and see what the rates are for your destination.
These are the rates tourists will pay to get from point A to
Point B. Print them out and bring them with you on your next
trip so you will know if what you are being charged is correct.

Bookmark the taxi site so you can check back for updates.

Park Passes
Posted Sunday, December 13, 2009

For those of you who would like to take advantage of the park
system Cozumel has to offer, you can now get a "ALL PASS" card
which gives you unlimited access for 7 days to visit all 4 parks
(Chankanaab Park, Faro Celarain Eco Park, Island Museum and Discover
Mexico park). You can get this card at the Chankanaab park cashiers
office or at the Island Museum cashier only.
The cost is 35 usd for adults and 20 usd for children ages 3-11.

Cozumel Parks Team
www.cozumelparks.com
contact@cozumelparks.com

Exibition - Dia de Muertos
Posted Wednesday, October 28, 2009

For those of you who happen to be on the island today, October 28,
there is to be an exibition in the lobby of the Museum dedicated
to the "DAY OF THE DEAD".

There will be art works by 20 local artists.

There will also be an exibit of works by Mr. Chacpol, the same
artist who did the "DOOR OF YUCATAN" exibit.

Come join us!!

IT'S FREE !!

Luis Francisco Mendoza
Museo de la Isla

Movie to be Filmed in Cozumel
Posted Friday, October 23, 2009

Hey this is cool !!!

The filming of the movie “Ventanas al Mar” is scheduled to start in
early November right here on our little island. The movie, which
will feature Cozumel, and specifically the other side of the island,
is considered to be a huge boon for tourism, and will draw international
attention to the island.

It is a love story, directed by Jesus Mario Lozano and stars Raul
Mendez and Natalia Cordova. Also featured in the movie is British
actress Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar in 2006.

The plot of the movie is an unexpected encounter in a hotel in
Cozumel between two couples, one formed by two young Mexicans and
the others, two retirees who, after touring the island, decide to
get together and face a shocking experience at sea that will transform
them forever.

Filming is scheduled to be completed in early December.

Cozumel has been host to several other movies, including the movie
featuring famous Mexican diver, Ramon Bravo. That movie production
sank the airplane just off Hotel La Ceiba. And the movie “El Jardin
de la Tia Isabel,” featured several boa constrictors, which were
inadvertently released into the wild when filming ended, thusly
introducing boas to the island.

Watch for this new movie !! It is always great to see our little
island featured this way.

An Island on the Moon
Posted Friday, October 9, 2009

An Island on the Moon
(excert from Playa Azul Newsletter)

In honor to the great wise men of the distant past, Cozumel will
be a very important and spectacular node of Reto México 2009.
It will be the meeting point for acknowledged scientists of the
whole country in a 4 day event that will culminate in a Guinness
World Record imposition, which consists in the most quantity of
telescopes observing the moon at the same time.


Schedule

Friday 23th October 2009
10:00 to 13:00 hrs. MAGISTERIAL CONFERENCES ABOUT ASTRONOMY.
Place: Museo de la Isla de Cozumel

SOLAR OBSERVATION!!! - Main street in front of the Mexican Flag

Saturday 24th October 2009
10:00 to 13:00 hrs. REGISTRATION FOR THE EVENT -
Place: Domo Deportivo de Cozumel

GREAT EVENT - MEZCALITOS - CARR. TRANSVERSAL
18:00 to 19:45 hrs. TELESCOPE INSTALATION
19:55 hrs. EVERYBODY READY!
20:00 hrs. LUNAR OBSERVATION!!
From 20:30 hrs. ACCESS TO EVERYBODY TO OBSERVE THE SKY
20:30 to 21:30 hrs. LIVE TRANSMISSION of THE COSMOS on the Mega screen
21:00 hrs. JUDGE VEREDICT AND GENERAL REPORT OF THE EVENT
21:30 hrs. GREAT VIDEO OF "THE UNIVERSE" and MAGISTERIAL CONFERENCE
"The twelve Mayan profecies"
23:00 hrs. END OF THE EVENT

For those who wish to take advantage of Playa Azul's special
deal offering for this event:

EVENT PACKAGE
4 days / 3 nights
Ocean View Standard Room (single or double occupancy)
Includes: Breakfast, Tax and Services
$235.20 usd

For reservations: reserv@playa-azul.com

JazzFest in Playa Del Carmen, MX
Posted Wednesday, October 7, 2009

I do not know how many of you know this, but there is an
annual JazzFest in Playa Del Carmen.

This year the Fest is November 25, 26, 27 and 28.
It has a great lineup. Four days of music not only from
local bands, but also big name artists.

Check out the lineup here:
Rivieramaya Jazz Festival

If you have not arranged to come down yet, or are not sure
if it is a good time to travel, I will mention this:
The peso is at approx. 13.40 to the dollar right now.
There are deals to be had. Come down and use your U.S. bank
cards and get a great rate on your trip. It is like getting 30%
off on everything.

And speaking of deals, there are still some great hotel deals
for the time period we are talking about.

Here is a link to look at some hotel deals in Playa right now
that you can book for the festival.
CLICK HERE TO SEE HOTEL DEALS

Check it out and see if you find a deal that works for you.

I am going to be there. It is going to be great !!

See ya there !!

Humane Society Open House party: Sept, 20th, 2009
Posted Tuesday, September 15, 2009

This is an opportunity for all those both here on the island
as well as our visiting tourists to help support the Humane
Society. Don't Miss This !!

----------------------------------------

Renovations have been completed at the Humane Society Shelter
and they are ready to party and show it off!! They will be
hosting a Sunday pool party at the property directly across
from the shelter.

The party will take place Sunday, September 20th, starting
at 1 pm. That way, you can tour the completely re-vamped
shelter, meet some of the new pets for adoption, and, of
course, you’ll be helping a super cause. Admission is only
$50mn (for adults, children come in for free), and food and
drinks will be offered for sale: beers, rum-coke, vodka-juice,
and sodas, free water for the kids. Hamburgers, dogs and
smokeys, french fries, and some grilled veggies.

Visiting Mexico - Good Idea or Bad Idea??
Posted Saturday, March 7, 2009

Lately there has been so much on the news about the dangers of visiting Mexico. The news channels do tend to sensationalize the whole thing. The truth is, yes, there are drug trafficing related murders happening in Mexico. But these incidents tend to occur on or near the U.S. border or in the Mexico border towns.

The latest news stories make it sound like it is happening everywhere. That is not the case. And just so you know, these murders, as a rule, involve other drug trafficers. Tourists are not the target.

Places like Cozumel, Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and the Riviera Maya are still great places to spend a vacation! I am not going to tell you that there are not random incidents involving tourists. But can you say that the same is not true in any city in the U.S.??

I have included a link, (see below), that goes to an official U.S. government website which keeps statistics on deaths abroad of U.S. Citizens. Go there and have a look. The records will tell you how many Americans have died in Mexico in the last 3 years, and from what.
You can see for yourself that there have only been 5 deaths of Americans in our area, and none were from any drug related shoot-outs.

Go See:

Report of Deaths Abroad


Cozumel is still safe. I have lived here 22 years. It is my home.
I can't imagine living anywhere else.

Inauguration of New Common Market Building
Posted Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Today (Wednesday) July 30 is the inaugration day for the new Common Market or "Flea Market" building located on the plaza. Many of you who have been to Cozumel will be familiar with the structure located
on the back of the downtown plaza with the huge columns. That building has been around for a very long time and had become very weather worn. Some of the roof was damaged during Hurricane Wilma.

Well we now have a new place for the shop owners to show their
goods. It is sleek, new and a whole lot bigger than the old building.
Lots of room and very well designed.

I have put together a panorama 360 for you so you can see it for
yourselves. Take it for a spin.

If the panorama does not appear, download and install Java for your browser. After installation is complete, refresh your Internet browser. This 360 image is a big file so give it some time. Once the image appears, you can put the mouse pointer in the image and move "left", "right", "up", "down" and even zoom in when you see a magnifying glass icon. The new building is the big yellow and dark clay colored one towards the back of the plaza. Have Fun!!

Pet Contest Part 4
Posted Thursday, February 7, 2008

Finally I have the final part done to the Cozumel
Carnival 2008 Pet Contest !!

I hope you enjoy!!

More of the Pet Costume Contest
Posted Friday, February 1, 2008

Here is Part 3 of the Pet Costume Contest.
I have a whole lot of footage of this event
so there will definitely be a Part 4!!
Be sure to check back!!

Pet Costume Contest Part 2
Posted Thursday, January 31, 2008

Here is Part 2 of the Pet Costume Contest that took part a few days ago.
There will be a Part 3 so stay tuned!!

Cozumel Carnival 2008 Pet Contest
Posted Wednesday, January 30, 2008

On Sunday morning we watched the Pet contest here on the main plaza. There were a whole lot of contestants and their owners eager to show their stuff. But rather than tell you about it, you can watch it. Here is Part 1 of the Pet Contest - Carnival 2008 in Cozumel.

ENJOY !!!

What Documents Do You Need To Visit Mexico?
Posted Tuesday, June 12, 2007

OK Folks, if you are traveling by air, Here is the deal. If you are a US citizen who has applied for a passport in the US, but have not yet received your new passport, you can enter Mexico with:
A CERTIFIED copy of your birth certificate.
A valid photo ID such as a state or military issued ID
and
a copy of your passport application status letter which you can print out at: http://travel.state.gov/.
Go to the link that says:
Click Here for Proof of Passport Application

Enter in your info and print out your status letter.

If you do not present these documents to imigration upon entering Mexico, you will be turned away and sent back to the US.

So get your passport. Skip all the grief.
But if you have a trip and your passport is not ready, follow these instructions. Don't ruin your vacation!

NOTICE ABOUT US CAR INSURANCE
Posted Saturday, October 7, 2006

ALL Americans should be aware that when you rent a car or scooter here in Cozumel, you cannot count on your US insurance to directly pay the bills in case of an accident. If you are involved in an accident, you will probably be detained until you can pay for the damages 'IN CASH' or by credit card. That includes all medical bills for yourself and the other parties involved. No one here will accept your US insurance. You must go back to the states and seek a re-imbursement from your insurance company.
All rental agencies offer insurance on their vehicles.
It is a very smart move to take it.