Pelican Free Press

‘HAPPY TRAILS’ UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

Published April 24, 2012 | By PaulG

REMINDERS:
OLYMPIC TRIALS for Optimist Class sailboats April 28-30
CONCERT 6 p.m. April 30 at Cultural Center, Bahia Akumal
COLONOS BUDGET ASSEMBLY May 5, See details below
PALAPA IN PAAMUL See ‘for sale’ page
EROSION SERIES to resume in June edition

BELOW; Three divers drown in nearby cenote

THE EXODUS 2012

Looking back – and forward to new expectations

With this issue, the Pelican Free Press transitions to its low-season monthly schedule and will publish its next issue in June and monthly thereafter until November. Exceptions will be made in the event of important breaking news affecting its readers.
As always, the staff appreciates information about potential stories and news received from residents and welcomes a continuation of that practice during the summer months. Email information to pgauvin@comcast.net

Already, the Spring exodus is well under way for the many anglos retreating to their cooler northern digs to escape the heat and humidity of the sub-tropical climate.
     What do they leave behind this year?
     The much-ballyhooed Tulum Airport didn’t get off the runway,the immense commercial venture Dragon Mart has yet to put shovel into the ground near Puerto Morelos, all talk of a railroad from Merida has ceased and a hoped-for horseshoe pit didn’t get built adjacent to the tennis courts.
     Beach replenishment in PA remains on the drawing boards while funds and compromises are sought. The Pelican Free Press will resume its “Erosion” series in June and continue to monitor the situation throughout the summer.
    Also, a few retail spaces at Chedraui remain vacant, several businesses have closed in Centro Comercial and several new ones opened; PA has yet to adopt a 2012 infrastructure budget (expected on May 5) with a possible 2 percent decrease for home and condo owners and 7 percent for commercial entities. (See story below)
     The Mexican immigration authority continues to tantalize Anglos over the awaited promulgation of more accommodating immigration rules.

On the positive side, the Phase 4 roadway is well under way and a record was broken by the annual PA road race crowd of 500 runners, an initiative by Sports and Culture Committee icon Daniele Gracis who also brought an Olympics sailboat race to Puerto Aventuras. The concert series was not allowed to die, the library raised enough funds to expand, new building seemed to be on the rise and the wonderful Playa del Carmen overpass is a welcome fait accompli.
     The Colonos infrastructure was improved with new plantings, new lighting was installed on Bahia Xcacel and repaving part of that road was in the works for this summer
       Snorkelers have ogled their turtles, fishermen have hooked their mahi-mahi (or not), golfers have improved their scores (or not), travelers have sated their urges by visiting ruins, cenotes, urban centers, jungle attractions, big cities, many restaurants and shopping malls.
     Last but not least, philanthropy showed its smiling face again in many ways including the charity golf tournament for the Poblado High School building, the library fund-raising concert, a dance to fund medical treatment for a friend from the Poblado and in a myriad of other ways through the Anat Kah Foundation, this area’s answer to the United Fund.

So for now, as Roy Rogers would croon:
“Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin’ until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we’re together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you, ’till we meet again.”

Colonos meets May 5 to debate tiered fee cuts

Hotels asking for 5% fee decrease
in addition to 2% offered by board

If the hotel request is approved by the Assembly, it means home and condo owners will get a 2 percent Colonos fee reduction and hotels a nearly 7 percent reduction. Colonos GM Armando Rincon said it would also set a new, lower baseline for commercial entities when setting rates in subsequent years.
      Registration to attend for home, condo and lot owners showing identification will be held April 27 and 30 and May 2. Proxies must present a simple document valid for the date of the meeting and signed by two witnesses bearing copies of ID documents of owner and proxy. Otherwise condo owners are represented by their administrators who, along with hotel representatives, must register on May 2.
       There are a total of 6,296 votes in the Colonos. The combined hotels have 949 votes and Centro Comercial 126 votes for a total of 1,075. Lot, home and condo owners wield the remaining 5,221 votes…but must be present or have a proxy present to use them. Many snowbird owners have already departed. Only stakeholders current in dues will be allowed entrance.
        Also on the agenda besides the 2 percent budget decrease is the question of applying the 5 percent discount to the base fee for the hotel, key and square meter of commercial properties, presentation of the expense budget for 2012-13 and approval of the maintenance fee retroactive to Feb. 1, 2012.

Three divers drown in nearby Chac Mool cenote

A diving instructor from Spain and a recently married couple from Brazil drowned Thursday during a diving expedition at Chac Mool Cenote some 100 meters south of Puerto Aventuras. The cenote has a depth of about 25 feet.

There was speculation in a local newspaper as to the possible causes of the tragedy, none of which have been corroborated pending investigation. The instructor/guide was identified as Ismael Garcia of Spain, allegedly working for a dive shop in the Akumal area, and the tourists as a recently married Brazilian couple.
News reports said the dive shop and cenote management are being investigated by Q. Roo officials. Divers had entered the cenote at 4 p.m. and had not emerged when the cenote closed at 5 p.m. The bodies reportedly were discovered after midnight, some six hours later.

According to one research source, Thursday’s tragedy matches a 1995 Yucatan incident cited as the worst in the peninsula’s history when three open water divers including two tourists and a Cozumel dive store owner perished in the Cenote Calavera (Cenote Escueleto) near Tulum.
Water runs through underground caves in the Yucatan where part of the land collapses and causes a sinkhole, or cenote. The Chac Mool Cenote has two entrances and two rooms, one that is large and light and the other, with a collapsed ceiling under an air dome that allows divers to surface and view two levels of stalactites
The cenote’s attraction to divers includes a Halocline, where fresh and salt water meet creating fascinating visual effects. Chac Mool reportedly is also host to the largest underwater stalactite in the world.

Business Beat…

Pet Spa with veterinarian opens in Centro Comercial

A pet spa offering dog bath, medicated bath, haircut, nail clip, ear, gland and eye cleaning plus part-time veterinary services, dog training and walking has opened in Centro Comercial. It occupies a retail space between the Paris pharmacy and Post Office Kiosk and is directly behind the parking lot adjacent to the bi-weekly farmer’s market.

Biologist Arturo Romero, who speaks English, and veterinarian MVZ Diana Wells are partners in the venture, which opened three weeks ago and is in the process of developing the site to include the veterinary office.
       For the record, the name of the new business, Maskoketos, is a play on words derived from the Spanish “mascota”, mascot or pet, and “coqueta” meaning a female who flirts girlishly to gain attention.
       Romero said the company will also offer dog training, dog walking and kennel service for those who like to take short trips without their pets.
       Also available are OTC medications for canine ailments such as fleas and heartworm, various foodstuffs and other dog accessories like leashes and food bowls. Maskoketos is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.
      Appointments can be made by calling 984-146-5875. Walk-ins also welcomed. Pick-up and delivery of the pet is also offered.

Letters…

Dear Editor:
My wife and I own a fractional ownership in Puerto at the CMSC. We have owned there since 1999.

Usually we are only able to spend two, maybe three weeks, annually in PA. Although Minnesota, our home state, is beautiful, even with the snow, NOTHING compares to Puerto and we love this marvelous community and the many new friends we have been blessed to meet.
     BECAUSE OF THE PELICAN FREE PRESS, in an “alternate”sense, we are able to spend much more time in PA, even from our home in Roseville, MN. We love your candor, your creativity, your artistry, your breadth of subjects and your care in sharing observations and information, yes even your humor.
     THANK YOU for all that you do for our wonderful community as your efforts are, we believe, a significant platform for blending, bonding and bettering our wonderful community of so many different people with so much to offer each other. Keep up the “mission”!
     Sincerely, and with grateful spirits,
     Marty and Denny Wall.

(Ed Note:: With a blush on our cheeks, we thank you for the feedback.)

Dear Editor:
I was horrified to think that someone was so desperate because of the Colonos lack of concern over the deplorable situation with loose dogs that he or she poisoned a dog. The situation should never have been allowed to reach this level of seriousness.

My dog has been bitten twice while being walked on leash, both times by dogs accompanied by owners, but not on leash. The latest episode occurred last week when the dog’s owner and his dog were with the so-called dog trainer. When confronted, both the owner and the “trainer” said it didn’t happen!
     They also said that it always happened that a female dog would bite another female dog. How incredibly stupid!
     When I stated that dogs in P.A. were required to be on leash, the “trainer” told me to go back to the USA, that this wasn’t my country. Furthermore, he said his dog was like a human and he would never comply and put a leash on his dog.
     What would PA and the Poblado be like if we were all to go back to our countries of origin? (With our money.) I have watched security drive past owners with leashes in hand while their dogs run loose and do absolutely nothing.
     None of this would be happening if the Colonos would enforce their laws and do something about this before PA’s reputation as a paradise becomes even more sullied. We are living in a community that is becoming increasingly dangerous (not just because of dogs) and everyone just keeps their head buried in the sand!

Patricia Parkinson,
Puerto Aventuras

Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
You left your keys inside the car and need a locksmith. Say “Deje las llaves, dentro de mi carro. Donde hay un cerrajero ?
(Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517

What’s Playing…

See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
http://cinemex.com/cartelera/cartelera_cine.php?cvecine=115
http://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributors and media reports

INJURED AGAIN – Danny Iglesias, the Poblado car-wash owner for whom a benefit dance was held several weeks ago to pay for a knee injury sustained while helping someone dodge an assault, slipped in the shower and re-injured the knee, reports benefit committee member Hal Harper, and will undergo additional surgery… APPEARANCE OF RED

MITES in Q. Roo’s south land is taking a toll on palm trees there, reports the local press. Check trees whose palms are rapidly turning yellow. The mites are usually under the leaves … A CARAVAN of white SUVs complete with a squad of armed marines were at the Omni Hotel on Friday, teasing the curiosity of people who witnessed the parade. Inside the Omni, it appeared a baby shower was in progress and, according to one source, the wife of the Q. Roo governor was in attendance … BABY BOOMERS are leaving $50 million a year on the Riviera Maya says the Association of Owners and Real Estate (AMPI) in Playa del Carmen … 43 FARM WORKERS were killed in Alamo last week, in the gulf state of Vera Cruz, when the bus they were in was hit by a runaway trailer on winding highway and plummeted nearly 200 feet into a ravine. Police were looking for the truck driver who ran off… INDIGENOUS GIRL, 12, gave birth to a healthy 6.2 lb. girl and had been picking chili peppers as a farm worker until a few days before giving birth in the northwestern state of Sinaloa … WAL-MART MEXICO BRIBERY plot surfaces on pages of New York times…17 MURDERED in a Monterrey bar Friday, bringing to 40 the number of homicides in a 24-hour period believed to be perpetrated by rival drug gangs…

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EROSION II: Process has name, but no easy fix

Published April 17, 2012 | By PaulG

REMINDERS:
COMEDY THURSDAY IN AKUMAL (See details below)
OLYMPIC TRIALS for Optimist Class sailboats April 28-30
CONCERT 6 p.m. April 30 at Cultural Center, Bahia Akumal
COLONOS BUDGET ASSEMBLY May 5, Colonos room

EROSION 2

Returning sand, then keeping it, a puzzler

The skipper/owner of the MV Dauntless docked here for the last month or so and departing this week, lives much of his life on the water and says he remembers a few things from his college days long ago that might help explain local beach erosion.
Capt. Mads Emanuelsen believes that “ ‘fixing’ the beach is going to be tough. The moment you mess with the natural flow of currents you alter the transport of sand. Sand moves along the shore. As sand in one area is moved, ‘new’ sand from upstream is deposited. At least that is the way it is supposed to work.

“I believe the correct term is ‘long-shore transport’ ” he said. “I studied some of that oceanography stuff in college, but that was a looong time ago.” It is also known as long-shore drift or ‘littoral’ (seashore) drift.
“As you alter the natural shape of a shoreline, the long-shore transport gets altered. Here in PA the major alteration of currents apparently occurred when the south jetty of the north entrance was extended.
“By extending that jetty it looks like the transport of sand into the lagoon was somehow cut off or the current in the lagoon (Bahia Fatima) altered significantly. The result appears to be that sand from the Omni is still getting transported south, but not getting replenished.”
Puerto Aventuras is not alone, Emanuelsen notes. “Beaches in Florida and Texas (and probably many other places) have the same problem, mostly because of jetties built perpendicular to the beaches.
“The solution that they have applied is beach replenishment, sometimes with berms built up to try to retain the sand. It’s expensive and the results appear to be quite variable. Of course, they could remove the extension to the jetty here in Puerto Aventuras, but that would result in boats and yachts ending up in the lagoon with some regularity again. Besides, I don’t think that the Fideicomiso is willing to spend money to remove a structure it paid good money to install. Bottom line is that I don’t think there are any easy answers.”

For the uninitiated, long-shore transport, or drift, is a process by which beach material is shifted laterally in a gradual process when waves meet the shore at an oblique angle. The transport is influenced by a number of natural processes including wind and currents and the swash (liquid hitting a solid) and backwash (backward flow of water as receding breakers from a beach).
Emanuelsen wondered if hydrological studies have been done of the bay and understood. The Colonos does have in its possession at least one proposal that appears to include such a study.
While some informal observers speculate that tidal amplitude has something to do with the existing washout of the Omni Beach here, comparative studies point out that the Caribbean tidal flow is relatively insignificant at about two feet, even spring tides.
In fact, say some observers, it was precisely the low tide amplitude (size range) that allowed, as far as tourists are concerned, vacation facilities to be built so close to the water’s edge. California tides can range to nine feet and the Bay of Fundy to 60 feet by comparison.
Residents here report seeing developer and trustee Roman Rivera Torres peering studiously at the water’s action near the Omni Hotel since one jetty of rocks and netting was installed a few weeks ago. He has said there are plans to regain some of the beach in the short term and plans for the long term that won’t be developed for at least a year. Rivera Torres admits is will take a lot of money to reshape the beach in Fatima Bay and is being careful not to select the wrong solution …TO BE CONTINUED

Concert to close Olympic sailboat trials here

Late-departing snowbirds get a crack at another fine concert scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, April 30, at the popular venue of the Puerto Aventuras Cultural Center on Bahia Akumal.

The Colonos Sports and Cultural Committee presents Juan D’Anyelica and his fusion band featuring flamenco, rumba and jazz supported by food, fun and drinks, wine and beer, that will be for sale. Entrance is 60 pesos, but free for participants of the national Olympic trials Optimist Sailboat races occurring here on the same weekend. Tickets are available at the Colonos office and at Bamboo on the new Marina.
Daniel Gracis, chair of the sports and cultural committee has landed one of three preliminary “national” championship sail races to be held here April 28,29,30, the results of which, with two other preliminary races held elsewhere, will be used to select a team representing Mexico in international competition.
“We expect 100 boats will be participating,” Gracis says with gusto as he prepared along with local hotels and businesses for the influx of visitors that come along with the boats…youthful skippers, their parents, their friends and more, “about 500 people” said Gracis, “who need lodging and food and other services.”
And now if they need entertainment, they and all area music lovers will have it at the Cultural Center.

Akumal’s first comedy festival starts thursday

Akumal kicks off its first “free” annual Comedy Festival beginning at 5:30 tonight with events lasting through Saturday. The schedule, which is subject to change:

THURSDAY, APRIL 19

: 5.30 p.m., Akumal community children dance performance on “The Grateful Dead Stage” immediately followed by Stand Up! Upcomers Showcase hosted by Phoebe Bottoms with comedy by John Conroy, Dave Johnson, Jeff Pfoser, Erik Allen, Mel Fleming (Merida, MEX) and headliner Bill Young. 7.30pm Akumal community children dance performance on “LOL at Lol-Ha” immediately followed by comedy hosted by Tommy Ryman with guest comic Mitch Hansen, featured comic Erik Allen and headliner Kjell Bjorgen: 10pm “Blue” Show at La Buena Vida hosted by Chris Maddock with comedy by Nate Abshire, Phoebe Bottoms, Corey Adam, Fanck Chevrier (Montreal) and Gabe Noah.
FRIDAY, APRIL 20th: 5.30pm Akumal community children dance performance on “The Grateful Dead Stage” immediately followed by Upcomers Showcase hosted by Nate Abshire with comedy by Jeff Pfoser and others and headliner Tommy Ryman: 7.30pm Akumal community children dance performance on “LOL at Lol-Ha” immediately followed by comedy hosted by Gus Lynch and guest comics: 10 p.m. “Blue” Show at La Buena Vida.
SATURDAY, APRIL 21: Live on the Akumal Cancha – Plaza Ukana;5 p.m. Local community sundown live drumming and instrumental 6.30pm – Live music from Arpason;7.30 – Akumal community children dance performance; 8 p.m. Festival Closing Show Hosted by Gus Lynch with Darlene Westgor and Kjell Bjorgen and Festival Headliner Chad Daniels; 9.30 p.m. – Live music and party with The Kalua Band.
Food, drink, and gifts will be sold throughout the final evening. All proceeds from this event will go towards building a children’s playground in the Akumal Pueblo. There are currently no public facilities where our local children can play.

Business beat…

Boulevard cuts through Phase 4 development

A major double barreled boulevard has been cut into Phase 4 – the final phase of the Puerto Aventuras community, marina and golf course encompassing 42.6 hectares (94 acres) of the 320 hectares or about 790 acres that define the entire Puerto Aventuras resort not including the 300-hectare Pueblo across the highway. A hectare, by the way, equals 2.47 acres.

Phase 4 promises more canals flowing peacefully along rows of distinctive homes, several more waterfront hotels, a jaunty wooden bridge to an islet beach club and premier restaurant, a half-dozen new condominium complexes, grand yachts and small craft hugging the quay, bike paths and roads lined with vivid tropical foliage, more people, more jobs, more community.
Developer and architect Roman Rivera Torres said in announcing the beginning of Phase 4 development two years ago this month, that the sale of four large seaside tracts to hotel and condo developers, four of five condominium blocks and 21 of 116 house lots facing a canal and docking would be pushing the development along once all permits were secured. That evidently took some time.
Plan 4 development stage should create 1,500 new direct jobs that will mean a population growth of about 3,500,” Rivera Torres said. This would add to the current 2,000 residents of the resort that climbs to 4,500 in season plus the 4,000 to 7,000 residents of the pueblo for an estimated in-season community of over 10,000 population as time and development strides into the 2000 decade.

He expects the infrastructure project will take 3.5 years while construction by third parties will continue for six or seven years. The major work of digging the channel is expected to take three years to complete, he said.
“Because the project was modified, I had to apply for new permits,” he said.
As in the past, Rivera Torres had said he plans to invest in the project, creating a new beach between an islet and the mainland and operate a beach club and upscale restaurant there. He said people will be able to ride to it on their bicycles (along planned bike trails around the nearby Caleta and Cenote) or in their dinghies and tenders on the quiet ribbons of canals.
He added that some sales of house lots have been to residents already living in Puerto Aventuras but seeking to upgrade to a new level of privacy. More information at www.puertoaventuras.com.mx or telephone 984-873-5111.

Dog with attack history is poisoned, dies

A dog with a record of having attacked people and other dogs was poisoned last week in an apparent act of vengeance. The poison was believed to have been delivered on ham meat.
Armando Rincon, Colonos GM, corroborated that the dog had previously been photographed on surveillance tapes biting a Colonos employee. A more recent incident, he said, involved the dog hurling through a window screen of a nearby apartment and attacking a dog inside, making a considerable mess in the process and causing damage to furniture and drapes.
The dead dog’s owner was reported seen last week along the marina walk in the area of Marina Blue Condos shouting “Who poisoned my dog?” and, said one witness to the scene, accusing and/or threatening a woman. Security had to be summoned.
The Colonos authority does not subscribe to using poison on dogs as a measure of solving a problem, but some officials recognize that when residents ignore rules and nothing is done by authorities to abate problems and enforce leash laws, some residents see no alternative but to take the law into their own hands.
These events would not have occurred, said the Colonos, if dog owners observed the rule to keep dogs leashed and under control when outdoors.
Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
Most heard phrase in the past few weeks is “when are you leaving? or, “Cuando sale?”
(Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517

What’s Playing…

See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
http://cinemex.com/cartelera/cartelera_cine.php?cvecine=115
h ttp://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributors and media reports
DOLLARS AND SENSE – President of Omni Hotels, Abelardo Vara Rivera, is complaining that Mexico’s anti money-laundering law restricting the flow of dollars into the country is hurting the tourism industry that often deals with large sums of money above the $14,000 limit …
SUSHI-MI restaurant offering oriental fare here has decided to close its doors for good. It is the second business so far this year to shut down in the face of increased rental costs among other factors. Flamingo Crossing boutique clothing will also be locking its doors after a half-price sale …
THIS ISN’T BROADWAY – The new lighting along Bahia Xcacel is done but some people claim they don’t shed that much light in the aggregate …
HOTEL OCCUPANCY on nearby Cozumel Island reached nearly 84 percent over the Easter holy days while restaurants in the Q. Roo southland reported a 30 percent uptick in business…
FOREIGN WORKERS – The Confederation of Workers in Playa del Carmen suspects foreign workers are taking tourism industry jobs away from locals and wants the government to begin checking their papers…

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Geo-social issue rises from Caribbean waters

Published April 11, 2012 | By PaulG

EXCELLENT LIVING ROOM SET – Click on “for sale”
FOR ROUGH TRANSLATIONS click on your flag at right
CHECK OUT THE REEF – Click Dive Aventuras at left
EAT OUT UNDER THE STARS – Click on food, dining

Beach erosion, access, interlocked issues

Mother Nature plays starring role

The decision by the Omni Hotel to lock the public access gate to the federal waterfront, coupled with the reality of a significantly diminished beach, has generated some heated letters and conversations among residents with opposing and generally self-serving opinions.
While poor-me fault-finding is part of the dialog, only a few participants concentrate on the starring role being played by Mother Nature’s noteworthy threat to the community’s economy and individuals’ investments: The deterioration of the beach.

     Obviously, Nature has taken an unexpected course, using the power of the sea as a broom to sweep away the fine powdered sand that is the welcome mat of the Mayan Riviera’s shoreline facilities. Some puzzled stakeholders ask why hotels and condos were constructed so close to the water in the first place. Other casual observers say higher spring tides are causing a temporary problem that is stalling replenishment. Real estate agents argue on behalf of their short-term renters and their own income on what they perceive is the negative effect of closing beach access. Others simply straddle the fence for lack of sufficient information from those who would dare to control the savage side of Nature.
     But for a primer, we can say Puerto Aventuras hasn’t cornered the market on beach erosion. It is happening worldwide. And the problem is not the neglect of those with the authority to do something about it. It is, in PA’s case, not a lack of will but a dearth of money coupled with the access issue that leads to the prolonged selection of a workable solution, of which there is more than one option on the table.
      A few facts about the water hole known as the Caribbean Sea: It is roughly 1 million square miles of surface, stretches 1,700 miles from east to west and 500 to 800 miles from north to south. It is tagged as a sub-oceanic basin in the same sanitorio as the immense bathtub that is the Atlantic Ocean.
     These two bodies of water are separated only by underwater mountain chains of the West Indies islands, which are the peaks of the sub-oceanic mountains. Some geologists theorize that between 225 to 570 million years ago the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Seas were actually connected.
     Now, the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea are linked by underwater valleys between the submerged mountains created over geological ages and events. They are deep passages that allow cooler Atlantic water to enter the Caribbean and are known as the Anageda Passage between the Virgin Islands and Lesser Antilles, and the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti.
     The geologists say the Caribbean basin is only 20,000 years old, young compared to the oceans and other seas, and descends five miles at its deepest point. The Caribbean is contained on the north and east by the island nations of the West Indies, on the south by the northern rim of South America, on the west by Central America, the Yucatan Peninsula and passageways into the Gulf of Mexico.
     It is a lot of water and its tidal and current movements generate enormous power affecting the edges of its containment, that is, the shores of the land masses that surround it.
     While Mother Nature is the star, man has a leading role in the beach erosion drama and his disruptions of nature’s routine often leads to unintended consequences.…TO BE CONTINUED

Colonos meets May 5 to adopt budget, set fee

      The Colonos will resume an effort to adopt a budget for the year at a general assembly May 5 in the Kuuch Muuch Kuxtal (Let’s Get Together) room located in Centro Comercial above the Oxxo store. First quorum call will be at 9:30 a.m. and second at 10 a.m..
       The assembly earlier this year failed to reach a compromise on a Colonos proposal to reduce the Colonos fee by 2 percent, with several hotels arguing for a larger reduction, resulting in a postponement of voting on a budget and fee.
       Registration to attend for home, condo and lot owners showing identification will be held April 27 and 30 and May 2. Proxies must present a simple document valid for the date of the meeting and signed by two witnesses bearing copies of ID documents of owner and proxy. Otherwise condo owners are represented by their administrators who, along with hotel representatives, must register on May 2.
      There are a total of 6,296 votes in the Colonos. The combined hotels have 949 votes and Centro Comercial 126 votes for a total of 1,075. Lot, home and condo owners wield the remaining 5,221 votes…but must be present or have a proxy present to use them. Many snowbird owners have already departed. Only stakeholders current in dues will be allowed entrance.
      Also on the agenda is a question of applying the 5 percent discount to the base fee for the hotel, key and square meter of commercial properties, presentation of the expense budget for 2012-13 and approval of the maintenance fee retroactive to Feb. 1, 2012.

.Business beat…

Battle of the Mexican tele-titans

Customers not only ones with problems

A PA resident sent us an e-mail last week asking if we knew any “important folks” at Telmex because many customers here, the writer claimed, are getting imperfect service.

The answer is yes. We know Telmex-Telcel super-boss Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world according to The Economist magazine. He got that way because people – even those who can’t afford it – are enchanted by the sonorous timbre of their own voice.
     Like the young woman on the beach the other day. Unbelievable. She was on the CelTel for more than an hour unabashedly chatting frivolities, purposefully it seemed, to share the wonders of her voice box with others by being within earshot of nearby beachgoers. One could hear the pesos from the bottom of her beach bag screaming for her to stop or become like the boy who said he had to sell his chair to pay for his phone bill.
     We may know Carlos Slim. But Carlos Slim doesn’t know us. We also know “Felipe” and ”Oscar” and “Federico” and ‘Enrique” and others at Telmex, voices without faces who gave us the runaround last year for nearly a month with words like “guarantee tomorrow” or “promise today” before we got our service back. They are in Mexico City. Like Carlos, they don’t know us either.

But we can help the hapless customers by suggesting some advice: When dealing with the “Tels” here, accept the fact that Mr. Slim’s empire remains somewhat dysfunctional and cannot be improved overnight while he creates even more wealth than his $63 billion fortune. It’s what wealth creators do. Customer service is an important but back-burner issue.
     If you are a disgruntled victim, do this: Allow yourself to become frustrated and enraged. It’s a Telmex-Telcel customer characteristic. For relief, kick chairs, throw things at walls, blame everyone you love for your lost Internet access and scream invectives at the moon and stars.
     As you cool off, think of the problems Mr. Slim has had in his lifetime accumulating such a mind-boggling pile of money. How painful it must be knowing he can’t possibly spend it all, particularly in Mr. Slim’s case since he doesn’t give it away in the same measure as Bill Gates does, again according to the Economist.
     Then find a neighbor willing to give you his or her WEP key so you can use his or her access temporarily, or telephone, if they have service. Be sure to thank them and promise not to divulge the WEP to anyone else. Or go to any hotspot like restaurants to access the net and use your Skype too. As you calm down, call Telmex or Telcel to report your problem to “Federico” or “Enrique” or “Oscar” or “Filipe”. You may need to do that multiple, irritating times. There is more to this than meets the eye and it may help if you read the entire Economist story at http://www.economist.com/node/21546028.
     You will learn that Telmex is locking horns in high-stakes battles with the government and competitor Televisa over TV rights, that cell phone service in Mexico is comparatively expensive and … but read it yourself at the above link to the Feb. 4, 2012 edition of The Economist..
     Remember there are other victims besides you but that millions of people in 18 countries in the Americas use Telmex and Telcel under America Movil and are satisfied with it. Locals will tell you the best way to get things done is to be patient, and you may also end up being satisfied after your private battle with Telmex-cel is over…at least until the next skirmish flares.

EDITORIAL

Is the over-55 concept good for PA condos?

      There was a local newspaper article last week noting that the Riviera Maya and particularly Cancun are not marketing the area to the senior tourists, snowbirds and potential medical tourism populations that have the time, the money and the inclination to travel and/or live abroad. PA is no exception, but should it look at the potential of senior housing and assisted living?
      In another story a few days later, tourism and medical authorities here lamented the fact that a potential 25,000 clients are being lost because of the area’s failure to specifically publicize medical tourism. What could the Mayan Riviera offer?
      Just as social difficulties blossom in the mixed-use zoning theory of coupling business alongside residential units, problems also arise when trying to integrate the desires of young and old in the close-living conditions of residential condo buildings, particularly those acoustic monsters made of sound-carrying cement products and designed for open living.
      The development of “over-55” housing and condo projects in the U.S. offer proof that segregation – a word soiled over time by racial malpractice – is viable when it comes to age-related housing conditions. Here in PA, none of the condo developments to our knowledge are dedicated to senior living.
      Few things mar a vacation or living conditions more for many seniors, particularly some skittish combat veterans, than sudden loud noises and the raucous behavior of boisterous young adults emboldened by alcohol and music booming a nocturnal good time in a nearby apartment; or, numbers of innocent children screaming their delight by the toy-filled pool while seniors might be trying to find peace to read or enjoy quiet conversation. The ideal would be for each to have their desires met without infringing upon the contentment of the other.
      The Pelican hears the results of this questionable mélange, older people telling us they are irritated by the antics of younger people and younger people saying they are aggravated by the complaints of older people.
     “Weren’t they young once?” ask the young. Good question but absent a repartee. The old cannot ask of the young,” Weren’t you older once?”
      Here in open-living conditions it would seem the problem lacks a solution…other than, perhaps, modest moves toward developing the over-55 concept in a few enclaves, an attempt to assuage both poles while improving housing sales and the economic climate.
      Not here? Not in this lifetime?
      What’s your view?

Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
Your friend’s wife has been ill. You might ask him: “Esta mejor tu esposa hoy?
(Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517

What’s playing…

See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
http://cinemex.com/cartelera/cartelera_cine.php?cvecine=115
h ttp://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215

Briefly noted…

Compiled from staff, contributors and media reports
COLONOS GM Armando Rincon reports that road resurfacing and/or replacement will begin in about three weeks along the stretch of Bahia Xcacel near the parking lot and taxi

stand on the south to the boat ramp near Latitude 20 on the north. Concrete paving is expected to replace the current brick-interlock surface for smoother driving….THE EXODUS of the snowbirds has begun and while goodbye parties and dinners are the norm until the next high season, one business may be exiting for good from its current Centro location with a grand 50 percent sale. Mary Maher-Shaw of Flamingo’s Crossing clothing boutique reported last week she is closing for good soon at the

current location but may return to a smaller venue…HOLE IN ONE - An email from two witnesses, Kay Strange and Chris Landahl, purported that man-about-Centro John Schwandke got a hole in one at El Manglar this week. Another witness, his wife, Darlene, also in the foursome,witnessed the surprise event… TWO MEN WERE ARRESTED in Chetumal for being in possession of a 3-month old spider monkey in a box in their car and with with a rope around its neck. The primate is an endangered species…23 UNDOCUMENTED CUBANS, four women among them, were rescued by the cruise ship Oasis of the Seas last week after drifting for 22 days in international waters. They were delivered to Cozumel where they were being kept in a detention center to ascertain their health situation. They said they wanted to escape the Cuban regime and get a decent job…DENGUE FEVER is back with the humidity and mosquitoes, with 173 cases reported in Quintana Roo up to April 2. Protect yourselves against the mosquito bite…LOCALS complain in Playa del Carmen that taxi drivers shun them to pick up tourists who pay fares in U.S. dollars…HOTELS reported good occupancy, in some cases exceeding expectations, in the Riviera Maya for Easter weekend. Some of that rubbed off on PA hotels, at least one saying it was sold out for the weekend…

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With smiles and giggles, a sign of appreciation

Published April 4, 2012 | By PaulG

FISHING SEASON IS HERE. NEED A BOAT? See for sale
CHECK OUT OUR SPONSOR WEBSITES AT LEFT
HEAT COMING, A/C READY? – See CST on Service Provider Page
BIG TV AWAITS OFFERS – See For Sale page
ENJOY HOLIDAY BREAKFAST, Hippo, Tsoros, click on food and dining

Merchants, public, volunteers,
golfers made it happen for youth

Philanthropy is alive and well in the Puerto Aventuras Resort Community.
Hundreds of donors to Anat Kah, the area’s answer to the tax-deductible United Fund, and special projects such as the annual Charity Golf Tournament, have funded construction of a co-edicational high school building, however modest, now giving hope through education to more than 90 Poblado boys and girls reaching for the stars.

The fund-raising efforts and the generous participation of many resort individuals was explained briefly to teachers and students at the high school during a lunch break last week. The significance of benevolence in their lives struck a chord of excitement and cooperation in the students who roundly responded with a spirited photographic sign of appreciation and sense of participation. (See above)
The second annual golf tournament this year raised around $18,000 USD and still counting, more than double last year’s inaugural event. The need for a high school is particularly significant since the Mexican government has decided to extend the current middle-school mandate to high school.
The initial construction was funded by Anat Kah and finishing touches provided by the first annual golf tournament initiated by Jim and Jeanette Jamieson and friends that raised about $8,000. This year’s golf earnings are folded into an Anat Kah dedicated high school/education account for future disbursement as needed and approved by the committee.

The Jamiesons and committee members Bob and Glenna Uecker, Dick and Sally Dawson, Don and Diana Black and Bob and Pam Beisenherz and scores of others who helped selling raffle tickets, raising auction gifts, getting food and beverage contributions say this year’s golf event yield was boosted by a public raffle and auction and the exemplary cooperation of local businesses who contributed auction items, labor, food and/or beverages.
They included Dive Aventuras, Hippos, Café Ole, Tu Parador, Xpa Spa, Paradise Tours, Flamingo Crossing, Maya Gym-Omni, La Cueva del Changa, Dolce Vita, Mezzanine, Gringo Services, Turtle Bay, Mangos, Latitude 20, Tiramisu.
Also, Alegria Spa, Roger’s Auto Repair, Omni Restaurant, Paparazzis, Fresas Wedding, Aquanauts, Fat Cat Catamaran, Captain Rick’s, Gringo’s Cantina, Mike Terry, Dolphin Discovery, PA Condos, Myakoba Golf.
Also, Bahia Principe Golf, Grand Coral golf, Playacar Golf, The Pub, Café Café and Tesoros Café.
The golf committee extends a special thanks of its own to the 34 golfers and those who made cash donations, all the volunteers who pitched in, a special appreciation to Fideicomiso Roman Rivera Torres for free use of the golf course and carts, and members of the public who participated in bidding and buying the auction items.
Preparations for next year’s event are already in the mixer.

MEANWHILE…..

No end to giving in Puerto Aventuras

Some of the same people who helped in the golf tournament also showed up for a more personal event last Thursday to raise funds for Pobladan car-wash and hamburger-stand owner Danny Iglesias who recently underwent a 5-hour knee procedure in Merida to replace badly torn ligaments sustained in an effort to protect a neighbor from an assault.

A donor who wished to remain anonymous paid the bill – discounted by the doctor and hospital – for the operation but friends learned it would take extensive therapy for Iglesias to regain a normal, or close to normal, ability to use the knee. So a fundraiser was born.
Nearly 60 people attended a dance and raffle at the former Disco Lounge above Gringo’s Cantina organized by Anne and Ron Silver and assisted by jazz pianist and DJ Jerry Fastrup, his wife, Gloria, and Hal Harper who have come to know the 41-year-old bilingual Iglesias from his own contributions to people in the Poblado and business dealings with resort community residents.

The organizers say doctors in Cancun believed that Iglesias would need crutches to walk for the rest of his life, but his friends in the resort found Dr. Felipe Camara in Merida who agreed to try the delicate procedure.

The operation took place last week. Dr. Camara replaced the meniscus, a crescent shaped cartilage structure, and repaired torn ligaments and muscles. Recuperation will require six to eight weeks combined with costly and intensive physical therapy that the event proceeds will help to cover.
The organizers said over the weekend that ticket donations, raffle, outright donations and Mayan lottery game sales generated 18,000 pesos, enough to pay for therapy three times a week for 12 weeks. Harper will oversee disbursement of the funds as needed.
Donating items were Kapalai Interiors, Hippos, Flamingo Crossing, Dive Aventuras, Color Vetrum Jewelry, Yollot Handicrafts, Cafe Ole, La Dolce Vita, Latitude 20, Matahari, Bamboo, Mango’s and The Pub. Roman Rivera Torres donated use of the dance hall.

Business Beat…

Ex-Dolphin discovery site being demolished

Return to is origins is rental loss to Centro HOA

Posted Apr 2, 2012, by Juanito
There is new construction taking place in Puerto Aventuras’ Centro Comercial Shopping Center, but instead of adding to the structure, it’s actually taking away. The curious banging of sledge hammers in recent days has caused many to peak behind the construction curtain in an effort to see what all the noise is about?
In recent days, four strong and hard working men have totally demolished Dolphin Discovery’s former sales and retail office using nothing but a couple of old fashioned sledge hammers and a lot of sweat. The space we are talking about is located on the marina between The Pub and Dolce Vita Restaurants.

A decade before, Dolphin Discovery received permission to expand the size of retail space so as to better serve the growing number of tourists wanting to come swim with the dolphins. However, new construction of a newer and much larger facility in a different section of the marina, left the original space nearly deserted except for a small portion that continued to be used as a training facility.
Some of you may not be aware, but all the ground surrounding the building in the commercial area is owned “fractionally” by the property owners. The same is true for some shared patio areas on the upper levels. Part of what makes the Marina Shopping Area so unique is its blend of retail and residential occupants.
All spaces on the ground floor are zoned for commercial use only, with the second and third floors being designated for home or office use. All of the outdoor displays and seating that you see being used by various shops and restaurants are known as “common area” and, subject to approval by the Home Owner’s Association, are available for lease on an annual basis.
A new contract must be realized each year for the continued use of this space. Even the Fruit and Vegetable Market that sets up at the Kiosko each Wednesday and Saturday must pay for the privilege of occupying that space. This rental income accounts for about 25% of the association’s total operating expense and has become a critical component to its finances.
By original agreement, should Dolphin Discovery ever decide to vacate the “common area” upon which they were allowed to build… they must return it to its original state… and that is what we are seeing now.
The space is being returned to its original state. Dolphin Discovery will retain ownership of that original space and continue to use it for an office and training facility. The “common area” becomes common once again… and the HOA loses a $1,000 a month renter. So, it is with mixed feelings that PA’s Centro Comercial Marina Association regains the space.

Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
You are in a restaurant, your coffee has cooled and you want it warmed up. Tell the waiter:”Mi cafe esta frio. Por favor, caliente mi cafe.”
(CLASSES RESUME APRIL 23) Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517

What’s Playing…

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributors and media reports
NO NEW NEWS emanated from last week’s Colonos board meeting concerning beach access, but that doesn’t mean the issue still isn’t alive. For the moment, the Omni access gate remains closed and access for residents with ID allowed through the Omni lobby. Critics who want to be heard are asked to email their views to Colonos GM Armando Rincon, at gerencia@colonos.org to be passed on the board members… JUST A LOOK-ALIKE – A resident reported seeing what he thought was a boat reported stolen a few weeks ago, but owners say the vessel, for which a $5000 reward was posted, is still missing…MORE BUILDING – We don’t need experts and statisticians to tell us there seems to be

a modest increase in building activity in the resort area. All one needs is to be able to see. Several homes are being completed on Bahia Xaac and a handful of condos rising along Bahia Chemuyil and a few trophy homes going up on canal-side Bahia Yanten…ON THE OTHER HAND, a few folks we’ve met are struggling to sell condo units and homes, particularly along Bahia Xcacel where one section of grandiose manses seems to be sporting an inordinate amount of for sale signs…HARD ROCK HOTEL is reportedly going be a new neighbor as it reportedly takes over the all-inclusive mega hotel Aventuras Spa and Aventuras Cove, although the signage out on the highway isn’t telling us that yet…DRUGS AND MORE DRUGS - Naval personnel have recovered – on three separate occasions in a week- bundles of floating marijuana off Cozumel and worth more than an estimated million in street sales…SCIENTISTS GALORE, 500 of them will descend on the Hotel Grand Velas, Riviera Maya, in mid-May for a Microsoft-sponsored conference. Another 500 guests are expected also. Q. Roo won out over other sites in Mexico, including Mexico City…TWO MUNICIPAL WORKERS were injured when a steel gate at the the rear of the Soriana store on Avenida 30 in Playa del Carmen fell on them as they tried to open it. One was rushed to Hospiten Cancun for surgery…TULUM residents are complaining to CFE about excessive costs and blackouts…

“Always leave ‘em smiling”

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ISSUES: Recurring beach lockout flares again

Published March 29, 2012 | By PaulG

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY TONIGHT! 7:30– 11:30, Thursday, Mar. 29, at the Disco above Gringo’s Cantina, suggested $200-peso donation to help Poblado car-wash owner Danny Iglesias pay for medical knee treatments. Come meet your friends. Soda and snacks provided.
YOUNG AGING may seem contradictory but Prof. Emeritus James White will explore the scientific notion of getting older youthfully at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April, 3 in the Colonos meeting room. No charge – other than the one you get for thinking you are forever young.

Daylight Savings Time in Mexico 2 a.m. Sunday, April 1. Spring clocks forward.
Art Walk on Saturdays at Centro 5:30 – 10 p.m., through Easter, live painting, art and music. Open to public.
Akumal- Something funny going on here! It’s the first annual Akumal Comedy Festival April 19-21 with more than a dozen comedians on hand. And it’s FREE…No joke!

Tackling delicate situation that can’t please all

Gate will remain locked;
residents can pass via lobby

Adding to the heat and humidity last week was the steam whooshing angrily from critics’ ears over the misguided “lockout” of Colonos property owners from the Omni

Beach. The recurring conundrum was expected to get an airing at last night’s meeting of the Colonos board.
     Vaughn Shalson , a condo owner at Marina del Rey who was denied entrance three times since the latest lockout, said he purchased his property in 2006 after being led to believe that public access to the Omni Beach area would always be there.
     “Without beach access we would never have purchased the property here,” he wrote in an email to Colonos board members last week seeking their help in regaining access to the federal portion of the beach.
     While the Omni ownership takes the brunt of the verbal heat, other hotels, condos or private waterfront homes here generally do not allow access to the federal beach area through their private property, say authorities.
     Before deadline yesterday, the Pelican received a note from the Colonos office that originated at the Omni. It said: “If you are an owner or resident in Puerto Aventuras please feel free to access the beach through the Omni Hotel and Beach Club. If you would like to use any of our facilities, please ask at the reception desk for a day pass that will allow you to do so. The Omni Hotel and Beach club is a private property for the enjoyment of our residents within certain regulations.”
     There was no mention of a fee for a day pass but a desk clerk there yesterday said it is 400 pesos, 300 of that for food and beverages. The alleyway gate, evidently, will remain locked. It is also presumed proof of residency via the Colonos ID card will be required.
     Three other current access points do exist. One is along the north marina channel walkway then around Chac-Hal-Al. There is another at the lagoon near the bridge on Bahia Kantenha and also a private but empty lot on Punta Matzoma south of the Colegio. Colonos officials say the owner on Matzoma prefers to allow passage over his land to the beach rather than gate it. There is no or very little parking at these access points. Unfortunately for some critics, these points are unaccommodating.

A Colonos official said this week there had been a recent agreement between the board and Fideicomiso to filter non- PA resort people at the main gate but if that wasn’t sufficient, the usual beach access gate would be locked to them and passage not allowed through the hotel lobby except for hotel, gym, beach club guests, diners and Colonos property owners.
     However, guards hired by Omni – from the same company that performs PA Security – to turn away non-resort residents also mistakenly denied access to resort property owners including Beatriz Marron, chair of the Colonos board, who reportedly was twice turned away but eventually allowed to pass.
     Which entity actually padlocked the Omni-owned access gate this time remained vague this week, but it was not and never has been Dive Aventuras, which rents the back-shop alleyway that leads to the beach but does not and never has controlled the gate. This leaves Omni and Fideicomiso Roman Rivera Torres as the only other possibilities.
     As of this writing, Rivera Torres had not replied to a request for information concerning the lockout. However, the issue was expected to explode at last night’s board meeting with possible reconsideration of the agreement between the Colonos and Fideicomiso. Results of the meeting were not available before press deadline.

“At the time of our purchase,” wrote Shalson, “ there was a sign outside the rear entrance to Dive Aventuras that showed ‘Acceso Playa’ via the walkway between the Omni and Chac-Hal-Al.” That sign, Shalson believes, was put there by the Colonos and was sanctioned by the Fideicomiso. “This was a major inducement for us to buy in PA.”
      In September 2009, Shalson claims, the Omni locked the gate, causing a public uproar.
     “When we returned in December 2009, the beach access had been reopened but the ‘Acceso Playa’ sign had been removed,”…and remains absent.
     “One week ago the door across the walkway was padlocked again,” Shalson wrote, “and my wife and I have been unable to access the beach via the alleyway since then. Fideicomiso needs to realize that by publicizing beach access via the ‘Acceso Playa’ sign, it promoted a material inducement to property owners like ourselves who relied upon Fideicomiso’s good faith to continue to ensure access to Bahia Fatima for all PA owners. For the Fideicomiso to renege on this implied contract is unacceptable.”
     In his appeal to Colonos board members, Shalson asked members to “ please negotiate a resolution of this problem…as an urgent priority.”
     There is another important aspect – beach replenishment – to the access situation in Fatima Bay. Without a guaranteed access to the beach, noted Colonos board member Jorge Kaufer in 2010 correspondence with Shalson, the Colonos board “…will make sure that no one participates financially with his (Fideicomiso) program of regenerating the beach with more sand and a wave barrier unless we have guaranteed and decent access.”

That evidently is the challenge the Fideicomiso will face as it tries to elicit the considerable amount of money to replenish, protect and preserve the beach for the future.
     Now, beach erosion in Fatima Bay has reached a critical point for the Omni Hotel as the water’s action begins to dig into the foundation of barrier walls and the potential destruction that portends if left to Mother Nature’s whims much longer.
     Confounding the issue besides a shrinking beach are contradictory desires of various segments of the larger PA community with classic have- vs. have-not undertones. Some residents who buy into the Omni Beach Club, like hotel guests, expect a modicum of exclusivity and space for their money, while off-beach landowners feel their investment entitles them to federal beach access as does the indigenous population by right.
     The Colonos says there is not an inch of public access along Fatima Bay, all of it taken up by private properties impeding access to the federal beach. Some say it was a stupendous blunder by federal and state permitting authorities to allow the PA development plan without commanding access to federal beach.
     Inshore property owners may have verbally been led to believe there was public access, but the exercise of due diligence would have served them well, say authorities.
     The dilemma continues as all the players try to resolve differences and rescue Fatima Bay beach from eventually disappearing. The first requirement is finding access to considerable money needed to replenish and protect the beach from nature’s destructive whims over the long haul.
       Meanwhile, the underlying socio-legal questions remain of who is stepping on whose toes on a beach too small.

Business Beat…

Immigration law changes in legislative limbo

     Several weeks ago a law student briefed Puerto Aventurans on the new immigration law now awaiting its “adoption” into the nation’s code to go into effect.
     Don’t hold your breath.
     The INM (Instituto Nacional de Migration) has not adopted, or promulgated, the code and the information out of Mexico City is that it won’t get done until after the national election. For the moment, and probably the rest of this year and then some, the immigration rules and hoops most Puerto Aventurans have come to love as they jump through them will remain in effect for the foreseeable future.
     Changes in the proposed immigration law are so considerable – the most ever in the nation’s history – that adoption has already passed the 6-month window legally allowed and there if no information being issued as to a timetable for implementation.

What’s Playing…

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributors and media reports
AT LEAST one PA resident was planning to make the 26-hour (one way) bus trip to Leon, Guanajuato, to receive the blessings of the Pope, but backed off at the last minute at being one of an estimated 300,000 faithful at the Mass on Sunday… ‘RECKLESS’ BOAT SERVICE operators have been appearing along the Maya Riviera shores to service tourists, reports the Association of Nautical Tourism Services. A bill has been prepared by the group for the legislature to increase Coast Guard patrols to insure safety of tourists using “irregular’ boat services…

A SAIL BOAT OVERTURNED in the South Channel last week, its remains showing above the water line in a starboard pool off the main channel. There were no official reports of the incident although several men claiming to be owners were removing items from the vessel…CANCUN AIRPORT is considered the largest in South America for the second consecutive year…A BOMB THREAT at the airport caused some concern and mobilization of safety personnel and froze operations for seven minutes at Terminal 3 for plane inspections. Nothing was found and the threat considered false…WATER LEAKS in the local municipal government of Solidaridad ({Playa del Carmen) distribution system are said to be depriving as many as 3,000 families of potable water…ONGOING STUDY looks at diversifying crops in Q. Roo with bamboo, one of 29 research projects…

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$5000 reward offered for return of stolen boat

Published March 20, 2012 | By PaulG

REMINDERS:
MARRIAGE OF FOOD AND WINE, Sunday, March 25, in privagte PA beachside villa garden, limited tickets $500MN from Dulce (cel) 984-151-3478 or Monica (cel) 998-112-1804. History and pairing of Mexican wine, gastronomic dishes, to benefit St. Teresita Cathholic Chapel Building Fund. Great menu! Call now!
Free lecture: Carlota and Maximilian – A Tragic Reign 1864 – 1867. –Powerpoint, Dolores Green discusses a reign destined for violent death and madness: English, Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 9:30 AM, Colonos Room.
Daylight Savings Time in Mexico 2 a.m. Sunday, April 1. Spring clocks forward.
Art Walk on Saturdays at Centro 5:30 – 10 p.m., through Easter, live painting, art and music. Open to public.
Akumal- Something funny going on here! It’s the first annual Akumal Comedy Festival April 19-21 with more than a dozen comedians on hand. And it’s FREE…No joke!

WHILE HERE, BRIGHTEN YOUR SMILE- See service providers
NEED ADVICE, A BANK, A GREAT DIVE? Peruse sponsors at left
JAPANESE CUISINE, DIFFERENT – Food/dining page
UNUSUAL MIRRORS FRINGED, SEA-SONED – Items for sale

Attempt was made
to steal a second boat

Owners have offered a $5,000 USD reward for information leading to the retrieval of a 32-foot Century boat from the PA marina between 4 p.m. March 11 and 7 a.m. March 12.

Meanwhile, the theft has attracted the attention of a “very high” military official responding to a newspaper’s allegation that the boat was spirited “under the noses” of the military, which has a base on the marina.
Colonos GM Armando Rincon said this week a meeting already has been held with the military and marina personnel to set the groundwork for increased security of the marina areas.
Also reported along the waterfront was the attempted theft of a vessel about three weeks ago by thieves who dismantled the dashboard in an apparent effort to hot-wire the ignition system.
There was some loose, uncorroborated speculation in boating circles that stolen boats are being used to spirit Cubans out of that island nation. It was noted that both vessels are powered by expensive outboard engines, giving rise to further speculation that thieves are after the engines. Several Cuban nationals were taken from a stolen boat several months ago drifting off Isla Mujeres.

Editorial:

Sign needed to show Colonos cares for life

For the second time in a year, a vehicle has crashed into a utility pole at the western end of Caleta Yalku, snapping wooden poles and depriving down-line neighbors of telephone and internet access for several days afterwards.

These incidents underscore a disquieting feeling that enforcement of Colonos traffic rules embodied in the resort’s “society by agreement” bylaws – including a ban on unlicensed therefore uninsured children driving golf carts and excessive breaches of the 20 mph speed limit – are viewed by some scofflaws of this otherwise wonderful community as political poppycock meant only for show.
Since there seems to be a dearth of public will to conform to various segments of the social agreement, the Pelican Free Press suggested a possible remedy before a life or two are lost on Yalku in addition to phone and internet service. The Colonos has responded by saying it will consider a reflectorized warning sign.
Perhaps it could be a double-ended arrow or other well-lighted device or message that even a slovenly, nighttime drunken driver will notice to avoid hurtling head-on into another utility pole, or worse, crashing through the walls of one of the dwellings in the immediate area and possibly adding to the kill list.

Fire burns in condo kitchen while renters out

Ex- U.S. firefighter helps
save the day, spotlights
need for being prepared

People on the beach, pool and balconies at Quinta del Sol last Thursday saw the black smoke pouring through closed windows of a second floor unit. One man reacted quickly and efficiently from experience to thwart the spread of flames.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” said retired Connecticut firefighter Bruce Ryalls. “I had just settled down on the couch to watch the start of the NCAA basketball games when my wife, who was out on the balcony, told me to come out and look at
all the smoke.
“I went out onto the patio and could see some very nasty looking
black smoke swirling around the courtyard. I thought I should go down to see
what was happening and to determine if I could be of any help as I had 28 years of experience as a professional firefighter in East Hartford, CT prior to my retirement.

“When I arrived at the scene a couple of maintenance men with fire
extinguishers had just broken open a window to get into the villa. I watched
for a minute or two to see what they would do but even though they were trying
their best it was obvious they could not handle the smoke.
“I then went in through the window and told them I was a bombero and I could help. I took one of the fire extinguishers from them and got down on my hands and knees to crawl
towards the fire and also to check out the bedrooms to make sure there was
nobody inside the villa.
“After being assured that there was nobody left in the
villa I proceeded to put out the fire. It originated in the dishwasher and had been
smoldering for quite some time as the front door of the dishwasher was completely
melted off. It took a couple of extinguishers to put out the fire and then I checked
the kitchen area to see if it had extended to the cabinets. It had not and I was told
that the bomberos were on their way so I left to take a shower.
The whole time I was in the villa the maintenance men and the office manager of
QDS stood by and kept checking to see if I was Ok and that was appreciated very
much by me and my wife.
“I think the biggest thing people have to know about a fire is to be sure and get down
as low as you can as the heat and smoke rises to the the ceiling.I have since received many thanks from the office manager and the people of Quinta del Sol. I also received a very nice thank you e-mail from the owner of the villa where the fire started. I am just happy I was in the right place at the right time and was able to help out.
“I would like to let everyone know that they should never leave their home or villa when a large appliance is in operation. That means a dishwasher, clothes washer or dryer. During my years on the fire department I worked on many fires that had begun by leaving these appliances unattended.
“I would also like to suggest that the maintenance men receive some training on fire safety. It was clear to me that they were eager to assist but were unsure about how to proceed.”

Notario explains property ownership law

For the second time in as many months, a speaker at the informational meetings here coordinated by former U.S. radio talk show host John Schwandke, explored the new and “iffy” immigration laws awaiting promulgation by the federal government.
This time, though, the subject was accessory to a lecture by M.D. Juan Daniel Martinez Zetina, notario publico auxiliar, concerning the effect of those pending immigration laws on property ownership, formation of corporations, individual and corporate RFC (tax) numbers, capital gains and other taxes.
Probably the best advice issued by Sr. Martinez included a strong suggestion that foreigners buying into the Mexican way of doing things keep and file every invoice, every municipal, state, federal and fideicomiso dealing and permit, any tax receipts and an occupancy permit (end of construction) as ready evidence when proof is needed for the compilation of tax assessments and attendant deductions.

He also warned that the so-called “ejido” lands are never for sale and to beware of any smooth-talking salesmen who might try to induce an unsuspecting and therefore vulnerable target into investing. And in answer to one of many questions from the audience of about 30 people, he said Mexico still lacks a system regulating real estate agents that, the questioner alleged, sometimes mislead and ill-advise prospective buyers.
Most questioners, one even who lives in the Sian Ha’an Reserve biosphere, had pointed questions about their own personal situations. The answers added to the accumulation of general knowledge about real estate transactions, types of taxes, when they can legally be avoided by status of immigration, how new immigration rules will impact property owners, types of deductibles and the important role notaries play in the scheme.
What was particularly interesting about the notario system is that it is rooted in Roman law called Tabellion in Latin and Tabellon in Spanish. While Americans may be unfamiliar with it, the system is in effect in 80 countries covering 80 percent of Europe and 60 percent of the world population including all of Latin America. Principles of the system can be found at www.uinl.org (International Union of Notaries).
Some highlights:
Foreigners in Mexico can’t own land within 50 kilometers of shoreline or 100 km of national borders without putting it in a trust held by banks, which adds a little to the cost of using or exploiting a property.
No tests or certifications are required to function as a real estate agent and, therefore, little government oversight and judicial redress is available. Problems need be taken up with consumer agencies.
Sales taxes on real estate being sold by a non-Mexican are determined by the seller’s immigration status among other factors.
Unlike U .S. notaries who are not lawyers and function only for identification, Mexican notaries are lawyers and are responsible for writing deeds and other real estate transactions and providing legal oversight of such transactions for both seller and buyer.
(The Pelican Free Press in conjunction with Mr. Martinez, will present a more in-depth serialized look at his presentation beginning in May. Stay tuned.)

Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
You are sick and want to take a taxi to a hospital. Say to the driver: “Estoy enfermo. Necesito ir a un hospital.”
(Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517

What’s Playing…

Letters…

Clear golf course of kids, dogs; it’s not a playground

Dear Editor:
As an avid golfer, I am very disappointed in the people using the golf course as a public park. When my wife an I pay 2000+ pesos to play a round of golf and we have kids, dogs and people using the course as a public playground, it makes it difficult for us to keep returning to support the local course.
To top it all off, we can go play Bahia Principe, Mayakoba, Playacar that are high ranking courses for half the money we pay to play on the dog run. This really needs to be considered in their overpriced course. This course is only worth a $400 peso green fee and if it was, you would have more golfers on it and increase profits.
People might even get their children involved in golf so we don’t have them trashing the golf course because they have nothing better to do with their time here. I really feel this needs to be addressed and would be happy to donate my time to help out.
Signed,
Brad Marr

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributors and media reports

YOUNG PA SAILORS returned this week from a regatta in Nuev0 Vallarta with three medals, reports a proud coach, Daniele Gracis…JUST CHECKING – Access to Omni Beach was curtailed, as it is at other hotels, over the holiday weekend as personnel checked club memberships and guest passes for admittance to the beach via Omni property…SOME PERSONNEL CHANGES have occurred in the Colonos administrative offices. More on that later…LATITUDE 20 restaurant reportedly will move to a new location near the Dreams Hotel and bridge…NINE KILLED in an accident in Macario Gomez community 20 km west of Tulum between a van and a large moving trailer truck on Sunday. One of the victims died in a Playa del Carmen hospital where he was taken after the crash. It took more than three hours for firefighters, paramedics and Red Cross personnel to remove bodies from the twisted wreckage, after which the van was allegedly looted by police….Please drive carefully…

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Total beach project decision possible in year

Published March 14, 2012 | By PaulG

REMINDERS:
Information Speaker, Saturday, March 17, Lic. Juan Daniel Martinez Zetina, notario assistant, at 10 a.m. in Colonos meeting room, to discuss property ownership issues, capital gains.
Daylight Savings Time in Mexico 2 a.m. Sunday, April 1. Spring clocks forward.
Art Walk on Saturdays at Centro 5:30 – 10 p.m., through Easter, live painting, art and music. Open to public.

MIRROR THIS – See the unusual hand-made at “for sale”
BOAT FOR FISHING just in time for the season. See “For sale”
TOO HOT TO COOK? Take out Sushi on food/dining page
INSURE BEFORE YOU LEAVE- See “service provider” page
HIPPO’S ALL-DAY MENUS – Click on food/dining

Modest effort launched to regain Omni beach

Fideicomiso predicts larger

undertaking in another year

The erosion of sand has diminished availability of space for beach club members and visitors and is threatening infrastructure of the Omni Hotel beachside facilities such as the steps leading up to the wet bar, some vegetation and retaining walls.
The hotel ownership is reacting with a modest project to stave off physical damage and provide guests with more available beach. “We are doing small inexpensive work to maintain the beaches in small proportions,” reports PA Trustee Roman Rivera Torres. “The big solution is already designed and will be done whenever we can raise the funds, a large amount, in coordination with the Colonos. It will take at least a year,” before a major restructuring of the Fatima Bay beach can begin.
The current goal is to recapture about 14 meters of beach directly in front of the Omni property as one part of a two phase project funded entirely by Omni. It includes construction of a containment jetty, a series of netted stone like the one fronting the adjacent Villa del Mar, that should help abate further erosion of replenished sand.
Phase one should be completed in about two weeks. Phase two, which hopes to add another 14 meters of beach, will get under way on or about April 10 and last about two months as the high-season wanes.
Historically, a major project for Fatima Bay beachfront has had several impediments in trying to appropriate the considerable amount of cash required for an undertaking of this magnitude. There has been difficulty trying to trade Colonos participation in funding for the Fideicomiso’s creation of a public access path to the beach, and a heretofore objection by federal authorities to participate in projects located on private property.

Business Beat…

Bancomer joins Pelican Press sponsors

Company unit has history of helping

Anglos navigate MX banking system

BBVA Bancomer is no stranger to Puerto Aventuras. For several years, members of its highly touted bilingual Preferred Customer Unit have been coming to PA from Playa del Carmen to brief bewildered Anglos on traditional Mexican banking processes and how best to navigate them.

For example, the bank representatives have answered a question that has dogged many snowbirds: “Can I have a bank account with just a visitor’s visa?” The answer is yes, prompting many snowbirds to find an easier way to put their foreign financial house in order and visit the bank the next day, according to Sandra J. Alvarez Escarcega, senior segment manager.
Unit representatives have also helped greater Puerto Aventurans save time and money with information such as depositing a check from an American or other nation’s bank account while here to save wire transfer fees later and enjoy a no-fee transaction.
Particularly for snowbirds, the bank has taught how to avoid confusion and simultaneously save time and energy by using a bank’s automated payment systems
for recurring monthly bills such as Telmex, electric, condominium fees and insurance premiums while here or away. No fuss, no muss.
And for those looking to deposit an emergency account for unexpected events, the Bancomer representatives have underscored their Preferred Customer (English speaking)investment unit that helps savings grow with competitive interest rates, a variety of investment opportunities and online transfers from accounts.
The Pelican Free Press, a not-for-profit volunteer effort whose goal, like the bank’s, is to help Anglos navigate a new life in an unfamiliar place, has reported on these information sessions and found a symbiotic relationship with the bank’s goals to inform and advise the Anglo community.
Through this relationship, readers can now multi-task by accessing the Pelican Free Press to read and/or click on the Bancomer front-page icon to link to its Preferred Customer Unit web site, and, if a person has an account with the bank, access the online banking service and all that the system offers.
Other sponsors are Dive Aventuras and Penguin Digital Design. Inquiries about sponsorships are welcomed.
.

Help sought for local kids who want to sail

Club launches program

to ‘Adopt a little sailor’

Posted 3/12/12 by Daniele Gracis
Sailing is a sport that brings its participants in continuous contact with nature and helps develop self esteem and decision making skills in young people. It is also an expensive sport, due to the high costs of boats, maintenance, instruction and transportation, and is not a sport that is typically open to people from all socio-economic classes.
Since its beginnings, the Sailing Club of Puerto Aventuras has been characterized as being open to all students through its scholarship program. In two years, the club has grown both in participation and community acceptance, as well as in its technical level.
In the recent state-wide Olympics, the club won all of the 6 gold medals in sailing. The first three were won by sc

holarship recipients.

Now, in order for the Sailing Club of Puerto Aventuras to continue its positive growth, and open its doors to more children with economic need, we need your support!

Adopt A Little Sailor

The cost of a beginner sailing course is $600 pesos per month, and $800 pesos for the advanced course. With this monthly donation, you can give one child the opportunity to participate and excel in the Sailing Club
If you give, you will have the opportunity to meet the child and his or her family, and participate in his or her success and results, and support his or her growth in the sport and in life. Don’t miss out!

We ask that your commitment be for a one year period (12 months x 600 pesos = 7200 pesos/year) and for your willingness to continue to support the child if he or she is able to move on to compete on a national level, which will mean some extra expenses for travel and registration.
For more information: DANIELE GRACIS, 984-127-1392 danielegracis@hotmail.com
or ASOCIACION de COLONOS (CARLOS) 984-873-5116-5117. If you are a U.S. citizen and would like a tax deduction for your donation, the gift can be made through Anat Kah’s “Friends of” fund at the International Community Foundation, address here:
http://icfexchange.org/donateonline/index.php?webkey=rivieramaya.
(Ed. Note: Daniele Gracis is chair of the Colonos Sports and Cultural Committee and a leader of the sailing club. Anat Kah is this area’s answer to U.S. tax deductible United Fund. There are currently 42 young sailors here, 14 on scholarships, and 20 boats operating classes almost daily. For the first time ever, a segment of national Olympic trials will be held in Puerto Aventuras in late April, bringing sailing action and business from an expected 100 boats and 500 people.)

Library fund-raiser concert a crowd pleaser

Work on library

starts tomorrow

As books in libraries spread out beyond their cozy shelves to engage and entertain far-flung readers, the vocalist appearing Saturday night with a strikingly white- and gold-clad “Estrella del Caribe” (Star of the Caribbean) Mariachi band at the Cultural Center, wandered into the audience to engage her roughly 400 listeners into sharing their talents and “sing along” with her. And sing they did!

“Ayyyy, ay, ay, ay,” chanted the crowd with glee, “Canta y no llores, Porque cantando se alegran, Cielito lindo, los corazones.” (The metaphoric English refrain is something like “Ay, ay, ay, ay, sing and don’t cry, heavenly one, for singing gladdens hearts.”) With gladdened hearts, then, the Anglos could only hum along doing the best they could and probably wishing they had taken up Spanish in high school and college.
PA resident Adannia Lopez, “La voz ranchero de Mexico,” (the rancher voice of Mexico) gave an enthusiastic and personable performance, like a serving of dessert following a first-half Flamenco dancing feast by “Mexico Canta y Espana Baila”. This group featured five area dancers who created a succession of staccato steps to the wailing beat of a lone Flamenco singer/guitarist backed by a canned background orchestra.

The dancers included Maria Diaz, Viviana Gomez, Maria de la Luz Gomez Tejeda, Carmen Rojas and Susana Esquinsa who tapped and clicked and whirled their way into the hearts of the audience. One segment by one of the dancers dressed in glittering toreador costume and brandishing the red cape of the ring, imparted well the illusion of a bull fight.
Emcee Andrew Bacon held the biggest surprise of the night when he announced an impromptu “auction” to financially push the volunteer public library at the Colegio Puerto Aventuras to expand its ever-growing cache of 11,000 novels, texts and tomes in Spanish and English that are straining the library’s capacity to contain them. So walls must come down and shelves must go up, requiring an estimated 40,000 pesos. The work is expected to begin tomorrow (March 16). No time wasted here.

More than half the needed amount – $24,000 pesos and still counting – was raised by the benefit concert, a tribute to the continuing generosity of the community as a whole and its appreciation of the many advantages of a volunteer library that costs only a one-time registration fee of $10 for a lifetime of use.
A pleasant touch of this particular concert was the use of outdoor tables placed on the lawn and the sale of various foods and beverages to be enjoyed with friends in the cool night air. Unfortunately, like the auction, there was little advance publicity about the dining opportunity as many showed up with sated appetites.
The event was coordinated by Gabi Kozelj, general director of Colegio Puerto Aventueras and the library volunteers that include Betsy Amy-Vogt, Dorothy Beeler, Gayle Dunaway, Jean Duns, Linda Gosslin, Marti Latchaw, Rick Latchaw, Lisa Oller, Lucie Sellors and Monica Tynan-Day.

Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
Want to know the cost of a colectivo ride to Playa before you hop a van? Ask the driver: “Cuanto cuesta a Playa, por favor?”
(Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcome to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517).

Coming Events…

FREE LECTURES:
Carlota and Maximilian – A Tragic Reign 1864 – 1867. –Powerpoint, Dolores Green discusses a reign destined for violent death and madness: English, Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 9:30AM, Colonos Room.
Youthful Aging – Powerpoint: Prof. Emeritus Jim White; learn how to scientifically slow the aging process and forestall maladies that confound retirement. English Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at 9:30AM, Colonos Room.
Akumal- Something funny going on here! It’s the first annual Akumal Comedy Festival April 19-21 with more than a dozen comedians on hand. And it’s FREE…No joke!

What’s Playing…

See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
http://cinemex.com/cartelera/cartelera_cine.php?cvecine=115
h ttp://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215

Letters…Taxing Times 3

Dear Editor:
It is gratifying to read that there has been an attempt underway in The Pelican Free Press to bring info on IRS reporting requirements to light. We have finished our taxes for 2011 and we can with complete assurance report that there is indeed a US IRS requirement to file a 3520 and a 3520A when filing form 1040, as well as the other IRS form the article mentioned.

We did some further research (internet related, as well as a discussion with our CPA who specializes in this type of tax law) and, by putting in the search terms “IRS 3520 requirements”, we came up with many pages of hits but some of the best sites were:
www.rpifs.com; www.assetlawyer.com; www.taxmeless.com; www.irsdisclosure.com; www.fideicomiso.wordpress.com (one we particularly like because it is easy to read and understand)] www.expatriate.blogspot.com; www.gslaw.com
There seems to be a little disagreement among some tax specialists who believe our foreign trusts are exempt from this reporting requirement but the IRS has put nothing in writing regarding exempting us fideicomiso holders from such an exemption and, eventually, the penalties and repercussions will fall upon us trust holders to defend this position in a hearing. As we read through the fines and penalties, it was nothing to dismiss lightly.
In the interests of disseminating information, we wanted to provide you with some sources for IRS foreign trust info that affects all of us US owners in PA and anywhere else inside the fideicomiso trust protected zone. Thank you for your undertaking.
Regards,
Mary Strojny

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributors and media reports
KUDOS TO PEMEX AND STAFFERS HERE – The Pelican hasn’t received a single complaint from the public this season about untoward money transactions at the local Pemex station…ANOTHER MONTH should see the completion of the improvement project on busy 10th Avenue in Playa del Carmen…A CLEAR REDUCTION in the number of European tourists in Cancun and Riviera Maya is reported by hoteliers…SURPRISE OVERSIGHT for suspected drugs/dealers was conducted for the first time since 2009 at bars and areas of Cozumel on Saturday by members of the Ministerial Federal Police….TAXI DRIVERS’ ASSOCIATION complains about the rises in gasoline prices and damage these increases cause to the local economy and household budgets…LIKE THE STATES, Quintan Roo has come in 11th in the number of Mexican states that have failed to meet job growth expectations…TULUM is again the target of claims by critics that its police department is the most corrupt and violent in the state…MEXICAN PRESIDENT FELIPE CALDERON was in Q. Roo this week to dedicate a new overpass in Cancun and announce grants for various projects including one for the Navy in Cozumel…SMALL GROCERS feeling the pinch of competition from supermarkets have closed in the first two months of this year in Q. Roo. Some 87 small businesses closed in 2011…

Note END THIS POST Note

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Beach replenishment blog causes confusion

Published March 5, 2012 | By PaulG

REMINDERS:
Concert: Mariachi Music/Flamenco Dance, Saturday, March 10; 7 p.m. Cultural Center, 60 pesos, refreshments, to benefit volunteer library expansion at Colegio.
Information Speaker, Saturday, March 17, Lic. Juan Daniel Martinez Zetina, notario assistant, at 10 a.m. in Colonos meeting room, to discuss property ownership issues,capital gains.
Daylight Savings Time in US 2 a.m. Sunday, March 11, and in Mexico 2 a.m. Sunday,April 1. Spring clocks forward.
ART WALK ON SATURDAYS at Centro 5:30 – 10 p.m. starts March 10 through Easter, live painting, art and music. Open to public.

DENTAL CLEANING WHILE HERE, see service provider page
BEACH PALAPAS AVAILABLE, see them on “for sale” page
SUMMER A/C MAINTENANCE see CST on service provider page
IRS SERIES CONTINUES BELOW with new reporting rule

Information from Omni execs unclear

Resident letters slam beach club lockout

Bulletin: It was learned after publicatioin that work on replenishing some sand in front of Omni Hotel Beach only and paid for only by Omni Hotel is to begin on Monday. Read more below.

A blog under a Puerto Aventuras Travel flag dated Feb. 22, 2012 and posted by “Travel Guru” reported that a beach replenishment project would begin this month in Puerto Aventuras to bring the beach to 20 meters – or 66 feet wide.
When Ron Hurst read it from his home in Superior, Colo.while browsing the Net, he was upset because he thought such a large project would disrupt his vacation plan to spend 14-to 30 March at Chac Hal Al. He was a bit put off because the Pelican Free Press hadn’t mentioned a word about the project.

With good reason: There isn’t any major beach replenishment project beginning this month in Puerto Aventuras according to Colonos General Manager Armando Rincon and a group of baffled citizens here who are usually in the know. It is inconceivable that a long-awaited project of this magnitude here could get to that point without being noticed, publicized and voted on.
The blog even had such unconfirmed information as : “This year Puerto Aventuras is putting up 50% of the funding to do beach recovery and the federal government is putting in the other half.”
That also is evidently a misinformed shocker so far for Puerto Aventurans who know there has not been a vote taken at the annual Assembly to raise and spend what could be millions of pesos for this project. Historically, bones of contention in raising local funds from the Colonos for such an undertaking is the reluctance of the Fideicomiso to provide a public access to the beach and the federal government’s taboo on spending public money for private infrastructure.

What the Pelican Free Press did manage to learn is that PA developer and architect Roman Rivera Torres is apparently discussing the issue with several principals, or so he told the Colonos board meeting last week.
Replying directly to a Pelican Free Press request for comment, Rivera Torres said this week: “We are working hard on the replacement of the beaches. It is a work that costs a lot of money and it is something we did not expect from Nature. I don’t want to take a wrong battle and lose it. As soon as I have the solution and solution to the budget I will let you know.”
But yesterday (March 7) Kevin Stolz, general manager of Mexico Travel, copied Hurst with an email message from Rivera Torres, translated into English, that said: “The work to reestablish the beaches at least a little will begin next Monday (March 12) and for the first phase, sufficient to have 14 meters of beach and will be ready in two weeks. The 2nd phase of the work will begin on 10th of April 2012 and take 2 months to be ready in June and will recover 8 to 10 meters of beach.”
If that’s the case, it evidently has been PA’s best kept secret.
Stolz said he has been marketing Puerto Aventuras for Rivera Torres since 2001. “When I discussed the beach recovery with Roman 18 months ago the issue was that the federal government wouldn’t do the beach recovery in Puerto Aventuras because it was considered a private development but the Omni manager stated that the project was approved with Puerto Aventuras putting up 1/2 of the funds and would begin sometime in March.”
Hurst believes such a disturbing project during the high season would not be a good idea as travel “website reviews would be brutal.”

The Pelican believed it was on solid ground informing Hurst on Tuesday that he and and his wife could reasonably be assured that a beach replenishment project won’t disrupt their vacation this month.
“That’s great news,” Hurst responded. “I had a feeling that was the case. I did find that the web site that ran the article is HQ out of Mexico City, not PA.anyway.Thanks so much for checking into it for me.”

But the travel web site did say, with evident accuracy, that beaches replenished in Cancun and Playa del Carmen in the last two years are again significantly eroding. With that in mind, there is at least one proposed plan on paper in Puerto Aventuras that would install a series of stone pyramids across and between Fatima Bay’s two marina entrance channels to permanently capture the sand whenever it is replenished.

In separate criticisms of the Omni, the Pelican Free Press received the following signed letters this week:

Dear Editor:
“We, like many residents of PA, pay $1000 USD every year to the Omni Hotel for the privilege of membership in their beach club for 6 months. It actually has been a pretty good deal, since the money is a credit which can be used for food and drinks with a discount of 25%. Considering the number of residents taking advantage of this offer, it is quite lucrative for the Omni, particularly in the off months when no one is there.

As we watch the painful deterioration of the beach, we have begun to wonder if it will even exist in another year. In a short time the beach has gone from football field size to almost nothing. No steps are being undertaken to save the beach or even the steps and bar that front the beach. Waves are eroding sand at a rapid rate. A quick glance down the beach shows that a system of breakwaters can make a big difference but it may already be too late for the Omni.
The Omni obviously does not care about its members who are Colonos, as made evident by the treatment received this week. The Omni has been closed to their “valued members” for five days. This was not communicated in advance – only when arriving to go to breakfast were we told in no uncertain terms that we could not come in and an attempt was made to physically enforce this. We endured this on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. We were told there was a “convention”. Since when do conventions close down entire hotels?
We still have approximately $400usd in credit and only a little over a month to use it or it reverts back to the Omni. I fully intend to request a refund which I probably won’t receive. I plan to think long and hard about future “membership” at the Omni.
Signed,
Judith Labrozzi

Dear Editor:
“I would like to comment on the closure of the Omni for five days. We have owned a condo in Puerto Aventuras for five years. We have paid to be members at the Omni every year while we are here. We pay $1000usd for the use of their pools, chairs and towels.
“ Since we are only here for 3-4 months each year, we try to use the facilities and spend our $1000 during that time. We were very disappointed when we were stopped at the door and turned away on a few days. It seems unfair that a convention group should take over the whole Omni for almost a week at the inconvenience of all the regular customers.
“It is also very disappointing that the Omni has not taken any action to help preserve their beach area. It only takes a glance at the beaches South of the Omni to see that their actions have helped preserve their beach areas.If the Omni continues to ignore the problem and the need to build retaining walls or jetties to help curb the beach erosion, we will not be rejoining their program next year.
Sincerely
Linda Brestar & Paul Bussoli

Charity golf, auction, yield $16,426 for school

Event doubles last year’s take;
Generosity, fun, humor rule day

If you bought or sold a raffle ticket, bid an auction item, played golf, gave back your winnings, donated auction items or food, material and labor; volunteered for any job, did the cooking or served on the 2nd Annual PA Charity Golf Tourney ommittee, then look at yourself in the mirror and and know this: “You done good!”

The weather was great last Wednesday for the golf event, the humor was greater but the philanthropy that showed through was, well, the greatest.
Thirty four golfers participated in the event, but add to that the volunteers and the nice folks who showed up for the auction and raffle, the number exceeds 125 that participated in this ongoing effort to provide the Poblado children with a decent high school and a brighter future. What better investment?
Having broken ground last year and working out the bugs, (except the ants that also attended the event) the day ran ever so smoothly under the direction of Chairmen Jim and Jeanette Jamieson and committee members Bob and Glenna Uecker, Dick and Sally Dawson, Don and Diana Black and Bob and Pam Beisenherz and scores of

others who helped selling tickets, raising auction gifts, getting food and beverage contributions.
Numerous guffaws emanated from the spirited public auction audience following the tourney as husbands and their wives tried to outbid each other on some of the items and as born-again comedians like John Timmerman of Hippo’s Restaurant, would try to top a $400 bid at $400.01.
The combination of golf tourney, public raffle and auction, as well as some independent donations, doubled last year’s total for the school. This year’s financial report below:

“March 2, 2012
Dear Tournament Committee,
“I have completed the analysis of the financial results of this year’s tournament.

These numbers may change slightly as additional donations are received.
Based on my review, I am pleased to present the following summary for the
committee.
This year’s tournament raised $16,426. There were no expenses, since all golf
course expenses, advertising, food, drinks, and supplies were donated by local
businesses and individuals.
The entire amount will be managed and monitored by members of the
tournament committee to assure that we are able to achieve maximum impact for

the funds raised. We will report back as the funds are deployed.
Please see the attached statement below:
Income:
Golf Fees 3,508; Mulligans & Closest to Hole 684; Donations 4,096; Silent Auction 1,659; Live Auction 5,655; Raffle 687; Jewelry Sales 138; Total Income 16,426.
Expenses:
Banners/Signs/Printing $ – Donated; Event T-Shirts – Donated; Food, Drinks, Ice, etc; Donated; Tent, Tables & Chairs, Supplies – Donated; Golfer Gift Bags, Balls, Tees, etc; Donated; Auction & Raffle Items – Donated; Prize Money – Donated back by winners
Greens Fees and Golf Cart Use – Donated; Total Expenses $ –none; Net Income $ 16,426
Available for Work at the School $ 16,426 100
Respectfully Submitted,
Robert L. Beisenherz”

Taxing Times 2

Foreign Financial Institutions also involved

(Ed. Note: This series is a combined effort by Mary and Bernie Strojny who first suggested it and Martin Wohnlich who researched government documents with the aid of a CPA and compiled it in association with the Pelican Free Press. Since tax rules are always open to change, this series should be considered only as a basic familiarization and introduction to new asset reporting rules that affect U.S. taxpayers with assets abroad).
Last week we learned that persons with foreign assets need to file a new reporting form with the IRS but also learned, good news in this area, that foreign real estate is not considered an asset under the IRS FATCA rules, but should be reported if it is in a trust, just to be safe. This week:

Reporting by Foreign Financial Institutions:

Beginning in 2013, FATCA ( Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) will also require foreign financial institutions (FFI’s) to report directly to the IRS certain information about

financial accounts held by U.S. taxpayers, or by foreign entities in which U.S. taxpayers hold a substantial ownership interest. To properly comply with these new reporting requirements, a FFI will have to enter into a special agreement with the IRS during 2012. Under this agreement a “participating” FFI will be obligated to:
1) undertake certain identification and due diligence procedures with respect to its accountholders; 2) report annually to the IRS on its accountholders who are U.S. persons or foreign entities with substantial U.S. ownership; and 3) withhold and pay over to the IRS 30% of any payments of U.S. source of income, as well as gross proceeds from the sale of securities that generate U.S. source of income, made to:
(a) non-participating FFIs, (b) individual accountholders failing to provide sufficient information to determine whether or not they are a U.S. person, or (c) foreign entity accountholders failing to provide sufficient information about the identity of its substantial U.S. owners.
This part of the reporting requirements under FATCA is very counterproductive and will be very difficult to implement. As indicated in the memo below, the IRS hopes, with scare tactics, to dissuade U.S. taxpayers to maintain assets outside the USA and to force FFI’s to collaborate with disclosure or be penalized.
But the most penalized is the small dual citizen (European-American) who saw his bank account, securities account, mortgage etc. canceled and forced to find a new home for his money. The backlash will come. First, even expats who work in Europe have hard time to find a bank willing to work with them. Secondly, several private banks have announced that they will no longer deal with U.S. taxpayers and that they will liquidate within two years all U.S. assets held for investment. It is estimated by the Swiss Banking Association that more than two trillions of dollar of assets will be liquidated during the next two years.
As indicated before, this reporting requirement requested from FFI’s is not enforceable. No wonder that a few days ago the Treasury Department issued a joint statement with the governments of the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain on government information sharing agreements, which would preclude banks from having to sign up individually with the IRS. Other countries are expected to join the pact.
Any U.S. taxpayer who has an investment outside the USA has to deal with more complex rules of reporting requirements. This will certainly hold back many investors from investing abroad.

Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
You need some change for 100 pesos. “Tiene cambio de un billete de cien pesos?
(Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517

Coming Events…

What’s Playing…

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributors and media reports

THE BULLHORN VOICE that came crashing over the resort on a northerly wind

Sunday and Monday nights and keeping the many from slumber early into the morning hours emanated from the Poblado where a carnival was under way. Expressing sorrow for the Pobladans who had to work the next day, a high Colonos official quipped: “Not many of them showed up.”… KUDOS to Zeta Gas supplier for attaching warning notes to their bills to prevent potential shutoffs and all the problems they entail…NOTICED THIS YEAR – Since the Pelican Free Press publicly aired complaints about pump price manipulation by Pemex employees last season, there is a complete absence of complaints this year. Kudos to Pemex…A U.S. RECORD – Citizens of the U.S. spent $50.96 billion on their pets in 2011, a record. Bad times? What bad times? … FIRE SEASON of drought has been extended to June this year and minors will no longer be allowed to serve on jungle fire brigades …HIGH WINDS reportedly gusting go 80 mph in some areas quieted Akumal harbor and prevented usual snorkel-diving boats from leaving harbors last weekend, to the point that nearby Cozumel closed its harbor…RESTAURANTS are hoping for a spike in business during Easter season…DRIVE BY SHOOTING in Bacalar nearly hit a 16-year-old girl walking along a public street. Shooters were in a van…BEEFED UP POLICE PRESENCEin Cancun and highway between Campeche and Q. Roo to protect and monitor the Spring Break crowds…

Red rose END THIS POST

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Series on U.S. foreign asset reporting starts today

Published February 29, 2012 | By PaulG

WOW! CHARITY GOLF HITS $14,000 LONG BALL;
NEARS TWICE LAST YEAR’S TOTAL FOR HIGH SCHOOL;
GENEROSITY REAL WINNER OF TOURNAMENT:
DETAILS NEXT WEEK.

NEED A LIVING ROOM SET? Go to the “for sale” page
ANOTHER CONCERT ON THE WAY – See story below
TV, AUDIO, COMPUTER HELP- See Alan on Service Provider page
TALK ON PROPERTY , CAPITAL GAINS MAR. 17 – See story below

Taxing Times 1

Snowbirds, ex-pats may need to use new IRS form

(Ed. Note: This series is a combined effort by Mary and Bernie Strojny who first suggested it and Martin Wohnlich who researched government documents with the aid of a CPA and compiled it in association with the Pelican Free Press. Since tax rules are always open to change, this series should be considered only as a basic familiarization and introduction to new asset reporting rules that affect U.S. taxpayers with assets abroad).
“Every reader of the Pelican Free Press who has to file a U.S. tax return needs to become familiar with the new regulations,” notes U.S. businessman Martin Wohnlich. The regulations he refers to are embodied in a new act in effect with this filing period called the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) whose acronym is just one tiny “t” short of FATCAT.
And anyone thinking of ignoring the regulation should be informed that penalties for simply not reporting foreign assets covered by the new rules are heavy burden.
To begin: Why FATCA?

“There are over one million Americans living abroad. Also there are a big number of immigrants to the U.S. during the last decades who are either resident through a “green card” or became dual citizen,” Wohnlich notes.
“Until a few years ago, most had no clue about the reporting requirements as a U.S. citizen or resident. A turning point came when UBS (international bank) was charged with helping Americans evade the IRS.
“At that point, the IRS started a strong enforcement program and launched its first voluntary disclosure programs aimed at the tax evaders to come clean and disclose their unreported offshore accounts.”
Let’s begin with the good news. Real estate located in a foreign country is NOT considered a foreign financial asset but if owned through a trust, should be reported to be on the safe side.
Then what specifically is reportable? There are two types of foreign financial assets: 1) foreign financial accounts and 2) what the IRS calls “other foreign financial assets.”
A foreign financial account is any depository, custodial or securities account (bank account, savings account, mutual funds etc. maintained by a foreign financial institution, including institutions organized under the laws of a U.S. possession.

Other foreign financial assets include any of the following that are held for investment and not held in an account maintained by a financial institution: – Stock or securities issued by someone other than a U.S. person; – Any interest in a foreign entity, including foreign pension plans, trusts, estates, corporations, partnerships, options and other derivative instruments, debt instruments, interest rate and other swaps or similar agreements; – Any financial instrument or contract that has an issuer or counterparty that is other than a U.S. person.
If you are required to file Form 8938 but do not file a complete and correct form by the due date of your federal tax return, you may be subject to a penalty of $ 10,000. Continuing failure to file Form 8938 could result in additional penalties up to $ 50,000. Further, underpayments of tax attributable to non-disclosed foreign assets will be subject to an additional substantial understatement penalty of 40 percent.To be continued…

Speaker to outline Mexico property law, taxes

Anybody who owns property here may want to attend the next talk in PA’s informal series, this time featuring a notario publico, the lawyers who call the shots on housing law and processes.
Lic. David Martinez Zetina, Notaria Publica No. 34, from Playa de Carmen, will be at the Colonos Meeting Room at 10 a.m. Saturdy<March 17. The lectura is free and open to the public.
This program is part of a continuing series of informational meetings designed to help educate English speaking residents about the laws and customs of Mexico. Sr. Martinez will explain the services and duties provided by notario’s in Mexico and how they differ from those of other attorneys. Subjects to be covered at this meeting will include:
* What are the duties and responsibilities of a Notaria Publica?
* Can foreigner’s own property in Mexico?
* What restrictions do foreigners have when they own property in Mexico?
* For tax purposes, what determines the value of your property at the time of sale?
* What determines the amount you pay for capital gains at the time of sale?
* Is it true that proof of long time residency reduces the amount of capital gains tax that you pay?
* What other fees and taxes are involved with the purchase or sale of property in Mexico?
*Is there any difference in fees and taxes if a property purchase (or sale) is done using Pesos instead of U.S. Dollars?
Resident John Schandke will emcee the event.

Red Cross significantly different in Mexico

It is a core component
of health care system

Posted 02/21/12 by Juanito

Ask someone to describe the American or Canadian Red Cross and they would likely say something like… “They’re part of a worldwide organization that helps people in time of emergency.” While that is a true statement, it doesn’t even come close to describing the significance of the Red Cross in Mexico, where it is at the core of an entire country’s health system.
In addition to responding to disasters, Cruz Roja Mexicana (Mexican Red Cross) provides Emergency Medical Services, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to the entire nation. By Mexican law, it is the only organization, outside of big cities, authorized to render first aid to anyone injured in an auto accident or during the commission of a crime.
Today, both the Mexican Red Cross and the Mexican National Health Service, IMSS, maintain hospitals in all major cities. Larger cities also have Municipal Hospitals. However, the IMSS hospitals serve only those who can pay a fee or work for companies who provide health insurance.

Those who cannot afford the premiums, or are not covered by their employer, must rely on a Red Cross Clinic or Municipal Hospital to provide free care. By and large, emergency health care in big cities is good, but such is not the case in smaller towns and villages where people must rely on the Red Cross for health care. If their need is beyond what the Red Cross can provide, they are transported to a larger hospital that provides free service.
The “Cruz de Roja Mexicana” clinic closest to Puerto Aventuras is located on the corner of Benito Juarez and Avenue 25 North, in Playa del Carmen. From this location, visitor’s can receive emergency treatment, consult a doctor, have a tooth pulled, and have x-rays taken. Medicines are dispensed from a pharmacy housed within the same building. A sign posted on the wall lists suggested fees for a multitude of services. For example, it costs 70 pesos to consult a doctor… 50 pesos for a tooth extraction… and x-rays cost 450 pesos. These fees are considered donations and seldom cover the actual costs. Those without the ability to pay receive free care. These rates are at the opposite end of the cost spectrum from “Hospiten Riviera Maya”, although Hospiten reportedly offers significantly reduced rates to patients with proof of residency, corroboration of which will make another story.
Fortunately, Cruz Roja de Mexicana has a legion of hard working volunteer’s to keep it all working.
Damas de Cruz Roja (Ladies of the Red Cross), are mostly Mexican ladies whose job it is to promote the services provided by the Mexican Red Cross and work closely with the doctors and staff responsible for dispensing the care. These same ladies are also responsible for the massive fund raising efforts it takes to sustain the operation on a nationwide basis, not an easy task.
Youth Volunteers are the backbone of the operation. They provide a young and eager workforce and can easily be spotted when wearing one of the brightly colored T-Shirts denoting them as “Friends of the Red Cross”. It is these student volunteers that you often see standing in the middle of a busy intersection, holding a little white box, asking for your donation. Often, prizes are awarded to those who collect over a certain amount. I don’t know about you, but now that I understand the significance of the Red Cross in Mexico, I plan to be much more generous with my giving in the future.
I look at it this way… the ambulance from Cruz Roja Mexicana is often the first to respond to an accident… and the life they help save could be mine.

Another rhythmic concert coming March 10

Proceeds will help
library to expand

When it rains, it pours, goes the saying. After a two month drought of concerts, we have two practically in a row, the booming Salsa event we witnessed last Saturday night and the full Mariachi and Flamenco ensemble we will hop and jump to beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday,March 10, at the Cultural Center on Bahia Akumal.

That event is for the benefit of PA’s all-volunteer library at the Colegio Puerto Aventuras that has more than 11,000 books in Spanish and English – from academic texts to dime novel thrillers and captivating classics – and still growing to the point that more space is needed. Proceeds of the concert will help enable the library to expand space and add bookshelves.
Mexico Canta! ¡Espana Baila! (Mexico Sings, Spain Dances) is a blend of Mariachi music and Spanish Flamenco dance. Tickets are 60 pesos and available at the Colonos Office, Colegio Puerto Aventuras, Bamboo and Cafe Olé!, as well as from the volunteer librarians.
PA snowbirds and residents who use the library – for a mere $10 lifetime membership – could help by talking up the concert, buying a ticket or two, and showing up for a good time.
Last Saturday’s event featuring a 9-piece Salsa attack upon the ears infused so many in the audience with dance fever that the musicians and dancers just about melded into one flexuous body on the “stage,” morphing a “concert” into a “block party” of undulating, perspiring music lovers shaking the blahs from their being.
But while many dancers gyrated until the last note, the decibel level of the music was too much for others who, unusual for these concerts, began trickling out of the audience during the break at 8 p.m., some complaining that the underlying boom of the electric bass was hurting their ears. It wasn’t the musicians. It was the sound system. Others said they simply didn’t have the heart for two hours of salsa. Like the salsa that passes our taste buds, the salsa that mobs our ears or moves on without a few tempo changes is not for everybody, particularly non-dancers, and perhaps promoters should take note to monitor such things while concerts are in progress.
However, the enthusiasm of the dancers prompted by the beat of salsa outweighed the mild criticism of the event and once again underscored the truism that you can’t please everybody all the time. Onward and forward to the next concert!.

(For those of you who have not yet visited, the library has the largest bilingual collection in the Riviera Maya with over 11,000 books in English and Spanish. All residents and visitors are welcome. Lifetime memberships cost just $100 pesos or $10 dollars. Stop by Monday through Friday from 2:30pm to 4:30pm and join up.)

Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
Another accident and another plea to drive carefull, or as they say in Spanish “Por favor, maneja con cuidado.”
(Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517)

Coming events…

Akumal- Something funny going on here! It’s the first annual Akumal Comedy Festival April 19-21 with more than a dozen comedians on hand. And it’s FREE…No joke!

What’s Playing…

See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
http://cinemex.com/cartelera/cartelera_cine.php?cvecine=115

http://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215

Park Committee Classes: Drop by to sign up

Cooking:10 a.m. Mondays at Latitude 20 Restaurant
Fitness at the Park: 8:15 A.M.: Tai Chi Tuesdays, Yoga Wednesdays and Fridays
Art: 9 to noon Wednesdays and Sculpture on Thursdays
French: 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursdays
Kids’ Club: Art 10-11 a.m. Saturdays; French, 4-5 p.m. Mondays; Story hour 3 p.m. Fridays

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributors and media reports

COCAINE DISCOVERY – A young jogger along Playa del Carmen’s beach found a white package containing 36 individual 1-kilo packs of cocaine and called authorities who said it is

the second time in recent months that packages of the drug have washed ashore…FISH TALE – Claudia Jensen of Canada was lounging at the Chac Hal Al pool the other day when a fish was dropped by a bird and slammed down right next to her chair as someone shouted warnings to her. Her unsuspecting husband, Ken, sliced open his thumb when he picked up the fish to dispose of it. It was a smiling surgeonfish (blue tang) so-called because of its razor-sharp spine called a “scalpel.”…ANOTHER ACCIDENT, this time on the northbound leg of the service or access road adjacent to 307, just outside the main gate. A pickup truck and car collided and went off into the brush near the fence. Thankfully nobody was walking there to Chedraui’s. We said it last week and we say it again this week. We love you. Please drive carefully…WHILE AVENTURANS wonder what’s to become of the serious erosion of the Omni-area beach, the Federal Electricity Commission says it is ready to pour millions of dollars into sand reclamation at Cancun and Playa del Carmen beaches to restore the Riviera Maya’s main tourist attraction…IF YOU’RE TRAVELING to the Chetumal area , be forewarned that health officials are warning that swimming in the Rio Hondo cold cause sickness because of pollutants from Guatemala, Belize, Campeche and local territory…SPRING BREAK helping load the hotels as a restaurant group pleads for safer roadways for the coming Easter Holiday expectation that could reach overcrowding…

END THIS POST Sleeping half-moon

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DOG MAULS TWO FRIENDS OF OWNERS

Published February 22, 2012 | By PaulG

BIG REMINDERS:

Salsa Concert, 7-9 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 25), Cultural Center, tickets at door, $60 pesos, soda, beer, wine, end of Bahia Akumal. Come and enjoy! Bring cushions and friends!

Charity golf, public auction: Wednesday (Feb. 29) Golf at 9 a.m., public auction, many items, 2 p.m. at golf course. See story below

Victims allege owners were irresponsible

Posted 2/18/12 by Pelican Paulie
They were her “friends,” so when Puerto Aventuran Pat Parkinson Pittman made a gift for their new baby and tried to deliver it, she was mercilessly mauled by one of the couple’s dogs.
That incident occurred last Dec. 16. Though badly bitten and bruised about the chest and back, which were turning black, Mrs. Pittman’s respect for friends Andrew and Christy Schisler, the dog’s owners, was such that she refrained from going to a doctor “because by law he would have to report it and I didn’t want to cause them any trouble.”
It was a decision she now regrets.

Less than two months later, on Feb. 8, Liliana Viola, chairwoman of the Colonos Park Committee, also went to see the Schislers on park committee business, and was herself mauled by the same dog and badly bitten about an arm, a thigh and back.
How could this happen twice? It did, and the municipal government has ordered the animal officer to come for the dog, said Mrs. Viola..
The Schislers rent an apartment through Fanny Rentals. It is exactly a floor above the Colonos business office in Centro Comercial where many tourists pass each year. An iron gate to a staircase leading to the Schisler apartment is on the Colonos landing, quite some distance from the door to the apartment above.
Both women report that the gate to the staircase was open and/or unlocked when they went to visit, that there was no sign warning that an attack dog was on the premises, and no bell, buzzer or other signaling device to let the Schislers know there was someone waiting to see them. Both women, unfamiliar with the apartment layout, said they first called out and when not receiving an answer, began to ascend the stairs while still calling out, to find the unit door.
“There’s a second landing,” said Mrs. Pittman, “and when I turned the corner to go up the second flight of stairs, two dogs came at me. One was a Labrador retriever, wagging his tail, but the other dog immediately attacked me.” In trying to escape, Mrs. Pittman also fell on one knee, but in absolute fright managed to reach the Colonos landing and slam the gate shut.

Events were about the same for Mrs. viola who had managed to reach near the top landing and the apartment door, which was open, when the dogs came out. She was petting one of the dogs when the other rushed “…like a lion coming at you” and began biting her on the thigh and back. “I raised my arm to try to push the dog away,”- she raised her arm to show the fang marks – “but he bit me there also, nearly hitting a tendon, the doctor later told me.”
Viola said the attack was “totally uncalled for. I did nothing threatening.” As she tried to get away from the dog and shouting for help, a woman appeared on a balcony and said she couldn’t do anything because she was taking care of a baby in the unit. She did try to tell the dog to stop,” Mrs. viola said. It was later learned the Schislers were not present and the infant’s grandmother was babysitting.
“The apartment door was open, so I ran in and attempted to close the door to get away from the dog, but a door-stop was in the way. Then the dog charged into the apartment and I pushed the doorstop away and closed the door with the dog inside and me outside,” Mrs. viola said.

Mrs. Viola, the mother of a 4-year-old, said she would have had her daughter with her had not the time a class she was taking been changed. “The dog surely would have bitten her in the face,” Viola said, shuddering at the thought. “She is about the same height as where I was bitten on the thigh.”
After seeing a doctor, being treated for the wounds and given a tetanus shot, Mrs. Viola learned of Mrs. Pittman’s ordeal and called her. “I did not at first go to the Colonos office to file a complaint because the Colonos cannot do anything, although the general manager was very helpful later as intermediary. I did some research of Georgia (U.S.) law, which is where the Schislers are from,” said Mrs. Viola, “and found that for a first biting incident, a warning is issued, giving owners the benefit of doubt. But a second incident, the law declares the owner liable, responsible and the dog is put down.” She said the state of Quintana Roo has a similar law.
Conversations, or lack thereof, between the women and the couple only made things worse, the bite victims said. Viola said Mrs. Schisler referred to her wounds as “only scratches” and wanted to “negotiate” the invoice of roughly $100 Mrs. Viola sent the couple for damage to a blouse and medical fees. “What’s to negotiate?” Mrs. viola asked rhetorically. “That’ what it cost.” Mrs.Pittman said that since she was bitten, the Schislers haven’t contacted her to ask how she was or “even thank me for the gift.”

Both women branded as “irresponsible” the Schislers’ failure to take any actions at all after the first bite to lock the gate, post signage or make certain visitors are safe from the dog. But even at that, some locals fault both victims for trespassing on private property, a view perhaps based on cultural differences?
Both Pittman and Viola went to report the incident to municipal authorities. “People should know how to do that,” Viola said, even though it takes the better part of a day.
“You go to the end of Arco Vial (the road that takes you past Soriana to Las Americas Mall, then back out to 307) and you see three new buildings. One is the courthouse. A building in front of that houses the office of Proteccion Civil (civilian protection office). You file a declaration of what happened, give them a photo I.D. of yourself and the dog owner’s name and address. Then they take photos of the dog bites and automatically send them to the animal officer with an order to take the dog. They copy everything for you to take to the Municipal Palace (City Hall) in Playa del Carmen,” Mrs. Viola said, but she wasn’t sure why. (As of this writing, it is nor known if the municipal authority has come for the dog.)
Last year, a child was bitten by a trained attack dog on the golf course. These cases beg the question of why, in one of the safest, protected communities in Mexico, people need attack dogs…and why, perhaps, so many pet owners refuse to voluntarily abide by the Colonos request for keeping dogs on leashes in public places and on public ways as a considerate precaution.

The Business Beat…

Banking sense a friend in changing times

Posted 2/22/12 by Pelican Paulie
The curses of money laundering and abuses of off-shore banking is spawning fresh international reporting regulations in concert with the way technology is changing the industry. Having an idea of “what’s happening” in banking is a plus for everybody’s checking account.

With that in mind, area BBVA Bancomer managers gave another of their informative Banking 101 presentations at the Colonos meeting room on Tuesday, heralding technological improvements with new gadgetry for secure online access to accounts and an update of the bank’s expanding products.
Meanwhile, several PA snowbirds in concert with the Pelican Free Press, are alerting U.S. residents here of changing and complex IRS reporting requirements affecting every U.S. citizen who files income tax. The Pelican will begin a series on those reporting changes next week to keep area snowbirds attuned to mandates that, if ignored, carry considerable penalties.
Consequently, Sandra J. Alvarez Escarcega and Luys Fernandez, senior segment managers, and Lic. Alma Dhelia Cordova Vazquez of Bancomer’s Preferred Customer Unit (PCU) in Playa del Carmen, which is tailored to meet the needs of snowbirds, ex-pats and visitors, presented the rudimentary details of the bank’s “three pillars” of its PCU offerings, Mexican Trust (Fideicomiso), mortgages in pesos and general banking, which includes investments and insurance.
They answered in the affirmative the often asked question of whether a foreign citizen with only a tourist visa (180 days) can open a bank account. All they need to bring is a passport, visa and utility bill. They described the PCU’s general benefits of English-speaking one-on-one assistance, speed lane, wire transfers, deposits in cash and checks, free online banking and same-as-cash debit cards.
Online banking services include transfers between accounts, to third parties, to other banks and popular “pay services” to handle utility bills, a truly handy way for snowbirds to take care of business while away.
There were a number of questions following the meeting from people with particular circumstances who needed one-on-one assistance that is always available at Bancomer offices, online and by phone.

Public invited to 2 p.m. charity golf auction

Thirty six golfers are expected to take to the PA links Wednesday, Feb. 29, to raise funds for the developing high school in the Poblado while the 2 p.m. auctionnear the clubhouse and a general raffle welcome public participation this year.

The auction – silent and live - is loaded with about 40 contributed gifts from local businesses and individuals to include fishing trips, dinners, breakfasts, clothing, airport transfers, gym membership, sunset cruises, dolphin swim, gift baskets, Maxfli laser range-finder and more.
The major raffle item , Nintendo’s powerful Wii game console is sure to please kids young and old and is joined by clothing items and more. Volunteers this year also went throughout the community with raffle tickets in hopes of being able to support the school development, such as completing the septic system for indoor plumbing, landscaping and other future construction to help meet the expanding needs of the community.
The auction is a fun way for residents here to participate in this worthwhile endeavor. Of the many items, about a dozen will be held for the live auction while the remainder will be for the “silent” auction which can be viewed and bid upon from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the clubouse area. A street sign will be posted.

The volunteer committee has dedicated proceeds to continuing to develop the Poblado high school in association with Anat Kah, this area’s answer to the United Fund that paid for the school construction from local donations, including proceeds from last year’s first-annual golf event and auction.
The two-room schoolhouse is currently being used for teaching with temporary electrical connections to the schoolhouse and three older trailers that also provide classroom space for the time being.
Golfers can still check in to reserve a spot by calling Tourney Chairmen Jim and Jeanette Jamieson at 984-873-5336 or ( c ) 617-733-3174 or Bob and Glenna Uecker at 984-873-5195 or visit them at Capt. Rick’s Sportfishing Center in Centro Comercial.

Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
You’re on your way to the Chedruai in your car and you see a Mexican neighbor walking in that direction. You can ask if they want a ride thus: “Quieres un aventon al super mercado?
(Ms. Contreras teaches Spanish classes from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos. Please call her first to make arrangements at 984-108-3517

COMING EVENTS…

In Akumal – Feb.26, 5 p.m.,Academy Awards Night at Lol Ha Snack Bar, $100 pesos to benefit the Akumal Entrance Beautification Project; prizes, best dressed, raffle.

At Mayakoba PGA Golf Feb. 22-26 – Tickets available in Puerto Aventuras from Anne Silver, 802-8331. Proceeds of sales go to Equinotherapia, a local charity with local PA volunteers that helps brain damaged children by interacting with and riding horses.

In Puerto Aventuras – Moon’s birthday lunch, 1 p.m., Feb. 24 Latitude 20, call ( c ) 984-876-6784 or 984-873-5601.

What’s Playing…

See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
http://cinemex.com/cartelera/cartelera_cine.php?cvecine=115

http://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215

Letters…

Library needs a computer

Dear Editor:
The main library computer where the master database of books is stored is coming up on ten years old, and is very slow. The monitor and keyboard are still good, but the library really needs a newer CPU or a back-up computer. If anyone is upgrading and has a spare CPU or older complete computer that they would be willing to donate to the library, the volunteer librarians and library users would be very grateful.
Thank you.
Elisabeth (Betsy) Amy-Vogt
betsyamy@gmail.com

PARK COMMITTEE CLASSES: Drop by to sign up

Cooking:10 a.m. Mondays at Latitude 20 Restaurant
Fitness at the Park: 8:15 A.M.: Tai Chi Tuesdays, Yoga Wednesdays and Fridays
Art: 9 to noon Wednesdays and Sculpture on Thursdays
French: 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursdays
Kids’ Club: Art 10-11 a.m. Saturdays; French, 4-5 p.m. Mondays; Story hour 3 p.m. Fridays

Briefly Noted…

Compiled from staff, contributor and media reports

SOME 10 VOLUNTEERS from Puerto Aventuras and some from Akumal helped with translation during a one-day clinic in the Poblado on Tuesday where 15 doctors and dentists from Germany and elsewhere treated nearly 400 people. The Pelican Free Press was there and obliged a request by a coordinator to refrain from taking photos or excessive publicity of the event…

TEACHER WANTED for Montessori school in Akumal must haveMexican certification in elementary education (SEP cedula profesional). Pay is $9,000 Pesos a month plus living

accommodations in Akumal. More info at 984-130-0920 and annie65@aol.com … DRIVING REMINDER – A small stake-body truck crashed into the woods just off the northbound lane of 307 on the access road to the Pueblo last Thursday. Injuries appeared to be serious. Several ambulances were nearby as truck passengers were being carefully removed from the cab by emergency personnel. We love you. Please drive carefully…QUINTANA ROO reportedly ranks first in teenage pregnancies, logging 4,397 cases in 2011, of girls between 15 and 19 and 265 cases of girls under 15. Some 35 percent of the 295,000 survey respondents are not familiar with contraception options…Q. ROOis among 7 states whose debt increased

dramatically over the last few years by some 42 percent average…MEANWHILE, the state is becoming a leader in the production of sugar cane with 190,000 tons predicted for this year’s harvest…AKUMAL BEACH BODY – Visitors to Akumal last week from PA reported a man’s body was left on the beach for several hours awaiting official investigators. The man apparently died of natural causes…TULUM RESIDENTS are protesting the inaction of 10-month-old government leadership that promised much in infrastructure improvements but has delivered little so far…44 INMATES believed to be in rival narco gangs were killed n a prison riot Sunday at Apodaca Prison in Monterrey…STATE BUSINESSMEN are urging a federal study by experts of the cost of electricity in Q.Roo, where is is among the highest tariffs in the country…WATER SPORT SERVICES such as fishing, diving, etc., hit 80 percent of capacity around Playa del Carmen this past weekend, good news that is expected to continue through the college break season……SOME BUSINESSES ARE QUESTIONING the national disparity of a tax charged visitors arriving by air and the disbursal of the income since only five states contribute to the tax, our state, Quintana Roo, the most at 46 percent of the estimated annual 5 billion MxN take…SOME 28,000 PEOPLE attended the just-ended, 5-day Cancun Carnival that ended with headliner Alicia Keys…