Happy Boaters Without Surada Or Norte Winds, PRI Choosing Between Fidel & Agapito, Successful Security For Uneventful Holiday, Crime Committee Formed, Pleased By Return Of Vehicle Ferry, Beautiful Day For a Pink Hat In Isla Mujeres News Saturday, April 6 Today's Articles: The Final Edition

..This is the live webcam at North Beach / Playa Norte








.

 





Pleased With Return Of Larger Vehicular Ferry
Users were pleased to see the return of the larger vehicle ferry "Isla Blanca" after it was gone for 56 days receiving maintenance, although it's absence had been predicted to last 30-35 days. Maintenance included general work, calibration of the motors and all the equipment, tuning of the power train, painting, and other work. Service by the smaller ferry "Sergio Aguilar Grace" was repeatedly affected by weather, which did not allow the vessel to dock safely, causing disappointment and economic losses. It also had engine problems, and a smaller capacity. The "Isla Blanca" returned Friday morning at 7:40 am. Source: Diario Q Roo/Manuel Valdez  


Forming Crime Prevention Committee
The Municipal Committee for Prevention of Human Trafficking Crimes announced the members, who will be led by the Mayor Hugo Sanchez Montalvo, and include the general secretary, Faustino Uicab Alcocer, and the president of the municipal DIF, Eunice Sanchez Montalvo. They will coordinate with the chief of police Joaquin Poot Acosta and the Director of Social and Economic Development, Irma Moguel Larriva, as well as the director of tourism, Jahil Hoth Perez, the director of the Woman's Institute, Teresa Gomez Officer, and City Council member, Rayito de Luz Rendon Chargoy, who will also serve on the board. Source: Diairo Q Roo/ Manuel Valdez     This committee was formed as part of a national requirement. While  human trafficking crimes have not been reported on the island, it is a problem within the state, and this committee anticipates they will be focused on the Continental area of Isla Mujeres. 


Winds Restricted Navigation By Small Boats
April 5...Less than 24 hours after the port had been partially reopened to boats under 40 feet, navigation was again restricted due to winds from the north with swells. On Thursday morning, tour operators had been allowed to work within the lagoon area and the reef near the Farito. Yesterday winds tacked to the north at 40 kph with gusts up to 55 kph, and all those activities were restricted as well. Thursday there were strong winds from the south-southeast (a Surada), while Friday the winds were from the north (a Norte). Weather is expected to be calm and sunny on Saturday. (It is.) Source: Diario Q Roo/Manuel Valdez 


List Of Potential Mayoral Candidates Lengthens
Agapito Sanchez Magaña abdicated its responsibility of governmental undersecretary of Quintana Roo   to seek the nomination of his party, the PRI, for the municipal presidency of Isla Mujeres (mayor), during a press conference at a popular waterfront restaurant. He mentioned his priority will focus on the housing development project on the mainland. His cousin, Alicia Ricalde Magana is seeking the mayoral office for the PAN-PRD party again. She is a former Mayor, and he has sought the position eight times. The town historian, Fidel Villanueva Madrid, has resigned his position as historian to seek candidacy for mayor. He is a former mayor of Isla Mujeres. Edwin Magana Castro has said on his Facebook page that there is a break withing the PRD party. There is an unconfirmed mention about possible inclusion of a member of the business community as a potential mayoral candidate. Source: Quintanarooense/Ovidio Lopez

Uneventful Holiday Period
On the eve of the conclusion of the two weeks of the Easter holiday season, there has been a "Saldo Blanco" or lack of significant problems. The chief of police, Joaquin Poot Acosta said there have been about 50 arrests, mostly for administrative offenses, with just over 25 of these turned over to the Public Ministry (prosecutor). This includes arrest on the mainland and on the island. During this security operation the patrols were well received and responded promptly to any need of the tourists and locals who visited the beaches. Efforts were also made to educate the populace about the need to correctly use helmets on motorcycles and to transport only one person in addition to the driver. Quintanarroense/Olvidio Lopez  

Brisk Golf Cart Rental Until Holiday Ends
Some businesses who rent scooters and golf carts reported they reached 100%, while other reported they were operating at 80 to 90 percent. During a tour of the major rental agencies at noon, the reporter noted some of these businesses had no carts available to rent. All agreed this was a good holiday season. Demand increases during this holiday period, and is expected to drop off again next week. Source: Diario Respuesta/ Jesus Molina 

Party Politics
Por Esto is conjecturing about the Ricalde-Magana family and PRD party politics, particularly as they relate to the PAN-PRD alliance; while the PRD party leader in Isla Mujeres Carlos Pech Casillas, declined to comment,  saying,  "Over the coming weeks the Municipal Executive Committee will make a joint statement, but until this is specified, the leaders prefer not to say anything."

This blog is brought to you by....
MaraVilla Caribe   Bed & Beach    Three rentals with large glass doors overlooking our white sand beach and the beautiful Caribbean sea, with  kitchenettes & free WIFI. In the coastal neighborhood of  Bachilleres, among upscale villas & boutique hotelitos, convenient to downtown or the colonias, yet separate.  Quiet & Private.   
Free amenities such as hammocks, bikes, outdoor shower, portable beach chairs & beach towels, washer, loungers & BBQ. Breathtaking panoramic views from the rooftop terrace. Upstairs room also available.   Downtown is  ~ a mile away; if you don't feel like walking or biking, flag a $2 taxi or hop on the bus. We also have room for parking,You can enjoy the music & crowds downtown, then come home our quiet neighborhood of Bachilleres where you'll  sleep to the sounds of the sea..  $275/$325/$425 wk   $40/50/$65nt  Monthly Discounts

View from rooms

Small room

Large room

Fine dining a few steps away at Da Luisa or try the traditional neighborhood eateries a couple blocks farther. Stroll five minutes down the coastal sidewalk to Mango Cafe or Monchi's,shop at Chedraui or visit restaurants, bars, & beach clubs; minutes away by bike or on foot. Our guests recommend the Yoga classes a couple villas away at hotelito Casa Ixchel. Fresh juice, produce & tortillas a few blocks away in the village, as well as a pharmacy and variety of other stores and small local restaurants

Sunrise this morning from MVC B&B
And ~moonrise in this first one...

You can sorta see this flock in the photo above

 opps.Sorry about the finger portrait.....I was staring into the sun and couldn't see the screen...

 On the internet in the past 24 hours...

Kathryn Finn-Blume   Earliest sunrise of the year. 5:35. Tomorrow we start Daylight Savings Time.

Marla & Javier got engaged...an underwater proposal.

Droppin Some NYC Deli is closing, according to their Facebook page. 

Tony Garcia  Good morning,, nice day,,very calm not windy,,good day weekend..

Isla Mujeres Artist Fair  Womans Bead Co-op

Isla Mujeres Artist Fair ·

• Thank you for making the April 4th Artist Fair such a great event. We received lots of feedback from attendees who really enjoyed the variety of art & food. We so appreciate all of you participating, attending & helping with the set up & the break down.
  
  If you are an artist, don’t be discouraged if you are not selling lots of art. One of the reasons for having this Artist Fair is to share with people all forms of creativity & art. We really want people to be exposed to all mediums. You never know the difference you may make in an aspiring artist. They may see you & your work & realize they too can follow their dream. This was only the second Artist Fair in the square & already we have increased our participants by more than 5 times what we used to have at Barlito’s Artist Series. And the local Mexican participation is growing significantly which is the ultimate goal.
  
  The Director of Tourism & the Tourism Office is going to help us recruit more local members of our community. Please in your encounters with your neighbors, family, friends & employees let them know if they have someone who is an artist, a musician, a seamstress, a painter or a wonderful cook, have them contact us by email, come by Barlito or contact Jahil Eyder Hoth at the Tourism Office. This is an Artist Fair to celebrate our culture & the beauty that inspires so many people.
  
  We have a flyer that promotes the Artist Fair. It is in English & in Spanish, our goal is to have this promotional flyer in every rental home, in every hotel guest book, on every church bulletin board, in the local taquerias, all throughout the Island. We can email the file to you to print out or you may contact us to pick up some printed copies. Our goal is to have this event become an Isla destination. We want people who live in Cancun to plan an evening on Isla around the Artist Fair. We want tourists to plan their vacations around the Artist Fair. We want our local community to look forward to the Artist Fair & bring their families into Centro to celebrate our culture & learn about art. We want the Artist Fair to represent Isla with the participants, the art, the food, the families, the community & the love & beauty that surrounds us on Isla.
  
  There will be some changes with the next artist fair. We will no longer set up a table chart. The thought behind that was to spread out people with similar art & food. To create a happier environment for everyone, it will be first come first serve. Artists will show up, check into the registration table & take their confirmed paid table(s) to the location they most desire. It is really important everyone arrives before the Artist Fair is scheduled to start. It really disrupts the flow of traffic when people arrive after 4pm. We spend a lot of time & effort (all voluntary) to promote the Artist Fair to people on the Island & in Cancun. It is crucial to respect the hours of 4 to 7pm. During this time, we get the most traffic in Centro. People heading home from the beach &/or heading out for dinner. If we catch people on their way home from the beach, they could get cleaned up & come back for the Fair with money & the mindset to buy. Please do not start breaking down until 7pm. Each artist will be expected to bring their table & chair(s) back to the beverage tent & to take apart their table. We must have everyone’s help with this. As you know we do not have any paid employees running this event, it is all voluntary. We all need to help out to make it a success.
  
  The time change occurs next weekend so daylight will be in our favor. This will not always be the case. Take this into consideration. If you are an artist or food vendor, you may want to bring battery operated lanterns or lights. If the sun is a factor with your art, you may want to consider bringing an umbrella. The Artist Fair is in the Square & held from 4 to 7pm this will not change. If you are not comfortable or are unhappy with the location, the time, the guidelines then the Artist Fair may not be the venue for you to participate in.
  
  We do have restrictions & guidelines & appreciate everyone supporting them. We take the time to submit the paperwork with payments & pick up the permits. It is a formality that is necessary to host this event in the public square. Requesting people’s documentation & payment a couple weeks prior to the scheduled event, allows us to prepare the paperwork & submit it to two different offices in the Municipal.
  
  We do apologize for being strict when it comes to our guidelines. We cannot allow people to show up to the event & set up a table without a pre-approved permit in our possession. We must have the number of tables paid for on the permit. So please take into consideration the size of the table when you sign up & pay for the next Artist Fair. Two tables are only $100 pesos for locals. We cannot have fire (charcoal grills or propane) at the event. Food vendors may want a friend or a family member to bring a second batch of prepared homemade goodies at 5:30pm. We know is it hard to estimate the amount of food to bring but do try to have enough for three hours.
  
  The next Artist Fair is Thursday, May 2nd. Please submit your payment &/or documentation by Saturday, April 20th by 4pm at Barlito. And thank you again to all those that have participated, volunteered & attended. The Artist Fair will continue to grow & benefit our community with your support.

Fenix Lounge  Dj Mandrak is back! Saturday night 10pm-2am with Music for Party Animals! Live Fire Performances throughout the evening. Come and Dance till it Hurts!

Marcopolo Viajes's photo.

 ******AGARRATE CATALINA ********EL 3 DE MAYO EN EL POCNA DE ISLA ...MUJERES, ALTA MURGA URUGUAYA $ 200 pesos 

Tony Garcia 

Kathy Ennis If you are here for a few days, weeks, or months and want a great way to start your Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, come to Tranquila Gentle Yoga at Marina Paraiso taught by Katie Cain. There is no stress to do poses or exert yourself beyond your capabilities. Katie gives suggestions for each of our individual levels of competence. For those more advanced, she shows how to "get more" out of each exercise while making those of us not so advanced feel quite comfortable. It gives us time to clear our minds while improving our bodies. The setting is lovely with a view of the marina and the restaurant serves a nice breakfast. It's calming, quieting, relaxing, and rejuvenating for both body and soul. Join us from 9am - 10:10. You will be glad you did!!!!

Ayuntamiento De Isla Mujeres They inaugurated the domes yesterday at 6p and 7:30 p at PARQUE DE LA METEOROLÓGICA and  LA CANCHA DE LA COL. LA GLORIA. 

 HERE (SIPSE/Ana Hernadez) is a link to an article in Spanish about a proposal before the national Congress for a constitutional amendment that would remove the requirement for trusts and intermediaries for the purchase of property  near borders and within 50 km of coasts by foreigners. Congressman Raul Paz Alonzo quoted "Living" magazine's report that Mexico is the third best destination for retirees. The US Census Bureau reports there are 43 million people over 65, and by 2030 this segment of the population is expected to rise to 76 million. The National Association of Real Estate says these people are more active in the second home market, and are owners of 57% of vacation homes or time shares, and 58% of properties for rent, with Mexico considered as a premier destination for purchasing a second vacation property. This Constitutional initiative was put forth yesterday in response to Mexican entrepreneurs and real estate developers, as well as the many foreign residents who have come to make the Yucatan, and other states, their second home. Their stays in Mexico generate about 9% of the Gross National Product, and more than 9.5 million jobs. It is the political consensus that this legislation would benefit investment and real estate development. (The article I read in print said the properties must be residential, and not for commercial use. But then I believe most foreigners who have properties for commercial use have formed a Mexican corporation for ownership, rather than a fideo comiso bank trust.)

These photos are not in order...the less busy ones were taken earlier than the others. By Bruce of Artist Show on the Square on Thursday

 "Time Lapse" of Playa Norte Webcam:  LINK  

  Playa Norte now in real time in Isla Mujeres   

  The Early Edition with the newspaper photographs and headlines is usually published around sunrise.
This Final Edition with the translated articles, plus original photos including the sunrise and the "Around the Internet in the Past 24 Hours" section usually publishes around noon.
Both blogs always have links to the original articles.
 Usually if an article is "missing",  it may have been published in another paper recently, and translated.in a previous post.
.