Move to Playa del Carmen Mexico

Price of Consular Services Going Up

Editor — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:20:03 +0000

PROPOSAL TO CHANGE FEES

On February 9, 2010, the Department of State proposed fee increases for American Citizen Services. The fee increase is currently in a “period for public comment” and would take effect later this year.

In particular, passport services fees will increase as follows:

Passport Renewal for adults– $75 to $110.

First-time Passport Application or Replacement of Lost/Stolen Passport from $100 to $135.

Passport for Minors: from $85 to $105

Report of Birth Abroad $65 to $100

Also, an $82 fee is proposed for adding passport pages.

You can find the complete list of proposed new fees at our website: http://merida.usconsulate.gov. (use specific site where it is located). You will be able to follow a link on that site to comment up to March 10, 2010.

You may renew your passport at any time by making an appointment with the Consulate at http://merida.usconsulate.gov/merida/passports.html.

There is a Consular Agent Office in Playa del Carmen that is an extension of the Consulate in Merida. It’s located on block south of Juarez on Calle 1 Sur between Ave 15 and 20 as I recall. There is also a Consular Agent in Cozumel.

Consular Agent in Playa del Carmen

“The Palapa”

Calle 1 Sur, entre Avenida 15 y Avenida 20
77710 Playa del Carmen, Q. Roo

Mon, Wed, Fri: 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Tels: [52] (984) 873-0303
Fax: [52] (984) 873-0481
Emergency Cellphone: [52] (984) 807-8355

E-mail: playausca@hotmail.com

Consular Agent: Samantha Mason

In Memory of Captain Dave – RIP

Editor — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:11:23 +0000

JJ and the Nasty Bastards paying tribute to the beloved Captain Dave. Captain Dave passed on January 21, 2010. Captain Dave owned Bad Boys Beach Bar in Playa del Carmen. Bad Boys is a favorite for expats, locals, and tourists in Playa del Carmen. Rest in Peace Dave.

The bar is still open…more news when it happens.

Se Renta – For Rent – One Bedroom & Studio Apts

Editor — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:29:03 +0000

Long Term and Short Term Playa del Carmen Apartment Rentals

One bedroom and studio apartments in Playa del Carmen, Mexico for rent three blocks from the beach. The apartments are located on Calle 44 btw 10 Ave & 15 Ave. All utilities and cable TV and Wireless Internet are included. You can also access the rooftop terrace and lounge with sea views of the Carribean.

Available short term for $30.00 USD per day, $500.00 per week, or rent by the month for $850.00USD.

Contact: Melissa Meno at 984 745 02 74 English/Espanol
Email: croccondos@gmail.com

Long Term Rental – Great Location Great Value – $1200

Editor — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:51:05 +0000

Rinconada del Sol #114 is located on the corner of Ave 20 and Calle 14 in Centro Playa del Carmen, only a short walk to the beach, 5th Ave, and shopping at Mega and Walmart. The 2 bedroom 2 bath condominium apartment is nicely decorated and fully equipped. You simply need to move in and make yourself at home. Amenities include a garden view from the living area and balcony, steel hurricane shutters, a swimming pool, 24 hour security, assigned secure underground parking, an elevator and a full time maintenance staff.

Property management is provided by Vimex Condos who have a friendly bilingual staff ready to assist you. Please contact them through their website for more information.

Cool Decorator Shop Ave 35 y Calle 6 Bis

Editor — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:05:44 +0000

I was walking back from the Telmex office the other day came across a cool decorator shop located on Avenue 35 and Calle 6 Bis. It’s much easier to find that what you might think. If you walk out the front of Walmart, cross 30th Ave and walk one block west to 35th Ave. Turn left and you’ll find La Casa del Sol just a block south on the left.

This off the beaten tourist path location translates into lower prices and a variety of Mexican art and deco items that’s distinctively different from what you will find on 5th Ave. You can visit their blog here.

Why We Don’t Own a Car in Mexico

Editor — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:39:24 +0000

When we moved here, I was determined that that we would not need nor own a car. My hubby was not so sure. He has always loved cars since he was a teenager, and this would be the first time in his life that he would not own one. We discussed the pros and cons. The pros before we moved were that we would not have the expense of buying a car, we wouldn’t have to buy gas or insurance or worry about repairs. The cons were that we didn’t know how far we would live from a grocery store or other stores and getting around when it rained (which during the rainy season can be at least a little while every day). I convinced him to try it, and if it didn’t work we could always buy a car in Playa del Carmen.

Now we are both very glad that we made the decision not to own one, and we found there are new reasons not to. One is that public transportation is very affordable and is nominal in comparison to the cost of owning a car. We live close to two large grocery stores, Mega and WalMart, and if we buy more than we can carry home on foot, we can get a taxi. We also travel by taxi to Sam’s Club, the mall and anywhere else that we think is too far to walk. Easy! If we want to go to Tulum or other places for the day, we get a colectivo (a van that carries 12 to 15 people) or ride on one of the very nice, air conditioned buses for a small fee. Another reason is that people drive a little crazy here, and it’s probably much safer to leave the driving to people who are very experienced in dealing with it.

Today, I learned another reason for not owning a car. The following link on the In The Roo public forum was posted by a friend of ours regarding a scam situation involving him and some local taxi drivers.

http://intheroo.com/playa-del-carmen-forums/playa-del-carmen/1146-beware-latest-taxi-scam.html

If you are not familiar with the In The Roo web site (http://intheroo.com/), it’s a great place to visit for information about Playa del Carmen. They even have an interactive map of the area.

How to Eat a Mango

Editor — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:40:01 +0000

I love the all the wonderful fruits and vegetables of Mexico. The plantains, the papaya, the plentiful and cheap avacados, the chayote squash. It’s very similar to summer squash in the U.S., but because of its firmer texture, it requires a little longer cooking time. It makes a wonderful addition to soups or stir-fries and may be sliced or chopped and used raw like a cucumber. The seeds are also edible and have a nutty flavor.

The subject here, however, is the wonderful mango. When we lived in Belize, the “mango man” would wheel around town on his big tricycle with a large basket in front full of tropical fruits all cut up and stored in baggies. The mangos were in perfect little wedges and that you could just pop in your mouth and relish. Yum! But when I tried to cut up a mango at home, those little slippery critters made a huge mess that made me want to dump the whole thing in the trash can. I thought there must be a better way, and came upon the Yucatan way to eat a mango. Now eating a mango is a delight instead of a debacle. Here’s how.

First, hold the end of the mango that was previously attached to the tree up and using a sharp knife, slice down one side.

Do the same thing on the other side so that you have two slices. The center part contains the seed.

Now you can spoon each slice out of the skin like you would a half of avacado.

Then pick up the semilla (the part with the seed) and peel off the skin on either side.

Now you can nibble the remaining flesh clinging to the large hard seed. (This part is Mother Nature’s natural dental floss.)

Eat as much as you want, and then.…you are done! How easy is that!

2 Bedroom 2 Bath in Centro – One Week to Six Months

Editor — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:41:28 +0000

A lovely two bedroom, two bath apartment is available in Rinconada del Sol. The upscale apartment is fully furnished with a fully equipped kitchen, including a washer and dryer. The balcony overlooks a beautiful garden pool. Amenities include underground parking, an elevator, full time maintenance and overnight security.

Rinconada del Sol is located in Centro Playa del Carmen. It may be the perfect location, only a block from Mega with the Perlas Mall next door. Walmart is four blocks away, 5th Ave is three blocks, the beach five.

Vacation rentals available now, and three to six month rentals are available May 1, 2008. Three month rental is $1300 per month plus electricity. Six month rental is $1200 per month plus electricity. Email janaita@yahoo.com for more information.

Where’s the Horseradish?

Editor — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:46:21 +0000

Since we have several large food markets here in Playa del Carmen, not to mention a super WalMart and a Sam’s Club, we find almost everything we would like to eat and to make our favorite recipes. Recently, I bought a large bag of frozen cooked jumbo shrimp at Sam’s Club. Mmmmmm…..I was thinking shrimp with cocktail sauce and a glass of vino, but then looked all over town and no shrimp cocktail sauce. I remembered I made a very good cocktail sauce when we lived in Florida with Hot and Spicy Ketchup and tablespoon of horseradish. I found Heinz Kick’rs Hot & Spicy Ketchup at WalMart, but there was no horseradish to be found at any of the stores. I began to ask around where one might find horseradish in this town and was told that Pacsadeli carries it. I hadn’t heard of this place before, so I did a little research and found out it is a restaurant supply company, but is open to the public. It has a good variety of high quality red meats, cheeses and import items . It is located on Constituyentes between 85th and 85th diagonal street (Ejido).

I also found some real American sour cream – a rare find in Playa del Carmen.

We enjoyed looking around, and when we asked for horseradish, a man went back to the refrigerated area and got a jar for us. Here’s some of the items we saw.

What’s To Do?

Editor — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:21:22 +0000

People are always asking me, “So…..what do you do to pass the time?” I guess they think because we are basically retired that we sit at home twiddling our thumbs. Nope, that’s not us, although we do enjoy some evenings at home reading, writing email to friends, listening to music or watching a movie (yes, we have a Blockbuster Video here, and we catch a good movie every once in a while on one of our cable channels). Sometimes we go out to a movie at one of two very nice cinemas that actually do show movies in English. We have taken oil painting lessons. There’s shopping in the many stores and malls. It’s very interesting to walk into the less touristy areas and find wonderful little Mexican shops. We enjoy going out to eat, and there are many varied restaurants here, most with outdoor seating, ranging from gourmet and expensive in the tourist areas to very Mexicano with excellent food at a much cheaper price (guess which one is our favorite). We have made many friends here among the local expats and have dinners or parties at our house, or we are invited to theirs. On Thursday and Saturday afternoons, you might find us at Bad Boys Beach Bar where we kick back with an ice-cold cerveza and listen to live rock and roll while enjoying time with our friends who also hang out there. It’s a 10 minute walk to the beach from our condo, so some days we go lay in the sun and enjoy the spectacular ocean view. Everyone is welcome on the beaches around Playa. Mexican law protects every beach as public property so you can sun yourself wherever you choose – even in front of resorts where you aren’t a guest. The sand here is even cool……made up mostly of coral. From time to time, we explore different beaches along this coast or the Mayan ruins and hope in time to venture out even farther. Akumal and Tulum are a short distance away as are the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres.

There are things to do here that other people enjoy that we don’t particularly. Playacar has a nice golf course and country club from what I’ve been told. Many people like to go to the Muscle Beach Gym to work out or go to a spinning or aerobics class. There are Tae Kwon Do studios and Yoga classes. You can swim, snorkle or dive in the gorgeous reef or one of the cenotes (underground caves) that abound here. Of course there is deep sea fishing and I’ve been told, fly fishing.

I think only a hermit would be bored here. There’s lots to do.