GoCozumel Monthly Newsletter, October,  2009

The art gallery called Galeria Azul has moved. It is now on Avenida 15 number 449 between 8th and 10th streets. They are open Monday thru Friday from 11am to 7pm, or any other time by appointment. To call for an appointment, the local number is 869-0963. Please note that Galeria Azul will be closed during Thanksgiving week from Nov. 21 to Nov. 29, 2009.

Galería Azul is also the working studio for glass artist Greg Deitrich. He works with engraved blown glass to create unique lamps and night lights, candle art and engraved blown glass vessels. He is also known for his colorful paintings on silk.

In addition to Greg’s work Galería Azul also represents roughly 20 other artists. The majority are from Cozumel, but there are also artists from other parts of Mexico as well as other countries. 

This official Mexican holiday celebrates the Mexican Revolution of 1910. On this date, in the year 1910 the war to overthrow the dictator Porfirio Díaz began. General Diaz had been an important military figure in Mexico and he was in power for almost 30 years. During this time there was political stability and growth in many areas…new industries and railroads, but wealth was concentrated in the hands of only a few and the people of Mexico were not sharing in the benefits. They had no power to elect public officials or express their opinions. 

The parade travels down the oceanfront street and finishes at the Palacio Municipal which is on the main oceanfront between Calle 11 and Calle 15.

Cozumel for Christmas or New Years

There are still a few top quality vacation rentals available for the holidays, and there are a select group of rentals that offer a discount for last minute reservations

If you are considering a family vacation during the holidays one of the several villas available for Christmas week is Villas Topaz. This 4 bedroom 4 bath villa has a private garden and a two level private swimming pool with a fountain. It’s loaded with amenities including remote controlled air conditioning, wireless internet service, TVs with cable service, DVDs and a selection of DVD movies, use of the washers and dryers, small safes for valuables and loads of other goodies. 

The outdoor area includes 2 covered patios with tables and chairs and the palapa roofed patio has 4 double sized hammocks. There are cushioned lounge chairs and garden chairs, an outdoor shower, dive rinse tank and secure drying area for scuba or snorkeling gear, off street parking inside the gates and a gas BBQ grill with a food preparation area and sink. 

The website is http://www.gocozumel.com/villa .There are other private villas in town, beach area and oceanfront private villas plus oceanfront condos with some dates available during the holidays. For more details, please email holidays09-10@gocozumel.com with the size of your group, the holiday dates you’d prefer and whether your dates are flexible or not.

We heard that there will be a scene from a movie filmed on Cozumel soon and in late October there was an open casting call looking for 50 or so people with an “American or European” look. The open casting call was at Rock N Java, and participants were told that it would be an airport scene and that is was scheduled to be filmed on Dec. 11.

For those of you who loved Jeanies’ Waffle House when Jeanie owned and ran it will be glad to hear that she is back on Cozumel again and has opened a restaurant at the Flamingo Hotel. Many of those who worked for her including her cook are back with her again. The Flamingo Hotel is on Calle 6 between Ave. 5 and the oceanfront street, Ave. Rafael Melgar. 

Construction of a church building

Currently, the church Jesus es Rey (in English that is Jesus is King) is in a rented building at the corner of Ave. 65 and Morelos. The church has a service in English on Sunday morning at 10am, and services in Spanish are at 6pm Sunday evening and 7pm on Thursdays. 

Attendance at the evening services in Spanish has grown, and the building that the church has been renting is too small and the rent too high. Recently the church purchased a piece of land and they are beginning the process of clearing the land where the new church will be built. The property is on Calle 39 near the corner of Ave. 95.

Church members will be clearing the land and working to construct the new church but it will be a slow process as many of the members have jobs that keep them working 6 or even 7 days a week. 

If there are groups interested in assisting with the construction of a new church building for an established, non-denomiational bible church on Cozumel, please email the pastor Diego Tranconis. He does speak English. Pastor Diego’s email address is doctraco@hotmail.com  

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EXCHANGE RATE
During October the exchange rate that we saw at the money exchanges and the banks when changing dollars into pesos on Cozumel was 12.5 to 12.75 pesos to the U.S. dollar.

Gracias y hasta luego, 
Kathy at GoCozumel.com