LOCAL

Cozumel Scuba Fest

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DISCOVER MEXICO

Find your peace of mind in Costa Maya a coastal area along the colorful Mesoamerican Reef in our section for independent travelers

Riviera Highlights

·SPECIAL ·

Around 400 divers are expected to attend to this event in Cozumel which will have Jean-Michel Cousteau as guest of honor

ART & CULTURE

Movie director Alfonso Arau and producer Stephen Barnett are promoting their romantic comedy in our town

Playa Attracts Filmmakers

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www.theplayatimes.com

Biweekly · Year 02 · Number 48 · 20,000 copies · 16 Pages · December 10-23, 2014

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Two conferences will be held in Cancun and in Playa del Carmen on December 15 and 16 providing information on the mandatory requirements for Quintana Roo, according to the law passed in June 2014

Real Estate Matters

Certification Required

BY CARLOS UNDERWOOD

According to the president of the Mexican Associa-tion of Real Estate Pro-fessionals (AMPI) in Can-

cun, Miguel Ángel Lemus Mateos, there are around two thousand pro-fessional unregulated real estate agents in Quintana Roo.

The Real Estate Services Act was enforced on June 6, 2014 and indi-cates that if an individual or a com-pany offers their services as a real estate agent in the state they must have be certified and have an accred-itation from the Housing and Devel-opment Ministry of Quintana Roo.

The ruling has not yet been published in the Official Journal of the state but professionals in the region must keep themselves in-formed about the new law and the requirements for certification.

During the month of Decem-ber, two conferences will be held to train real estate agents, who by law must register to these courses in or-der to operate, otherwise they will be fined by the government. The organizers of these conferences will cover everything concerning the new law and the requirements to start the process of certification.

Gerardo González Gamboa, at-torney of law from the MexLaw firm, says that the conferences will take place on December 15 in Playa del Carmen from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Royal Porto Real Hotel, on Constituy-entes avenue with first avenue, and in Cancun on December 16 in the Hotel B2B Malecón Plaza on Sayil avenue SM 4-07, corner of Enrique Savignac, at the same time. The con-ferences will be given in English and Spanish simultaneously.

González indicated that the event will have a cost of $500 pesos, which includes the process of regis-tration of real estate agents for free. He clearly stated that all real estate agents must be certified by the gov-ernment as soon as they are regis-tered or they will not be able to work.

“We are expecting 300 people per conference. The cost is $500 pesos and we will process the certi-fications to attendees for free. From the moment they are registered, all real agents must be certified by the government, otherwise they are not allowed to operate and they will be fined. Fines are 500 to 1,000 min-imum wage payments ($67.29 pe-sos)” said the specialist:

“It concerns everyone. If some-one is working in the real estate sector they must be certified.”

In Quintana Roo, especially in the northern region of the state, there are many unaffiliated and unregulated real estate agents. As

a result, the state’s government has adjusted the law to standardize this sector and generate confidence among investors, which gave way to the Real Estate Services Act.

González Gamboa stated that if there were any questions about the conferences, those interested could refer to the webpage

https://eventioz.com.mx/e/re-al-estate-professionals-conference-pla-ya-del-car or speak to Jaime de Beni-to at (984) 803 12 40.

Around

2,000 a ge n t s o p e ra te i n co n s i s te n t l y i n Q u i n ta n a Ro o

Up to

$4,700 USD will be the f ine for agents

without a certif icate

300agentsare expected to attend to

each conference

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>EditorialOn December 4, the Con-

gress of the Union passed the law of the Time System, with 258 votes in favor and 1 against, put-ting the eastern area of Quintana Roo in the same timezone as the East Coast of the United States, both located on meridian 75° west Greenwich.

Since 2012, citizens from Quintana Roo have voiced their concerns about being in the same timezone as Mexico City. They ar-gued that, while Cancun is locat-ed on parallel 75, Mexico City is on parallel 94, which means that

there should be a two hour differ-ence between the cities.

With this change, the munici-palities of Benito Juárez (Cancun), Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Lázaro Cárdenas, Solidaridad (Playa del Carmen) and Tulum will per-manently keep the summertime schedule. As a result, there will be one more daylight hour in winter and two in summer. Also, there will be one hour difference with Mexico City.

The state government argues that this will benefit commercial and touristic activities as well as

ease and increase the operations with neighboring airports since Quintana Roo operate in the same timezone as eight Canadian airports and 22 from the United States. According to the Federal Commission of Electricity (CFE), the state will also save up to $1.84 million pesos in energy use.

This measure will come into force from its publication on the Federal Official Journal around April 2015 and will not affect the municipalities of Bacalar, Felipe Carrillo Puerto and Othón P. Blan-co (Chetumal.)

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THE PLAYA TIMES RIVIERA MAYA'S COMMUNITY PAPER Periódico Quincenal. Número de Certificado de Reserva otorgado por el Instituto Nacional de Derechos de Autor: (PENDIENTE). Número de Certificado de Licitud de Título: (en trámite). Número de Certificado de Licitud de Contenido: (en trámite). Domicilio de la publicación: Plaza Paseo Coba, 2do piso local 301, Playacar fase II, Playa del Carmen, Solidaridad, Quintana Roo C.P. 77710. Impreso en talleres Grupo Megamedia Prolongación de Montejo número 301, entre 40 y 42, fraccionamiento Campestre, Mérida, Yucatán. Distribuidor: Meridian Media, S.A. de C.V., Plaza Paseo Coba, 2do piso local 301, Playacar fase II, Playa del Carmen, Solidaridad, Quintana Roo C.P. 77710.

DIRECTORY: María Morote: Editor, editor@meridianmedia.mx, Beatriz Lucas: Copy Editor, Claudia Salas: Director of Operations, operations@meridianmedia.mx, Fabián Muñoz: Sales Executive Cell: 984 188 3951 ventas@meridianmedia.mx, Ana Martínez: Community Manager & Marketing marketing@meridianmedia.mx, Efrén Velázquez: Senior Designer, desing@meridianmedia.mx, Karla Mora: Distribution Supervisor, distribution@meridianmedia.mx

Map of current time zones prior to the new law reform / Photo: Wikipedia

Quintana Roo

December 10-23, 2014 3LOCAL NEWSLOCAL NEWS

BY CARLOS UNDERWOOD

With new structural re-forms made by the fed-eral government, the challenges are now fo-

cused on their “implementation” for healthy growth of the Mexican econ-omy, said Rosario Marín, former Trea-sury Secretary of the White House. Marín visited Playa del Carmen in early December to deliver a series of lectures and launch the message that Mexico “has more hope than despair.”

President Enrique Peña Nieto has completed 11 reforms in a two-year term, including: Energy, Economic Competence, Telecommunications and Broadcasting, Fiscal, Finan-cial, Educational, the new Consti-tutional Rights Law, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Political and Electoral, Transparency and Labor.

“We must look forward and work harder. It is a challenge but we can do it. Mexico sent a signal to foreign investors that it is ready to do business. This is important be-cause foreigners already know that Mexico is open, “said Marín.

Rosario Marin held the position of treasurer during the Bush administra-tion and was the first Mexican-born immigrant to hold that office. She studied Business Administration at California State University, Los Ange-les, won the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy award from the United Nations and during her time as treasurer, encour-aged Hispanic immigrants to open bank accounts and send payments to their country of origin.

Marín was 14 years old when she arrived to the USA and did not speak a word of English; however she managed to become a first class civil servant, and exemplify the dream of millions of Mexicans -and Latin Americans- who migrate every year in search of a better life.

“One thing is the law and the other is to put it into practice. Mex-ico has everything, but we need to be transparent, without question.

Mexicans will benefit from this. It is Mexico’s interest to have an energet-ic structure that will help it compete in North and South America.”

Marín, author of the book Leading between two worlds, wants to leave a simple and positive message, “work”, the main tool for achieving your goals.

“Mexico has the potential. There is more hope than despair; it has both natural and human resources. Mexico is dynamic, optimistic, and does not give up. I represent Mexico. Mexico has Mexicans.”

Considering that only 36 per-cent of the population in Mexico has access to the financial system, Rosa-rio Marín stressed the importance of having a financial literacy education nationwide and access credit and loans to increase wealth.

“If there are millions then more millions are needed. It is an educa-tion, and we need to educate one by one. Slowly. Through small bank accounts and savings accounts. It is not something we are familiar with, people tend to spend what they have, and there is no culture of savings. It’s not easy.”

BY CARLOS UNDERWOOD

Federal authorities inaugurated the Nueva Xcan-Playa del Carmen highway, which has shortened travel time between Playa del Car-men and Merida, as well as to Holbox Island.

During the official opening of the highway, Communication and Transport Secretary, Gerar-do Ruiz Esparza, said that on the new two-lane expressway vehicles can travel at 68 mph (110 kilometers per hour).

Previously, the route from Merida to Playa del Carmen took just over three hours and 30 minutes and you had to first pass through Can-cun. The new highway has reduced travel time to just two and a half hours.

“With the highway in operation, shorter travel times will boost tourism and trade. Travelling 33.5 mph (54 kilometers) quick-

ly, safely and easily helps boost the economy and allows road traffic to flow more easily at 68 mph (110 kilometers per hour). This will result in saving one hour and 10 minutes [to Mérida],” he said.

The highway’s access from Playa del Car-men, known as El Cedral-El Tintal, is on Luis Donaldo Colosio Avenue and has a cost of $219 pesos to go to Merida, Yucatan. The cost of driving on the toll road from Merida to Cancun is $194 pesos. For the construction of this highway, which took 21 months, $1,283 million pesos were invested, generating 500 direct and 5,000 indirect jobs.

Federal authorities noted that the high-way will help to save time and fuel “to ben-efit the regional economy and Quintanar-roense population.”

Route of the new highway / Photo: The Playa Times

To Merida in Two and Half Hours

Mexico, a Great Potential

for Economic Take-OffThe former Treasury Secretary of the White House indicated that, as a country, we need a “savings” culture alongside an energetic and transparent structure, as these are the cornerstones for economic development

BY CARLOS UNDERWOOD

The depreciation of the Mexi-can peso against the dollar came to 14 pesos and 40 cents at some ex-change offices, including banks. Ge-rardo Valadés, president of the Busi-ness Coordination Council (CCE) in Playa del Carmen, mentioned that this increase is attractive to tourists, but in the long run generates infla-tionary pressures by increasing the price of imported inputs.

Rising Dollar

BY CARLOS UNDERWOOD

Over the course of December, there will be 90% hotel occupancy, according to the reservation books from the different hotels. This was confirmed by the director of the Riviera Maya Hotels Association (AHRM), Manuel Paredes who, said that this year there will have been 4.4 million tourists, a much higher visitor number than in 2013, where there were 4 million visitors then.

90% OccupancyRosario Marín at the conference Tijuana Innovadora 2014 / Photo: Agency

4 LOCAL NEWS

Return of Jean-Michel

Cousteau to Scuba Fest

BY CARLOS UNDERWOOD

The Cozumel Scuba Fest will take place from December 9 to 14, confirmed Gilda Sigie, director of the event, who also stated that Jean-Michel Cousteau

will be present, son of the iconic oceanogra-pher Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

The objective of the festival, according to Gilda, is to “encourage national and interna-tional diving tourism and make Cozumel Is-land the capital of diving in Mexico”. The or-ganizers are offering those interested 24 hotel and dive packages which recreate the Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s tour in the sixties.

“We want to relive that experience. Jean-Mi-chel was commemorated last year and this year we will pay tribute to Ramón Bravo. We’ll have conferences, tributes, a bronze sculpture of Bravo that we’ll submerged and there will be a collec-tion of anecdotes of our most beloved Mexican diver who travelled the world “.

On December 9, the opening ceremony will include a screening of the documentary Mexico Pelagic, a documentary about the oceans of Mexi-co. The official inauguration party will take place on December 10th where Jean-Michel Cousteau will present the “Golden Diver”, an award for outstanding divers, during a gala dinner.

Full details of the packages and fees can be found on page www.cozumalfest.com.

“There will be lectures, exhibitions, tours diving, a six-day conference program and a symposium. It’s a great program. Certified divers get a discount on the boat and free en-trance,” said Gilda.

400 divers are expected for the event.

BY CARLOS UNDERWOOD

Quintana Roo became the thirteenth state in the country to ban the use of animals in circuses and shows. Legislators reformed the Animal Protection and Welfare Act which bans the use of animals for entertainment. Whoever violates this law will be sanctioned up to 2 thou-sand minimum wage payments ($9,300 USD).

The law will take effect after it is pub-lished in the Official Journal of the State, so it will not be enforced until 2015. The as-sociation Anima Naturalis worked with the Commission of Ecology and Climate Change, led by the deputy Remberto Estrada, who en-sured that the observations were applied and other deputies voted in its favor.

At a national level, the states of Querétaro, Morelos, Colima, Chihuahua, Veracruz, Estado de México, Guanajuato, Distrito Federal, Sinaloa, Puebla, Sonora y San Luis Potosí have approved similar laws, which showcase the progress in avoiding animal exploitation in Mexico.

The Councilman Remberto Estrado, the main advocate of the law, carried out a sur-vey in the state which resulted in 70 percent

against animal cruelty. After months of work, showcasing photographic evidence, the pro-posal was taken to court in front of the whole Congress, where legislators voted; all but one vote was in favor of the new law.

“We do not want animals to be used in shows, for them to be abused. Currently, there are thirteen states with the same law, our bill comes in force the day after it is published in the Official Journal,” said the legislator, who then added:

“It is difficult for the circus, but I believe that innovation is part of this country, and we hope to increase awareness of the human talent of this country. These businesses can have a show without animals.”

Jean-Michel Cousteau paying his respects to his father´s bust / Photos: Facebook Cozumel Scuba Fest / Agency

The state law sees the use of animals for entertainment as an act of cruelty / Photo: Agency

Around 400 divers are expected to attend this event in the island of Cozumel which plans to pay homage to Mexican oceanographer Ramón Bravo

Bill to Ban Animals in Circus Approved

He was a Mexican oceanographer renown for his work in environmental conservation, his research was focused on the marine life all along Quintana Roo. Additionally, he was an excellent communicator and received the National Journalism Prize in 1979.

RAMÓN BRAVO 1925-1998

We do not want animals to be used in shows, for them to be abused. Currently, there are

thirteen states with the same law. We hope to increase awareness of the human talent of this country”

Remberto EstradaCouncilman of the Green Party (PVEM)

December 10-23, 2014 5COMMUNITY

BY ALEJANDRA CAMPO

“Come on Juana, don’t fill yourself up with peanuts,” says one of the popular songs that accompany traditional

Mexican Christmas celebrations, posadas. Christmas in this country is celebrated with candy, which pro-vides the filling for piñatas, fruit and punch, spiked or not with piquete or brandy. The latter is a delicious hot drink served in clay mugs, mixed with fruit, such as tamarind, cin-namon, sugar cane and, not forget-ting a touch of brown sugar, which scents the air with childhood mem-ories and Christmas with the family.

Traditional posadas are a cele-bration of catholic mixed with in-digenous traditions. The celebration originated from the colonial era, when Spanish monks sought ways to evangelize and teach catholic religion to the original inhabitants of Mexico. Indigenous and colonial celebrations were fused together resulting in a colorful and aromatic concoction of prayers, songs, carols and piñatas.

The posada takes nine days working up to the birth of Baby Je-sus, starting on December 16 and

finishing on Christmas Eve on the 24th. Every day, families, neigh-bors and friends gather in different houses, each decorated with lights, paper lanterns and a special room dedicated to the nativity scene and the “birth”.

The celebration starts with prayers and litanies. It is also tradi-tional for a few people outside on the street reenact asking to come and stay at the inn (pedir posada). Those inside the homes do not let them in, playing the role of the bad innkeepers not offering shelter to the Virgin Mary. Finally, the rhythmic beat “come in holy pilgrims, pilgrims…” invites them into the house. The guests and their families receive a bonus pay-ment -a little bag of candy and fruit-, the piñatas are then destroyed, fire-works and sparklers go off, you hear the sound of whistles in the street and enjoy traditional Mexican dish-es such as romeritos (the traditional Christmas dish named after the herb which is served with shrimp, potatoes and mole mixture) or cod (bacalao) to accompany the jovial Christmas hustle and bustle.

Do something different this Christmas and add a traditional Mexican twist to your celebrations.

Posadas: Mexican ChristmasLearn about the local celebrations for this December, when a blend of indigenous and colonial traditions result in colorful and joyful 9-day festivities.

BY JESÚS SIERRA

The International Marathon of Cancun celebrated 30 years, the second oldest race in the country af-ter Mexico City, by bringing together 2,400 runners on December 6. Can-cun Marathon attracts athletes from all over Mexico and North America, Europe and Africa. Competitors gathered at the starting line, ready to confront one of three distances in the Hotel Zone: 3 miles, 13 miles and 26 miles.

Kenyan athletes were the clear winners, taking home first place in both the women and men di-visions. The winners were Erick Mayemyé, resident of Toluca, who completed the run in 2 hours 28 minutes, and Genoveva Jelagat, in 2 hours 59 minutes. Runners were welcomed at the finishing line with a mariachi band and Cancun City Hall celebrated the anniversary with a slice of birthday cake for partici-pants. Spectators were kept enter-tained with activities for children, NFL stands, music and an expo on Japan, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Hasekura mission, the first diplomatic task of Mexico.

Kenyans Win Cancun Marathon

$740,000pesos in prizes

Piñatas are a basic element at Mexican posadas / Photos:Agency

6 DISCOVER MEXICO

Costa Maya is comprised of the southern area of Quintana Roo right before Belize´s border. This unique area surrounds the city of Chetumal and its varied destinations suit every taste.Due to Costa Maya´s considerable expanse we have divided it into three areas: the inland area, characterized by jungle ecosystems; Mayan ruins and by the beauty of the Magical Town of Bacalar; the Chetumal bay area with its

lagoons and wildlife sanctuary; and the coastal area, a divers´ paradise, which goes from Punta Herrero to Xcalak along the Mesoamerican Reef.

Mahahual: This town has so many attrac-tions itself that we had already published a profile about it. Check http://theplayatimes.com/2014/08/20/mahahual.

Distance in miles from Cancun: 218, Playa del Carmen: 177 (to Mahahual)

Co�ta Maya-C�a�tal A�ea

BY CARLOS UNDERWOOD

Although bull sharks are not an species at risk, they are threatened, so it is neces-sary that the dates for the

close season for fishing is extended from November to March, instead of May to June which was previously established by authorities.

This was brought to attention by Jorge Chino Loría Correa, presi-dent of the organization Saving Our Sharks, who indicated that the bull shark sighting season has started in Playa del Carmen and at which point shark fishing should be banned, since the specimens that come close to the coastline are pregnant females.

He explained that his organiza-tion, alongside the support of special-ists and academics, have informed the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fishing (CONAPESCA), the main authority in charge of establishing fishing seasons in Mexico, about the inappropriate dates for the closed fishing season.

“The dates for the close season are wrong; the shark comes up close from November to March, which is when the females are pregnant: the current dates need to be adjusted so it doesn’t exclude the period when pregnant females are close to the coast,” said Loría Correa, whose organization, along with 40 dive centers, authorities and academics, worked on the first “Good Practice Guide for Diving with Bull Sharks in Playa del Carmen” which was pre-sented to City Hall last June.

Chino Loría has been a pioneer in recreational diving with bull sharks and his organization, Saving Our Sharks carried out the first in-vestigation on these sharks by tag-ging and tracking them. At the start of the season and with the help of fishermen, the tagging will continue

in order to learn more about their behavior in the Caribbean waters of Playa del Carmen.

Playa del Carmen has become one of the best places to dive with this species. It competes with strong con-tenders such as the Bahamas, Cuba and Saint Lucia,” explained Loría, who indicated that the Good Practice Guide will be evaluated this season.

“We asked dive centers how many clients they were handling, as a pre-cautionary way of establishing the ca-pacity load and to determine whether the current numbers are appropriate. For now, 100 people a day can dive with attraction [i.e. with feeding] and 200 for observation dives [i.e. with-out feeding].” He highlighted that “Part of the management plan talks about training. It is necessary that we have a specialist trainer, authorized by the Secretary of Tourism (Sectur) to train guides. This is fundamentally important since it is a relatively new activity in the area. There are guides with a lot of experience and others with very little, we have to consoli-date the criteria.”

Bull Sharks Close

Season Inaccurate

Playa del Carmen is one the best places to dive with bull sharks / Photo: The Playa Times/ Saving Our Sharks

HOW TO GET THERE

First you will have to get to Mahahual. There, take the Mahahual-Uvero road to go to the north to Punta Herrero or Cafetal-Mahahual to go to the south to Xahuayxol, Puerto Ángel and Xcalak.

Car

Mahahual is accessed through the 307 Highway from Cancun. From Playa del Carmen you will pass Tulum and Felipe Carrillo Puerto, taking the detour to Mahahual from the small village of Limones. The trip from Playa del Carmen takes around three hours, or four from Cancun.

Bus

There is only one ADO bus departure per day from Playa del Carmen and Cancun to Maha-hual. One-way tickets are $310 pesos and $370 pesos respectively. You can check routes and schedules on www.ado.com.mx.

Cruise

Mahahual is the Mexican Caribbean´s second most popular cruise stopover after Cozumel. It receives ships from Carnival, Disney and Norwe-gian Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean.

Flights

Cancun Airplane Tours flies from Playa del Car-men or Cancun to Mahahual. One-way flights cost $954 USD and $1,275 USD respectively per plane for five passengers plus taxes. Check www.cancunairplanetours.com for more op-tions. Aero Saab offers similar rates from both cities, www.aerosaab.com.

WHAT TO SEE

Punta Herrero. This fishing village with 14 inhabitants is the authentic essence of the Caribbean lifestyle. There are some cabins for rent but it is much better to camp under the stars. A fishing cooperative offers snor-keling and fishing tours.Distance from Mahahual: 35 miles

Puerto Ángel and Xahuayxol. Puerto Ángel is one of Costa Maya´s most amazing beaches. The coral reef is close at hand and there are cabins and camping areas where you can stay. Xahuayxol means “stone flower” in Mayan and it is a pristine swallow cove and the perfect place to camp and snorkel due to its marine flora and fauna diversity. Distance from Mahahual: 13 and 20 miles

Xcalak. This place is a 300 inhabitant unspoiled paradise. The Meso-american Reef, the second world´s largest coral reef after the Australian reef, is right in front of its coast which also adjoins the protected reserve of Banco Chinchorro. Xcalak is the paradise for divers and fishermen and there are several hotels, restaurants and beach bars.Distance from Mahahual: 44 miles

The dates for the close season are wrong. They need to be

adjusted so it doesn’t exclude the period when pregnant females are close to the coast”

Jorge Chino Loría CorreaPresident of the organization Saving Our Sharks

December 10-23, 2014 7ENTERPRISE FOCUS

Mexico is a country with a growing and thriving com-mercial economy. Both transnational and national

corporations are dabbling in what was previously a market controlled by lo-cal businesses. An example of this is on Fifth Avenue in Playa del Carmen, which went from being an area with local handicrafts, regional clothing stores and rustic restaurants, to what is now, a veritable open-air catwalk and showroom for luxury products and a col-orful display of renown corporations and restaurant franchises.

For this reason, it is important to pro-tect brands from these new and emerging business trends. Mexico is becoming a more competitive and aggressive market, in terms of reputation and dominance. Original Mexican products and services are now able to overcome previous lim-itations from competitive practices, such as piracy, theft of technologies, plagia-

rism and imitation brand names.This is where the Mexican Institute

of Industrial Property (IMPI) steps in. Their function is to register and protect brand names and original patents used by corporations to produce and commer-cialize goods and services.

The growth of commercial industries in Mexico is made evident with the in-creasing number of registered brands. According to the IMPI, in 2013, there were 114,159 applications for brand names, compared to 105,245 applica-tions in 2012 and just 64,000 in 2001. Although registering a brand may seem like a simple process, it is important to seek legal advice from lawyers or a firm specialising in trademark or patent regis-tration or any type of business, as a way to avoid future lawsuits for plagiarism that would cause a major setback for a company both in terms of going back to the drawing board and in terms of im-portant monetary losses.

The Legal ForumThe Importance of Registered Brand NamesBy Gerardo González

Gerardo González is lawyer specializing in corporate law, and a graduate from the Interamerican University for Development in Merida, where he originates from. If you have a topic in mind you would like him to address in his column, write to him at gonzalez@mexlaw.ca

Starting A Business?Learn about the bureaucratic requirements for enterprises in Mexico

BY CARLOS UNDERWOOD

When opening a business in Playa del Carmen, whether you are a na-tional or non-national,

you are required to pay municipal, state and federal taxes. In addition, it is compulsory to be registered on the Tax Administration System (SAT). New entrepreneurs will also need to process an operation license (licencia de funcio-namiento) at the municipal tax office, which needs to be renewed every year, as well as an acta constitutiva or articles of incorporation to a notary.

Local government has a Fast Open-ing System for Companies (SARE) to speed up the process of obtaining the necessary documents required to open a business. The SARE system also aims to analyze the viability of new low-risk

micro, small or medium companies in Playa del Carmen within three days.

Víctor Sosa Santoyo, councilor for the current administration and manager of the Regulation Improve-ment Commission, who is in charge of guaranteeing transparency of pro-cesses, explained that business own-ers could obtain information through SARE´s Businesses Assistance Center. This body works in conjunction with branches of the government.

“The center can inform potential new business developers about open-ing processes, training and advisory information, as well as offer advice on finance, productivity and develop-ment for small and medium business-es,” Sosa Santoyo explained.

Currently business owners can obtain all the required municipal licenses from one place. These are the Operation, Health and Land Use

Licenses and Civil Protection Consent. Those interested can visit the offices of SARE on the City Hall´s ground floor next to the Municipal Treasury on Eighth Street and 20th Avenue or call 984 877 3050.WHAT ELSE WOULD BUSINESS OWNERS NEED?Besides municipal licenses, new com-panies need to be registered at SAT on 45th Avenue and 20th Street. Spanish speakers can also process other tax re-quirements via www.sat.gob.mx.

Foreign residents will need the original and a copy of a valid document stating their address (comprobante de domicilio) and the original and copy of a valid visa. In the case of a foreign resident having a legal representative working on their behalf, valid identifi-cation will be required as well as a cer-tified copy of power of attorney.

Business owners living abroad, with

or without a permanent residence in Mexico, will also need the original and a copy of the notarized document where the legal representative for concerning tax matters is named; the original and a copy of a valid visa and the authori-zation to perform these activities issued by the Migration Office. Appointments can be made on www.sat.gob.mx.

Company owners will also need to pay the additional charge for the Mexican Business Information Sys-tem (SIEM), which can be also pro-

cessed via www.siem.gob.mx.Once they are registered with SAT

and have all the required municipal licenses, owners should register the company to the state’s tax office. Application forms are available on www.sh.qroo.gob.mx, via the trámites (processes) section. The website of-fers online processing for operation licenses and for the state Taxpayers Registration Office. Costs vary for each license and depend on each gov-ernment branch.

SARE helps business owners / Photo:Agency

8 CANCUN

WEDNESDAY10COZUMEL SCUBA FEST 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Dive tours, lectures, exhibitions, courses. Until Dec. 14. Check www.cozumelfest.com for the complete schedule, packages and prices.

DIVERSIDARTE 2014 PAINTING COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION, 6 p.m. Gallery of the Institute of Cultu-re and Arts, Tulum Ave. SM. 20, MZ. 28. Until Dec. 31. Free entrance.

LASSE HALLSTRÖM FILM SEASON, SALMON

FISHING IN THE YEMEN, 8 p.m. El Eden Art Garden, Constituyentes Ave. and 95 St. in Colonia Ejido. Free entrance.

DOCUMENTARY WEDNESDAYS 8 p.m. La Cei-ba Park, First St. South and 60th Ave. in Colonia Ejidal. Free entrance. Check Facebook El Cine Club

for the schedule.

OSCAR´S MOVIE NIGHT. Every Wednesday, 8 p.m. Roof terrace Be Playa Hotel, 26th St. and 10th Ave. Free entrance.

THURSDAY11PAAMUL ECOMARKET every Thursday 8.30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Community Fellowship Church Palapa.

PINK CONCH VISUAL ART COLLECTIVE EXHI-BITION, 7 p.m. El Punto Hotel, Fifth Avenue and Eighth St. Free entrance.

DOCUMENTARY FILMS every Thursday, 8 p.m. El Eden Art Garden, Constituyentes Ave. and 95 St. in Colonia Ejido. Free entrance.

ART CINEMA PLANETA TOUR. Every Thursday, 8 p.m. Universidad del Caribe´s terrace, SM 78, Mza 1, next to Fraccionamiento Tabachines. Check Face-book Arte y Cultura Unicaribe.

FRIDAY12PLAYA DEL CARMEN CHRISTMAS FAIR. Exhibi-tions, ice sledge, snow area, concerts, fairground rides. Playa del Carmen Fairground, 115th Ave. and Constituyentes Ave. Until Jan. 6. Free entrance.

COCOS BEACH ORGANIC MARKET every Friday 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Condos Alizes, Avenida CTM and 46th St. Homemade bread and baked goods, gluten-free products, fresh herbs, organic eggs, handmade pro-ducts, cosmetics, clothing and much more.

SPANISH CONVERSATION CLUB, every Friday from 7.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Chichen Itza Language School on Fourth St. and 10th Ave. Practice your Spa-nish conversational skills for free with others students.

CINEMA FRIDAYS 8 p.m. La Ceiba Park, First St. South and 60th Ave. in Colonia Ejidal. Free entran-ce. Check Facebook El Cine Club for schedule.

VIENNESE CHRISTMAS CONCERT by Cancun Camerata, 8.30 p.m. Cancun Theater, Blvd. Kukulcan Km. 4, Hotel Zone. Tickets from $150 pesos on 998 849 5580.

SATURDAY13CONSCIOUS RELAXATION WORKSHOP 10 a.m. La Ceiba Park, First St. South and 60th Ave. Colonia Ejidal. Voluntary contribution.

ACCIÓN ANIMAL ADOPTION FAIR, every Satur-day, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tenth St. between Av. 100 and Av. 105, Colonia Ejido. Don´t buy pets, rescue them! Check Facebook Acción Animal.

PASEARTE COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION, every Sa-turday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Along Sunyaxchen Ave. Photography, sculpture, poetry, music and more.

CYCLING EMBASSY’S BIKE RIDE 5.30 p.m. every Saturday. Constituyentes Ave. and Diagonal 85. Bike loans and free drinks! Check out the route on Facebook Playa Bicicletero.

SUNDAY14TULUM ORGANIC AND NATURAL MARKET 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Commercial Area at Aldea Zamá.

EL CARACOL GASTRONOMIC MARKET 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Plaza Bonita, Xel-ha Lote 1, Sm 28. Think local, choose handcrafted and know the producer and the product.

MONDAY15FLAMENCO DANCE LESSONS Monday and Friday 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Caracol Marino Cultural Centre, 80th Street, between 10th and Fifth. For more in-formation contact centrocaracol@gmail.com

WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE PROJECTION. Everyday, 6 p.m. Ka´Yok´ Planetarium, Palenque Ave. Sm. 21. $30/$40 pesos resident children/adults. Check www.ventanaaluniverso.org.

TUESDAY16KAVA KASA LOCAL MARKET every Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Kava Kasa, 22nd St. and 10th Ave. Organic produce, fresh home baked goods, artisan crafts and more! Shop local and support Playa.

GUIDED MEDITATIONS 7 p.m. El Eden Art Garden, Constituyentes Ave. and 95 St. in Colonia Ejido. Free entrance.

FREE TANGO LESSONS 8 p.m. Roof of The Palm at Playa Hotel, Eighth St. and 10th Ave. Classes by Diego and Lucila.

WEDNESDAY17COMEDY PLAYA 8 p.m. Lucky Luciano’s, Fifth St. and 28th St. Stand-up comedy in English. Local and visiting U.S. acts. Every Wednesday and Sun-day. $50 pesos .

BICINETA BIKE RIDE 8 p.m. every Wednesday. City Hall, Plaza 28 de Julio, 8th St. and 15th Ave. Explore the cycle paths of Playa del Carmen and meet li-ke-minded local bikers.

LASSE HALLSTRÖM FILM SEASON, THE CIDER

HOUSE RULES, 8 p.m. El Eden Art Garden, Constitu-yentes Ave. and 95 St. in Colonia Ejido. Free entrance.

DOCUMENTARY WEDNESDAYS 8 p.m. La Ceiba Park, First St. South and 60th Ave. in Colonia Eji-dal. Free entrance. Check Facebook El Cine Club

for the schedule.

THURSDAY18ANNIVERSARY OF CIRROSIS CULTURAL MA-GAZINE, 6 p.m. Caracol Marino Cultural Cen-ter, 80th St. between 10th and Fifth. Michel Traverse photo exhibition, djs, Silla Móvil Danza performance and more. Check Face-book Revista Cirrosis.

DOCUMENTARY FILMS every Thursday, 8 p.m. El Eden Art Garden, Constituyentes Ave. and 95 St. in Colonia Ejido. Free entrance.

FRIDAY19COCOS BEACH ORGANIC MARKET every Friday 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Condos Alizes, Avenida CTM and 46th St. Homemade bread and baked goods, gluten-free products, fresh herbs, organic eggs, handmade products, cosmetics, clothing and much more.

FREE SALSA LESSONS every Friday from 6.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. Chichen Itza Language School on Fourth St. and 10th Ave.

SATURDAY20FLEA MARKET 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. La Ceiba Park, First St. South and 60th Ave. Colonia Ejidal. Yoga, wor-kshops, local food and more.

PASEARTE COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION every Sa-turday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Along Sunyaxchen Ave. Photography, sculpture, poetry, music and more..

CYCLING EMBASSY’S BIKE RIDE 5.30 p.m. every Saturday. Constituyentes Ave. and Diagonal 85. Bike loans and free drinks! Check out the route on Facebook Playa Bicicletero.

SUNDAY21BARTER FAIR 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Caracol Marino Cultural Center, 80th St. between 10th and Fifth. Exchange local and organic products, alternative therapies, books and more

MONDAY22ACTING LESSONS every Monday, Wednesday and Friday 4.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Caracol Marino Cultural Centre, 80th St. between 10th and Fifth. For more in-formation contact centrocaracol@gmail.com.

TUESDAY23KAVA KASA LOCAL MARKET every Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Kava Kasa, 22nd St. and 10th Ave. Organic produce, fresh home baked goods, artisan crafts and more! Shop local and support Playa.

*For Cancun events, checkthe highlighted boxes!

December 10-23, 2014 9PLAYA DEL CARMEN

10

Red wine is perfect for red meat and game / Photo:Agency

BY ROCÍO NORZAGARAY

Christmas has always been one of the most anticipated dates of the year, the moment when family and friends get together, share

stories and memorable moments.Without a doubt the star of the night

is always the parade of dishes on the din-ner table, but if you want to make it a culinary delight, you need a selection of wines that harmonize with the food.

There are basic rules for wine-pairing that we all known, for instance, white wines for fish and white meat, while red wines is for red meat and game. This makes sense because white wine is lighter and thus perfect for dishes that are alike, while red wine, which presents notes with a great variety of character, would surely overshadow something like steamed fish. Beware, as this rule does have exceptions. There are many oth-er factors to consider, from the way the preparation method whether cooked or marinated, or the sauce used to accom-pany the dish.

Let’s suppose you are planning to cook a turkey with a strong flavored sauce, the wine that will be served along-side must present similar characteristics, equally as intricate and wrap your palate with a gentle presence, urging you go for another bite. A weak wine with little intensity would be completely overshad-owed and would not provide that similar level of satisfaction.

In this case, I would recommend a mixture of Bordeaux, such as Emevè Los Nietos from the Guadalupe Valley, which was given 91 points in the magazine Catadores by Rodolfo Gerschman, or a little ensemble of Petit Verdot, Zinfandel, Syrah and Alximia Senda also from the Guadalupe Valley.

How to Choose Wine for

Your Christmas Dinner

Turkey, fish… no matter what you choose to cook these holidays, find the best wine-pairing for the perfect accoutrement for your festive get-together

MezcalingTequila vs. Mezcal, the Empire Strikes Back...

By Ramiro Vázquez

Ramiro Vázquez is a representative of Mezcales de Lulá.

Since ancient times, agaves have been used for multiple purposes. They provided honey water that allowed long migrations through the desert; honey, vinegar and alcoholic beverages were obtained from it; their cooked hearts make for a delicious meal; they are used as medicine, the spines as surgical and ritual instruments; the fibers for clothing, the leafs for roofing, the quiote (stalk) for musical instruments, tools and as building material.

Just like corn, agaves provided resources for differ-ent nomadic tribes which settled as communities and then developed complex civilized societies. Recent discoveries in Tlaxcala, in the Cacaxtla ruins, showed that mezcal was produced around the year 400 B.C.; this makes Mezcal one of the most ancient distillation methods in the world. In those days, Mezcal was dis-tilled in clay pots, just like it is still done nowadays.

Mezcal (from Nahuatl for “cooked agave”) was produced in small batches close to the ceremonial centers for elite rituals. All written evidence about it was burnt by Spanish occupation army and its pro-

duction was banned to favor imported wine.Mezcal was reborn during the 20th century as te-

quila, a type of mezcal, produced with only one type of agave from one small region. But now mezcal is reclaiming its throne as the representative spirit of Mexican culture. It is handmade in ten states, in small batches, with almost 40 different types of agaves. Just like wine, it represents its terroir and variety, but it also represents its community and culture.

Tequileros are now looting agave fields in Oaxaca, buying agave for their tequilas, but also cutting imma-ture, newborn, wild agaves at an impressive rate, elim-inating the agaves’ matrix.

We are fighting alongside these communities to avoid the plant’s extinction, preserving this hand-crafted elixir and looking for people who appreciate this culture and history. Join us and toast with mez-cal this Christmas!

¡Salud!

Before serving up the main course to your guests, and while they chat and keep snacking, a gentle, fresh wine shouldn’t go amiss and could double up as an ap-petizer. I have a few options which I have nicknamed “jack of all trades”, such as Monte Xanic Chenin Colombard and Don Luis La Cetto Viogner, as these combine perfectly with salads and creamy cheeses.

For the dessert, excellent and acces-sible options, also made in Mexico, are Cosecha Tardía Casa Madera, Semillón de Parras Coahuila; these would leave your palate very satisfied.

DINING OUT

December 10-23, 2014 11DINING OUT

12 HEALTH & BEAUTY

BY ANA ACOSTA

December is the month of celebrations: Christmas parties and New Year’s Eve dinners, meetings

with friends, celebratory toasts everywhere. The temptations are plentiful and when January comes we find ourselves carrying several extra pounds. So, how do you cel-ebrate without crossing the bound-aries of gluttony? I’ll give you some tips so you can enjoy Christmas and New Year’s dinners without depriv-ing yourself or overeating:

Include salads with fresh leaves

and variety of colors. This will give you satiety and thus you will not jump on the most fattening dishes. Measure the amount of dressing you use. A tablespoon for the whole salad is enough.

Spice up your salads and dish-es preferably with lemon, vinegar, chilli, ginger and olive oil (a table-spoon per plate).

The low fat spread cheese with spices is excellent for light sauc-es and can replace the cream.

Reduce consumption of salty foods that cause fluid retention. Lemon, chilli and ginger are excel-lent replacements for salt.

In your desserts include fresh fruit with natural yogurt and a lit-tle honey, fresh fruit sorbets with no added sugar, cakes made with ricotta, dried fruits (4 or 5), nuts

like cashews or almonds (8-10) and fruit with chilli instead of ice cream, chocolates and candies. Consume them in moderation. Quantity is the key: if there is a dish you love, do not deprive yourself, just eat in moderation, for example, serve on a small sized dessert dish and of course,

not every day. Remember that if your stomach gets used to receiv-ing large amounts of food this increases its size and fill, and it will require a large amount of food. However, if it gets used to small volumes your stomach ca-pacity will not increase and will get satiety with small servings. Before going to a party or a toast, eat something healthy at home to not go on an empty stomach.

Do not drink a lot of alcohol, that will end up accumulating in your belly. Choose fruit Aguas Frescas with no added sugar or Jamaica. For the toast, a glass is more than enough.

The excess of alcohol, desserts and sauces may take their toll on us after Christmas work and family gatherings

Tips to Prevent Weight

Gain This Holiday Season

Alcoholic drinks are one of the products with a highest content of calories / Photo:Agency

CHIROPRACTORFor a safe, effective chiropractor

Dr. Richard McCarthy

at The New Gym, Playa Del Carmen

Tel: 984 873 2098

The Season of Giving

BY DR. RICHARD MCCARTHY

Those of us from northern climates are used to knowing when Christmas is approaching by the arrival of the cold and the snow. In Playa, the days and months pass without these northern seasons, and all of sudden it’s Christmas again before you even know it.

Now is the time to think of your loved ones. Are you going to give them the usual gifts of clothing, jewelry, elec-tronics and so forth? Why not consider a gift certificate for better health?

How many of you have loved ones who complain occasionally, or often, about backaches, neck pains, headaches or joint pains. These are the main prob-lems that a chiropractor can treat.

The treatments are without drugs or surgery and are totally natural. Most chiropractors can offer a prepaid gift certificate that the bearer can use to receive treatment. The certificate can cover the examination costs as well as a series of treatments. The number of treatments required is usually based on the severity of the problem and the length of time the person has had it.

Many people are reluctant to spend money on themselves and their health. Others believe that their problems will go away on their own and thus continue to suffer with their ailments. Why not consider giving a gift of health this year? No person will regret being healthier and happier for now and in the future.

BY RICARDO RUIZ

Things tend to become way eas-

ier when we know or learn some key points about how to do things, like techniques and tips.

Every time I have beginners in my classes trying balance pos-tures they tend to tumble and look around with an expression of “why can’t I get something so simple?”, like a tree pose for instance. They then keep trying even harder and get even less results at each try. Only then is when I stop and ex-plain these three simple aspects of getting to any balance posture.

Remember first to communi-cate to your body a calm mind, and that’s done through your breath-ing, calm and deep breathing with no pauses between the in and out

breath, this is the first of three steps to your complete balance

Where the mind goes the body follows and if you have a wander-ing mind… well no need to expand further here. We have talked about drishti in prior issues, which is a Sanskrit word meaning point of focus. Keep your sight on a single point; with your intention fixed there, your mind will follow the ob-ject of your attention. This is when it becomes calm and your body un-derstands and follows.

The keys points are ujjayi and the drishti, breath and focus.

Now imagine trying to balance a water balloon on one finger, it doesn’t sound easy. Compare this to balancing a pen, if you were ever stuck in a boring class; which I bet you have been at least once,

so you’ve probably tried it, and it’s easy. When you activate your core and pelvic floor together, which are called your bandhas, you change your body from the flow of a water balloon to the tightness of a pen, you become one piece from hip to chest, and that is the third step on

your way to balance.So regular breathing, choosing

a point of focus and an activated core are the three simple steps to improving your balance postures. Remember these during your next practice and it will lead you all the way to floating like a feather.

Three Steps to Improving Your Balance

Yoga for the body and soul / Photo: Agency

1tbsp.olive oil

per plate is enough to

dress your salad

December 10-23, 2014 13ART & CULTURE

Some time passed after

my experience work-

ing with Freddy before

I decided to start my own

band, not just a duo, but this

time with four members:

voice, guitar, bass and drums.

Not only that, it was also the

moment to start working on

original songs. Finally. This

was something I had wanted

to do from the beginning.

I started writing my own

lyrics back in 2008 and had

them copyrighted under my

name. They are all in English,

to reach a larger international

audience. It was January 2009

when I found the other band

members. We started rehears-

als in La Caldera, the former re-

cording and rehearsal studio in

downtown Playa del Carmen.

It took us awhile to find the

right band name. After many

discussions coming up with

hilarious ideas (e.g. “Pink Rab-

bit”, for the stuffed toy shaped

like pink bunny our drummer

used inside his bass drum to

soften the sound) we decided

on the name from the German

word “Feder”, which means

“feather” and in German can

be interpreted as a pen or a

feather, symbolizing both writ-

ing and lightness. Our drummer

designed a very pretty logo and

we opened an account in MyS-

pace, which was “the big thing”

back for musicians and creative

arts performers.

Things were looking very

good at this point and we had

a great chemistry creating

songs. The flow of beer was

always present -of course!

Our first bassist would always

bring a mini cool bag to re-

hearsals; it was kind of his sig-

nature item. But where there

is beer, there is distraction.

And not just distractions, also

some reliability issues with

our guitar player (repeatedly

showing up late) -which later

resulted in major problems.

Nevertheless we got on

very well and were also hang-

ing out as friends. Our enthusi-

asm soon gave birth to our first

song Clockwork.

My Odyssey Through Music

Feder (1)By Aitana

For more information about the author

and her band check out the Facebook

pages /aitana.singer.jewelrydesigner

and /NightBrain.

Alfonso Arau Chooses Playa

for His New Film Latin Lovers

THE PLAYA TIMES (TPT): WHAT IS THE REASON FOR YOUR VISIT TO PLAYA DEL CARMEN?Alfonso Arau (AA): We are devel-oping a project, a film called Latin Lovers, a concept full of comedy, a cliché in the world where the Lati-nos are those in love and the tour-ists walk behind these latin lovers. And there is a bit of truth to that. This concept was born in Italy and in American movies. An American girl goes to Italy and an Italian guy gets her to fall in love with him. In Mexico, we were given

this tradition by Mauricio Garcés, who was a great comedian on the subject. He used to say to women, “poor girl, it must be horrible to first love me and then to lose me.” I was interested in the film because it’s a comedy about love. It’s a love story where the seducer ends up be-ing seduced. It’s a universal theme.

TPT: WHY PLAYA DEL CARMEN AS A SETTING FOR LATIN LOVERS?AA: It’s a high quality comedy, which ends up being a beautiful love story. We are promoting the

production, which is really pushing for the filming to take place in Pla-ya del Carmen. It’s a heavenly place full of tourists. It’s the ideal setting. I think the Caribbean is a place that God made to go to on vacation. I know a lot of beaches around the world, including Varadero, in Cuba, but the beaches here, the ones in Tulum, in Playa del Carmen, are extraordinary. I was saying a few months back as a tribute to the place, I live in Los Angeles because I’m a filmmaker, if I was a bullfight-er I would live in Madrid, and if I wanted to be happy I’d live in Playa del Carmen.

TPT: DO YOU HAVE OTHER PROJ-ECTS FOR 2015?AA: A movie director must always have several projects on the go. So many details have to coincide… it’s always a miracle a movie comes to-gether. I have a project about the Mexican astronaut, called In the Stars. It’s an important project. The success of Like Water for Choc-olate actually restricted things for me. After that, I was consequently seen as a director who made love stories, when in actual fact comedy is where my roots lie, and comedy together with poetry are the tools I use to communicate ideas.

TPT: WHAT BENEFITS DOES A MOVIE LIKE LATIN LOVERS BRING TO PLAYA DEL CARMEN?AA: The movie’s central theme couldn’t be more appropriate, this is the ideal place. The movie will bring a number of benefits. For instance, Puerto Vallarta was made famous as a result of the Elizabeth Taylor movie Night of the Iguana. A movie can do a lot for a place and Playa del Carmen is far more beau-tiful than Vallarta because it is part of the Caribbean.

TPT: IS THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE FILM ASSURED AND WHEN WILL YOU START FILMING?AA: Steve Barnett is a first class pro-ducer, he’ll assure the distribution goes worldwide and it helps that I am di-recting it. As for the cast, it’s still early days, we are still in the script devel-opment stage, and then the follow-ing stage could take anywhere from three months to 25 years. Getting the funding for the Gandhi movie took 25 years. Steve’s help is really important. I think that filming will take place during the summer-fall of 2015.

TPT: WHAT’S YOUR OUTLOOK FOR MEXICAN CINEMA?AA: It looks great to me. We have had a complicated history. In the 40s cinema was nationalized because the govern-ment were scarred, which consequent-ly destroyed the private industry that was then booming, the golden era. We hit rock bottom by only making 4 films a year. Mexico has highly tal-ented directors, producers, actors and writers. When the industry is up and running, great films are made. With Like Water for Chocolate our doors re-opened. [Alfonso] Cuarón has extraor-dinary movies; [Guillermo] del Toro is making great movies also. [Alejandro González] Iñarritu in his last film, Bird-man, was excellent. We are leaving our mark on the world.

TPT: WHICH ACTOR OR ACTRESS DID YOU ENJOY DIRECTING AND WHICH DIRECTOR DO YOU RESPECT?AA: So many interesting ones, one that I directed was the great actor Woody Allen, extraordinary. An ac-tor I really liked, who is talented but had a difficult childhood and is a lit-tle traumatized is Keanu Reeves. In terms of directors, my great teacher and mentor, Samuel Peckinpah, who I worked with as an actor during The Wild Bunch (1969) or John Landis.

BY MARÍA MOROTE

“My job as a producer is to find locations where I can get the most out of the money we have. Look around you, this is incredible and beautiful, the rainforest, the Caribbean. It fits perfectly for our script,” explained producer Steve Barnett regarding his new project Latin Lovers which will be shot in Playa del Carmen.

Barnett visited the region together with filmmaker Alfonso Arau in order to sound out local authorities on this upcoming romantic comedy produc-tion. The producer seemed excited of filming in Riviera Maya since the area has not been showcased much in movies and at the same time he was surprised

because, according to him, it has a great potential to be a spot for production.

“I am excited to meet with several officials but what I want to know is, do they want movies to come here? I see movies going to Hawaii or Puer-to Rico or other parts that have a similar look and I wonder why they aren´t coming here when you have enough accommodation to accommo-date half of the world and everything you need to put a big movie on. I want to see how we can maybe bridge that gap and try to generate more busi-ness,” Barnett said and added:

“Almost everyone speaks English here. There is also a benefit compared to places like Hawaii, the lower co-stand also the labor rates are lower

here. There is great infrastructure, some beautiful buildings and lot of people who would probably jump at the oppor-tunity to do a good job making films.”

What motivated Barnett to work with Arau was that, currently, stu-dios in the United States are really focused on trying to find content for the large Latin market. Romance seemed the perfect topic for this proj-ect, for both the American audience

and worldwide:“I reread the script after two years

and I thought to myself, this could be like a love letter to this part of the world. Also a lot of the script takes place in what is available here. It is a love story that I think is relatable to ev-erybody. If I am sitting in a theater in the United States and I see those things I would think ‘I want to go there’”, the producer concluded.

Could Playa Become a Little Hollywood?

Mexican movie director plans to set his new romantic comedy in our town, and is currently promoting his idea to local authorities and entrepreneurs so that filming can start in 2015

Scriptwriter Patricio Sánchez, Alfonso Arau and Stephen Barnett / Photo: Ceiba Films

Steve Barnett meets local authorities together with filmmaker Alfonso Arau / Photo: Ceiba Films

BY CARLOS UNDERWOOD

The prolific filmmaker Alfonso Arau, director of films such as Like Water

for Chocolate (1992) and A Walk in the Clouds (1995) visited Playa del Carmen to attend meetings with various officials and busi-nessmen in order to promote the development of a film project

which will take place in the Riviera Maya in 2015. During the interview with The Playa Times, Arau confirmed that his new film, Latin lovers, will be a comedy about love between two people and in the romantic and beautiful setting that Playa del Carmen has to offer, because the city, he confesses, “Is a place that God made to go to on vacation”.

INTERVIEW Alfonso Arau, filmmaker

14 TAKE A BREAK

HOROSCOPES

SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 22ND-DEC 21ST)

You’re in your element as you entertain, share ideas, and organize events. Fun seems to take the place of work, with a number of planets encour-aging you to kick back and enjoy social opportunities.

CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22ND-JANUARY 19TH)

A desire to volunteer at a charity function may keep you busy. You could be motivated to sacrifice your own enjoyment by giving a hand to others in need. You might also be eager to donate to good causes.

AQUARIUSJANUARY 20THFEBRUARY 18TH

The festive season gets off to a sociable start. The planetary lineup brings options for dating and generally hanging out with pals. You’ll have no shortage of kisses under the mistletoe.

PISCES(FEBRUARY 19TH-MARCH 20TH)

The lineup in your career sector highlights important goals and key ambitions. If you’ve dreamed of expanding your options, reach out to others who can share their experiences and knowledge.

ARIES (MARCH 21ST-APRIL 19TH)

Get down to work early on and plan to cross off the biggest items on your to-do list. After that you’ll be less eager to tackle complex jobs. This is a good opportunity to make new friends.

TAURUS(APRIL 20TH-MAY 20TH)

Thoughts about security may act as a cat-alyst to get you thinking about how to earn more money. You may have a strong urge to start a busi-ness. You may decide to pool your resources.

GEMINI(MAY 21TH-JUNE 21TH)

Your social life is a blur of activity! You may not have much time to relax, especially if others place demands on your time. You’re also in your element, networking and connecting with many people.

CANCER

(JUNE 22ND- JULY 22ND)

A down-to-earth aspect can help you plan ahead for the festivities or encourage you and a sig-nificant other to think about a vacation. Don’t give in to the impulse to buy more than you can afford.

LEO (JULY 23RD – AUGUST 22ND)

Get everyday tasks sorted out as soon as possible and then work on organizing your festive agenda. Romantic options look superb, with every in-dication that a love adventure is coming to you.

VIRGO (AUGUST 23RD – SEPTEMBER 22ND)

A focus on your home zone means you’ll be busy removing clutter, sprucing up your place, and getting everything ready for an extravaganza. Unex-pected guests might start to arrive.

LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23RD – OCTOBER 22ND)

E-mails, letters, and phone calls could keep you busy answering messages. A desire to connect with friends and see what they’re up to over the coming weeks could result in making plans.

SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23RD- NOVEMBER 21ST)

You seem to have taken the festive season to heart, especially when it comes to buying gifts and enhancing the feel-good factor.

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KU

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RD

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LAST ISSUE'S SOLUTION

Enter digits from 9 to 1 intothe blank spaces

Every row most contain oneof each digit

So must every column, as must every 3x3 square

CR

OS

SW

OR

D

BATTER

BLENDER

BOIL

COAT

COOKBOOK

GRILL

KNEAD

MARINATE

RECIPE

ROAST

SLICE

TEXTURE

COOKING

Wash and place the romeritos in a pan with a bit of water and cook at medium heat. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form

and then add the yolks. Little by little incorporate the mix of breadcrumbs and shrimp pow-der. Form patties with the mix-ture. Now, heat up a little oil in a pan, fry the patties until light-ly golden. Finally, leave them to drain on kitchen paper or towels while you heat up the mole paste with the chicken stock. Leave this to boil until it reaches a thick consistency, stirring occasionally. Add the romeritos and the potatoes, and cook everything together over medium heat. Serve hot.

*Romeritos are a Mexican wild

plant, that resembles baby

spinach or rosemary. You can find

it at any market at Christmas.

Romeritos

Ingredients:

2.5 lb. romeritos* 2 eggs1 cup breadcrumbs

½ cup dried shrimp powderOil2 ½ cups mole paste2 cups of chicken stock2 cooked diced potatoes

Directions

Makes 6 servings

REC

IPE

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December 10-23, 2014 15CLASSIFIEDS

ClassifiedsGENERAL SERVICES

ECOMECANICA AUTO REPAIR SHOP29th Street SouthMza 299 Lt. 2 Colonia Ejidal, Playa del CarmenTelephone 984 803 9926info@ecomecanica.com www.ecomecanica.com

RENTALS & PROPERTIES

NORTH AMERICAN STANDARDSPROPERTY SERVICESManagement, rentals and sales at their best.Playa del Carmen, Mexico. See our ad on the front page. CALL OR EMAIL US TODAY!984 873 3548 website: rentals@nasplaya.comSee our ad on the front page

MEDICAL & DENTAL

OFFSHORE HEALTH BENEFITS LTD.Global medical insurance and air ambulance For expatriates throughout Latin America.Access to top-rated hospitals throughoout Mexi-co, USA, Europe and beyond.25% discount through The Caribbean Expatriate Medical Group / No application or agent fees.Vonage (USA) 512 296 4976www.offshorehealthbenefits.com

MD PLAYA MEDICAL Specialists in endocrinology, cardiology, general medicine, psychiatry, orthopedics and trauma, dermatology, gynaecology ,obstetrics and chil-dren’s medicine. Plaza Paraiso Caribe. 5th Street between Avenues 10 & 15. For appointments call 984 803 0648.

RESTAURANTS

RESTAURANTE PATANEGRADelicious homemade Spanish food. Try the best tapas, paellas and more. Fine selection of Spanish red and white wines. On 26th St. between Avenues 10 and 15. Telephone 984 877 0701. Facebook Restaurante Patanegra

CONTACTS & PERSONALS

ROTARY CLUB PLAYA DEL CARMEN SEASIDEWeekly meetings at SOHO HOTEL.24 St and 10 st avenue. Tuesdays 12.30pmVisitors are welcome, for more information email: kwdoug1@yahoo.com

Craig Norton is a Canadian expat and the one of the founding members of Comedy Playa. If you

have a question you would like to ask him (for a friend), please email dearcraig@theplayatimes.com

I know that my readers are used to me mak-

ing fun of stupid questions that non-Play-

enses ask me. This week I am dedicating my

column inches to the passing of my good

friend, Gus Lynch, who died last week after a

fall from the Coba pyramid.

Gus was one of the

founding members of the

Akumal Comedy Festival,

along with Dan Schlissel of

Stand Up! Records, and Marieke Brown, a pillar

of the Akumal community. In the three years the

festival has run, a playground for the children

of Akumal Pueblo was built, money was raised

to help children attend the Akumal Montessori

school who otherwise could not have afforded

to go, a new addition was built at the Tulum Red

Cross building, and much needed money was

raised for the Playa Red Cross.

Gus Lynch was an integral, irreplaceable

part of all of those things.

Akumal was easily Gus’s second home. As

the director of Comedy Playa, I was always hum-

bled whenever he graced our stage. He was a

consummate professional, always bringing his

‘A’ game, making hundreds of our fans laugh

every time he performed. There will be no more

laughter resulting from the mind of this great

man. For that, I am saddened beyond measure

and consolation.

Gus was a fantastic father to his son Jones

and his daughter Evie. He loved his wife Amanda

like a mad man. Theirs was a marriage that most

people admire from afar with more than a little

jealousy. Gus’s family was his rock and his rubble.

His mother, Nancy, and his step-father, Bruce,

will feel his absence forever.

To Dan Schlissel and Stand Up! Records, he

was the right arm that held the reins in check

while Dan steered the carriage. That two great

men have forged such a living document of the

future of comedy is a testament to the dedica-

tion Gus had for Dan.

His friends from all over the world are still in

shock that he’s gone. Rightly so –he was meant

to be the quarterback for all remaining plays. A

rudderless ship, we drift without him.

I’ve run out of space for this article. I’ve so

much more I want to say. I wish we had one more

night of madness with him. I wish he could give

us more bear hug, one more jibe at our awkward-

ness, one more cigarette, one more beer, one

more kind word, one more night, one more day,

one more moment, all lost forever, all lost to

eternity where Gus now rests, laughing down on

us all until we hopefully get to be with him again.

Goodbye, Gus. Akumal, Playa and Minne-

sota will never been the same without you. The

world is a sadder place without you and the

laughter has been diminished in a way that will

never be replaced.

Smash some stars above for us, would you?

Craig.

Dear CraigDear Craig

If you have any questions about the available dogs from Playa Animal Rescue, contact Pat at info@playaanimalrescue.org

Reggae was born around March 2004 and arrived at the shelter in March 2014. Reggae is a senior dog that was heartworm positive on arrival and did very well with his treatments and is now healthy. Reggae is a very calm elderly dog. He will be an extremely easy dog to keep. Our fondest wish is to give our Reggae a home before it’s too late. Will your home be the one? Please consider a donation to help with the costs of his medications, and other dogs with serious illnesses.

REGGAE