It seems strange to be talking about hurricanes when our hurricane season just finished but there is so much information to share that I figured we would just get started. Let me say first that I’m no weather or hurricane expert, before I moved to Playa del Carmen I didn’t even know what a hurricane was, but I’ve been here for several hurricane warnings and “lived through” hurricane Wilma in 2005 so I’ve learned a few things. This is the first post in a series about hurricanes and I`ll discuss the things that happen in a town like Playa del Carmen when there is a hurricane warning and when a hurricane actually hits. I’ll also try to shine a light on the things you, as a homeowner, can do to protect and prepare your property in Playa for a possible hurricane.

But first a few facts so we know what we’re talking about:

-          A hurricane is an intense tropical weather system of strong thunderstorms with a well-defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of 74 mph (64 kt) or higher (source: National Hurricane Center)

-          Hurricanes are categorized according to the strength of their winds using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. A Category 1 storm has the lowest wind speeds, while a Category 5 hurricane has the strongest. (source: National Hurricane Center)

-          The official Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1^st until November 30^th.  August through October shows the biggest activity but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to get a storm earlier or later or even outside of the official hurricane season. Weather doesn’t stick to our schedules, it seems.

During the hurricane season those who live in the Riviera Maya keep a close watch on one or several websites that track tropical weather so we know what is happening and if there are any areas that show possibilities for tropical cyclone formation. If you live in Playa del Carmen or happen to be visiting during that time you will find out that EVERYBODY in town is an accomplished and well informed weather man or woman and can tell you all about the hurricane and whether or not it will hit us directly.  Don’t forget that you can be just as knowledgeable by checking the same websites (see below for a few examples). Of course, experience does count for something and it can be helpful to listen to other people´s opinion and advise.

Before a hurricane is a hurricane it goes through several phases. First it is a tropical depression, then a tropical storm and then it becomes a hurricane. Thankfully not all tropical depressions or tropical storms become hurricanes. Once there is a hurricane its wind strength is indicated by categories numbered 1 through 5. Don’t be fooled by a low number though, a Category 1 storm can bring as much destruction or more as a Category 5 storm, the wind strength is less but it could carry a lot of rain causing floods and landslides. Once a tropical depression becomes a tropical storm it is named, based on the Atlantic storm name list.

The following websites have a lot of information about tropical weather and hurricanes. You can use them to see projections of a storm’s path, storm and hurricane advisories, history, tips for protection of life and property, etc. National Hurricane Center,  Wunderground Tropical Weather, The Weather Channel

During the hurricane season you can also check out the Latido de Mexico Facebook page where we will update you on tropical storm and hurricane warnings as they get  published by the National Hurricane Center.

If you were thinking of taking home some quality souvenirs from Playa del Carmen make sure to stop by the little artesania store on 1^st Avenue and Calle 14. The place is called Siete Detalles and is owned and operated by a wonderful lady called Alicia Zamorano. She named the store Siete Detalles, the seven details, in honor of her 7!!! children.

Siete Detalles on 1st Avenue and Calle 14

The store is full of all kinds of typical Mexican handicraft, most of it produced by Alicia’s family or by manufacturing families Alicia’s been working with for over 16 years. Siete Detalles sells quality Mexican handicrafts ranging from real talavera pottery to pewter, hand blown glass and calabaza products.

Mexican handicraft shoppers heaven

If you have any questions about the method of production or the authenticity of the crafts you can ask Alicia, she’s a fountain of knowledge. I asked her a few questions when I was in the store and what was supposed to be a 5 minute thing turned into something much longer and better! Here’s a little of what I learned about talavera pottery that day:

Traditional talavera pottery from Puebla

All the Talavera pottery sold in the store is handmade in Mexico.

Talavera tradicional or Talavera Poblana – is pottery made in Puebla and it can be recognized by the cream colored background of the design and the use of blue paint.

Talavera tradicional is certified for authenticity and it is the most expensive of the talavera pottery. The Talavera pottery that is sold in the store has been made by a family in Puebla that Alicia has been working with for over 16 years.

Talavera moderna – pottery that similar to the traditional talavera but has a white background, it is also made in Puebla and sold in the Siete Detalles. Less pricey that the traditional pottery.

Tipo talavera – talavera type pottery which has no specific background color, and the pieces sold in the store are hand-made in by a family in Guanajuato.

Talavera, authentic Mexican pottery

The pewter sold in the store is made Alicia’s family. The hand blown glassware comes from Jalisco and the calabaza products from Guerrero.When you bring something home from this store you will truly have a piece of Mexican handicraft. It is highly unlikely you will have to peel off a “made in China” sticker before you give it to one of your friends or family or keep it for yourself (which is what I have in mind).

Siete Detalles is located on 1ra Avenida Norte and the corner of Calle 14, Col. Centro, Playa del Carmen. It’s open daily from 10 AM to 9 PM.  If you find the door locked just knock on the one next door or come back later. It’ll be worth it.

By Tyra Hamilton

Looking for something a little different this past Saturday, we decided to check out the tianguis (market) being held at Parque La Ceiba.  The poster I saw promoted arts and crafts, regional food, plants, Mayan healers, plus.

Parque La Ceiba - The heart of Playa

The tianguis was scheduled to run from 10 am to 6 pm and we made a point to go early, hoping to enjoy the cooler morning temperatures.   As is often the case here, things don’t always run on time and it appeared that not all the vendors had set up their tables while we were there.  We browsed the various tables of embroidered shirts, typical Mexican sweets, honey, woven baskets, organic products and more.  I found a hanging basket set that I had to have!

My new kitchen accessory

One table with decorated flip flops and another with Mexican candies and honey

Sabado Tianguis is held the third Saturday of each month at Parque La Ceiba.  I very much hope that this event continues to grow in popularity and that more vendors will display their wares.  We will definitely make a point to attend again, (a little later in the day).  If you happen to be in the area, I would recommend it as a nice, little something different.

I immediately fell in love with Parque La Ceiba.  Trees and plants line the paths leading  you through the lovely grounds, past small open air amphitheaters , an outdoor café,  children’s play area and several buildings that serve as class rooms for the various workshops offered at the park.   The park also serves as a drop area for recycling.

Here are some additional photos taken during our stroll through the park.

Lovely plants for sale

I really like the bottles built into the side of this building

Whimsical painted cow – now that’s some yard art

The colorful outdoor café/snack bar

Parque La Ceiba is a recycling collection point

Easy to find, Parque La Ceiba is located the corner of Calle 1 south and Avenida 60, just one block south of Juarez and two blocks west of the highway.

For me, there’s nothing quite like spending a couple of hours sitting at the Tequila Barrel with a cold beer or three and watching the endless parade of people strolling down 5^th Avenue.

With a full menu of great, mostly Tex Mex, food like chicken wings, hamburgers, sandwiches and fajitas, deciding what to order becomes a difficult task – but do try the hot buffalo wings.  In the evenings, the party starts –ladies that dance on the bar get a free shot of tequila!

If drinking, eating and people watching weren’t enough, Tequila Barrel sets themselves apart from the many other bars by offering Live Sports Betting, with 20 TVs showing 14 different sports.  You can wager on many different sports including horse and dog races, football, boxing, hockey, and many more. Guests enjoy an open bar when betting on the horse or dog races.  For the golfers, they offer a ‘19^th Hole’ open bar promotion for after a tough day on the links.

The Tequila Barrel is located on 5^th Avenue between Calle 10 and 12.  Happy hour from 11 am to 5 pm, and specials like Ladies Night, Birthday Tuesdays and Pole Dancing contests.  You can find Tequila Barrel on the website, Facebook AND if you just can’t be there in person, you can watch the action on the webcam.

This post is long overdue. As a matter of fact I should have written about this restaurant at least 5 years ago and probably many times since because it is my all time favorite restaurant in Playa del Carmen. I must have eaten at John Gray’s Place every birthday, Christmas Eve and Valentines day since it opened in 2004. Because it is good, and when something is good you want it as often as you can. But it is pricy, so not really a restaurant you go to every week, unless you have really deep pockets, which I don´t.  And now all of this has changed. No my pockets have not gotten deeper but John Gray´s place has become more affordable. A lot more affordable. Really? Cheaper instead of more expensive? I’ll explain.

A few weeks ago John Gray introduced a weekly changing, fixed price menu. Lunch now costs 100 pesos which includes a soda, refillable iced tea, or a beer. Dinner costs 200 pesos and this includes an appetizer and a main course. The fixed menu changes often, some things will be added, others removed. The old menu has gone, you can only order of the new menu which has something for everyone including several of the all time favorites like the pate, fresh fish fillet with mango salsa and ” The Duck” made over.

I can hear you thinking: they must serve smaller portions. Absolutely not. Check out the picture of the rustic vegetable lasagna with Portobello mushrooms I had for lunch, does that look small to you?

or the Greek salad

So then the food on the fixed price menu must be of inferior quality. Are you kidding me? It is the same great food I´ve always enjoyed at John Gray´s Place. Maybe better because there is so much choice with the changing menu. And you get to try new stuff every time which is great if you’re like me because I´ve had lunch there 3 times and dinner once since the introduction of the fixed priced menu. So I guess the new strategy is working. Or at least, it is working for me.

Basically John Gray wants a lot of people to come to his restaurant to eat his wonderful food. His strategy is to make it more affordable. I think he´s on to something.

That's Tyra and me having lunch

John Gray’s Place is located in Calle Corazon between 5^th Avenue and Calle 14, Playa del Carmen

For reservations you can call 984-803-3689 or email JohnGraysPlace@gmail.com

Opening hours are lunch Monday-Sunday, 1:00pm – 6:00pm and dinner Monday-Sunday, 6:00pm – 11:00pm

by Susan de Lima

In the continual search of new and entertaining activies, Latido de Mexico partnered up with Playa Maya News to organize a beach bocce ball tournament. With the fantastic team at Canibal Royal www.canibalroyal.com who hosted the event we planned for several months to bring an accesible, fun activity for all to enjoy!

We wanted to know, “If we build it will they come?” Well, did they ever! With 16 teams total it was a sold out success with many spectators who came out to support and cheer on the teams.

The origin of bocce ball dates back to the Roman Empire with the name derived from the Italian word boccia which means balls. Since it’s inception, the game has been adapted and played in many countries, thus the many variations of names.
My first experience with the game was actually on a secluded beach outside of Puerto Vallerta where we spent the afternoon playing coconut bocce ball. We didn’t really know the rules but made it work with lopsided coconuts as our balls. We upgraded to actual beach bocce balls for our event of course!

With our fearless referees, Amy and Sol the event began. The intensity grew and so did the skill level as the day progressed. So much so there was standing room only for viewing! It came down to some very close games with our own Sharky and Mark taking the win!

Thanks to our wonderful prize sponsors: Catamaya Sailing , Waves Salon, Off the Vine, Diablito Cha Cha Cha, La Santanera, and Canibal Royal.
Special thanks to the volunteer referees and all the fantastic photos by Kat of Cateye Creations. To view all the photos go to Playa Maya News or Facebook.

What is next? Stay tuned for more fun events to come!

I sat at the computer listening to it rain outside.   As often is the case on a rainy day, my mind went to food.  Not just any food, but comfort food.  In no mood to cook for myself, I checked the Facebook page for Mom’s Bar & Grill to see what was on the menu that night.  CHICKEN FRIED STEAK!  Perfect!  To a Texan, nothing says comfort food better than Chicken Fried Steak and mashed potatoes, smothered in gravy.

Mom’s Bar and Grill is located on the corner of 30th Avenue and 4th Street, upstairs at Mom’s Hotel

So to Mom’s Bar and Grill I went.  After (over) filling my need for comfort food, I stuck around to socialize a bit.  Mom’s Bar & Grill is the ‘Cheers’ in Playa del Carmen.  It is the rare occasion to belly up to the bar and not find a group of expats telling stories, or a couple of tourists or hotel guests to meet and chat with.  Maybe a game of pool or throwing darts suits your fancy or if you happen to visit Mom’s Bar on a Tuesday or Thursday you can join in on a friendly game of Texas Hold ‘Em poker.

My enormous serving of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and corn!

Mom’s Bar and Grill is located on the corner of 30^th Avenue and 4^th Street, upstairs at Mom’s Hotel.  In addition to being a full service bar, with great prices, Mom’s also offers a nightly dinner special.  The proprietor and chef at Mom’s Bar & Grill, Jurgen Janz , welcomes guests into his ‘living room’ Monday through Friday from 5 pm to 11 pm, with dinner served from 6 pm to 10 pm, or until the food runs out.   With a rotating menu of meals such as meatloaf, hickory smoked baby back ribs, bacon and portabella mushroom stuffed pork chops, just to name a few, you would swear they were cooked by mom herself.   The best part is that the prices won’t break the bank (half orders start at $50 pesos with full orders starting at $80 pesos).

Jurgen and his beautiful bartenders, Tanya and Yessica

So the next time you feel the need for comfort food in Playa del Carmen, check out Mom’s Bar & Grill…. where something good is always cooking.

Glad I saved room for the chocolate devil rum cake

If you’ve had any conversation that involved restaurants in Playa over the last few months I’m sure you’ve been hearing the buzz as well …. ComoComo. The name kept popping up around me so I thought it was time to give it a try.

ComoComo is located on 5^th Avenue between Calle 38 and 40, in the middle of the new and fashionable 38^th street area. Everything that’s hip and hot at the moment seems to be there and I’m not talking about clubs or bars but I’m talking restaurants, small bars, a salon, nice furniture store, etc.

ComoComo

ComoComo is a relatively small restaurant with comfortable seating inside and outside on a pretty wooden deck. It is nicely decorated, basic, not overdone with beautiful candles from Artevelas. I got the feeling that at ComoComo the focus is on the food rather than the interior.

I took only a few pictures and was planning on taking many more but got distracted and lost in the food pretty much as soon as my starter arrived (of which I did manage to take a picture). Mussels and clams prepared the traditional Italian way with white wine, tomato and lots of garlic. The menu is mostly Italian or Mediterranean cuisine with a lot of daily specials that are not on the menu. As a main course we had a special of meatballs and mashed potatoes and fettuccini with olive oil, tomato and lobster that we ordered off the menu. I was fully expecting pasta with a few pieces of lobster but no … it came with an entire (small) lobster, way to go ComoComo! Needless to say I loved it and my apologies for not taking any pictures. I’ll have to go back to take some (that’s my excuse). We weren’t very hungry after the 7 meatballs and a whole lobster so we shared a dessert of apfel strudel with vanilla ice cream and some good Italian coffee.

mmm mussels and clams

With prices that are around 100 pesos for starters and desserts and no more than 200 pesos for a main course the bill was a pleasant surprise.  The service is also worth mentioning, very professional and friendly. I felt was eating at a place where people actually know what they’re doing and understand the restaurant business.

If you want to try it out for yourself don’t forget to make a reservation first: 9848591646. You can find more information on the restaurant’s facebook page or website.

I recently had the opportunity to attend a small BBQ for the inauguration of the Kitty Kottage, the newest Coco’s Cat Rescue facility.  Coco’s Cat Rescue is a non-profit agency dedicated to reducing the population of cats (dogs too!) in the Playa del Carmen area.  With two full time veterinarians on staff, Coco’s has implemented a very successful spay/neuter program – a total of 363 cats and dogs were sterilized in November and December 2010.  Additionally, Coco’s is a no-kill rescue facility with a focus on finding loving homes for the kittens in their care.

The Kitten Kottage is a light and airy building filled with all of the things that kittens love

The Kitty Kottage was built by Roz and Dave, two of Coco’s tireless volunteers.  This unique facility was created to care specifically for newborn and special needs kittens, as well as other Coco’s kittens when needed.  The kittens that will be housed in the Kottage will often times require almost round the clock care and feeding.  In this new facility, under the loving care of Roz, these lucky kittens will be given every chance to become healthy and grow up to find forever homes.

Roz, Kitten Kottage den mother, and Sherry, Coco’s Cat Rescue Board Member

The Kitten Kottage is not open to the public, however Coco’s hosts Kitten Cuddling every Friday afternoon from 2 to 4 pm at their main facility.  Kitten Cuddling is not only a fun way to spend a couple of hours, it also an important step in the taming and socialization of the kittens.

The tent currently serves as a play area for the kittens, but can also be used by Roz when the kittens in her care require feedings every two hours.

I was very happy to have the opportunity to enjoy the afternoon with an introduction to the new Kitty Kottage, a chance to love on the resident kittens and to stuff myself on some yummy burgers, BBQ chicken and salads galore.  Many thanks go out to Roz and Dave for their hospitality, all of their hard work and their devotion to the kittens.

I fell in love with this little ginger kitten!

For more information on Coco’s Cat Rescue, please visit their website or find them on FaceBook at CocosCatRescue.

As you might have noticed I did very few restaurant reviews the last couple of months, ok I did none, but yesterday evening we decided it was time to try out a new place. We choose Season Bistro on 8^th street. The place has many wonderful reviews on Tripadvisor and were participants in Taste of Playa 2010 (but unfortunately never made it to the actual event) so we were eager to check it out.

Season Bistro entrance

Season Bistro changes its menu with every season, hence the name, so it being January we were treated to the winter menu. Nothing is more wintery than soup in my opinion so we had the onion soup and the Dos Colores soup for starters. The soups came looking very pretty, smelling great (melted cheese will do that), and tasting even better. The onion soup was thick, sweet, well spiced and it could have been an entire meal that’s how filling it was.  The Dos Colores soup looked beautiful, poured into the cup like a yin and yang painting. It is 2 different soups together in a bowl, roasted poblano pepper and creamy corn soup and they tasted surprisingly really well together.

Dos Colores soup

The main courses were a bit disappointing. We had shrimp and lobster lasagna that tasted good, but it was covered in, a bit too much, creamy sauce which also didn’t do much for the presentation . The venison we ordered was presented beautifully and tasted ok but could’ve been so much better. So on to the desserts we went.

Venison in a chipotle sauce with masked potatoes and asparagus

If you’ve read some of my other reviews you know I’m a sucker for crème brûlée so when they mentioned the apricot crème brûlée I didn’t hesitate for a second. We also ordered a flourless chocolate – whisky cake with vanilla ice cream. Personally I don’t think you should mess with crème brûlée, it is hard enough to get it exactly right when making the classic version so I think you should just leave it as it is but in this case I was completely wrong! The apricot crème brûlée was fantastic, light and fluffy, possibly even better than when made with the classic vanilla flavored custard, the caramel on top was exactly right as well contrasting nicely with the creamy custard. An A+ on my crème brûlée list (yes, there’s a list). But not to forget about the chocolate cake which was absolutely wonderful too, rich dark sticky chocolate and plenty of whisky – cake with good vanilla ice cream on top, and a great presentation. After putting most of it away and gaining several pounds in the process we asked for the bill. The prices are not exactly “old Playa prices” but where do you get those these days and to be honest the meal wasn’t old Playa style either. Overall we were pretty happy with our dinner, the setting is wonderful, the wine and drink list original and pretty complete for a restaurant, the food creative, tasty and beautifully presented and the service is good and very friendly. Will we go back and try the next season? Absolutely!

Chocolate whisky cake and apricot crème brûlée

Season Bistro is located on Calle 8 between the beach and Fifth Avenue. They’re open daily from 4 – 11 PM, closed on Tuedays. For more info and the latest season menu you can check out the restaurant’s website http://www.seasonbistro.com