Here in Mexico, the holidays continue with Three King’s Day or El Día de Reyes (also known as The Epiphany). Every January 6th Mexicans celebrate the day when the Three Kings or Three Wise Men arrived with gifts for the baby Jesus.
Children look forward to this day more than Christmas as it is the time when they receive gifts. Until recently Christmas and Santa were not the time to exchange gifts, King’s Day was. Now some lucky children get gifts on both days.
The other tradition on King’s Day is you get to eat cake. These cakes are called Rosca de Reyes and are eaten to commemorate the arrival of the three Magi or Wise Men. These cakes are everywhere in Mexico, they are stacked eight feet high in some stores, they are that popular.
When you sit down to enjoy your Rosca de Reyes, you may bite down on something hard and plastic. Buried inside the cake are little figurines of the baby Jesus. If you are lucky enough to bite into your piece of cake and find one of the babies, you are “blessed” with the responsibility of hosting a dinner of tamales on February 2 for the Candlemas Day or Día de la Candelaria. This stretching the holidays even further!
So today we hope you get to eat cake! Happy Dia de Reyes!
Here are the cash exchange rates for January 4, 2019 at CI Banco in Puerto Morelos. I post these rates on occasion so that you can compare these rates with the rate your bank or the ATM may offer. To see where the rates have been in the last couple of years, search “exchange rates” on our page at InPuertoMorelos.com
Cash Exchange Rates
Buy
Sell
US Dollar $
18.60
19.85
Canadian Dollar $
13.40
14.80
Euro €
21.35
22.75
Pound Sterling £
23.75
25.25
I was in the neighbourhood, so I checked G Capital in the AKI Plaza as well. Their buy rates were 18.60, 13.80, 21.00 & 24.30 respectively.
We here at InPuertoMorelos.com and Casa de los Viajeros wish each and every one of you the very best in the upcoming year. We hope we will see you here in Puerto Morelos in 2019! All the best for a healthy, happy and prosperous new year. Salud! Rob & Joanne
October also saw the completion of much of the street construction which included the lighting of some of the new street lamps in Puerto Morelos.
Halloween was a huge event this year, with candy being given out to over 700 kids, thanks to donations from locals & visitors, all under the supervision of the uber-organized of Jorie at the mexiCAN Compassion Project.
November also saw the completion of the new palapas around the square, which provide more shade and more seating areas for the businesses.
December brought with it the north winds, which cleaned up our beaches making them beautiful.
And of course, in spite of what the Grinch wants, December always brings Christmas, even to the tropics. The town really went all-out on its light displays both on the port side and in La Colonia.
As the sun sets on 2018, we see that it was a year with lots of changes and growth in our little town. Here at InPuertoMorelos.com we try to keep you up to date on everything that goes one. This year more than 87,000 people visited our blog, reading our more than 65 posts.
We hope that you enjoyed them all! May you have a happy and prosperous 2019 and may it find you InPuertoMorelos.
Here is a brief year in review of some of the events that took place in the town we all love, Puerto Morelos. Brought to you by InPuertoMorelos.com and Casa de los Viajeros.
2018 started off with this amazing sunrise. A sure sign of good things to come.
As it is every January, the town was in fine form with lots of visitors to our little village, including this guy.
In February, traditionally the town’s busiest month, La Sirena Restaurant and Lounge opened its rooftop bar giving us new views of the lighthouse, the town and of course the star of the show, our ocean.
In March the town began construction on a major renovation of the streets surrounding the square.
The plan was to bury the electrical cables and repave the streets surrounding the square and to the south.
As you can imagine, this was no small undertaking and the construction… well, let’s say it took some time. Check out the car in the photo above, which was parked as the road was torn up around it!
In April, we took a tour of La Colonia with Ana. It was a great way to get to know Puerto Morelos just a little better.
Also in April, a new cafe opened, called Aarom on Ninos Heroes
Meanwhile the construction carried on, making for rather interesting traffic routes through town as many roads were closed.
May brought about the official end of high season, as many of our visitors flew away until next year.
That left many of us locals with a little more free time on our hands to enjoy the summer months, and have some fun.
Maybe a little too much fun! But summer is a great time in Puerto Morelos. It is when the normally busy business people get a chance to reconnect. The restaurants aren’t too busy, so owners quite often have time to stop and share a drink or two. Here we’re sharing a laugh with Ian from La Sirena and Marco, the boy wonder genius behind I Wanna Pizza.
Will you be wearing red or yellow underwear when you ring in 2023?
If you haven’t noticed, even the Chedraui on the highway in Puerto Morelos sells red and yellow undergarments. It is a Mexican tradition to wear a pair of either colour when you start off the New Year. If you wear red panties, you are hoping for a year filled with romance and love. If you wear yellow panties you are hoping for a year of prosperity, luck and money. You can’t just wear any old pair of underwear, they must be a new pair, worn for the first time as you ring in the New Year. And my friends tell me they should be a gift!
There is nothing better than plucking a fresh pair of gonch off the Christmas tree to decide your fate for the upcoming year.
So what colour underwear will you be wearing as you ring in 2023?
This year, Christmas Day falls on our usual SHOUT OUT TUESDAY, so we decided to make this week’s SHOUT OUT to Christmas in Puerto Morelos! We dug into our voluminous archive and found some photos of past snow-freeNavidads spent here in Puerto Morelos. (Click any of the photos to view them full size)
This was 2002, our first Christmas in Puerto Morelos. We look so young! (Rob cannot explain his hair except that it was very windy!)
2002: We quickly learned that the kids sing Christmas carols in December to raise money for their Christmas party at school. Our shop on the square was a convenient stop to collect some coins from the cornered Canucks. Who could resist these faces though!
2002: This was our first time seeing a nativity scene in Mexico. We were quite surprised to see that the “baby Jesus” was a real live baby!
2002: And what would a nativity scene be without a big Christmas fish! (We still can’t quite figure that one out.)
2003: In Mexico, the joyous season starts off early with the celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe. These gents are singing carols to collect money for a celebration.
2009 featured a Posada where Mary, seen here on the back of a real donkey led by Joseph, went from business to business singing a song that asks for room at the inn. As per the Christmas Story, in response, the business owners turn them away. Eventually they are allowed in, and the celebration begins.
2010 brought us another Posada, even bigger than the year before.
In 2014 was memorable as we found a baby raccoon stuck in our garbage can at Christmas time. It was an unusual situation, and nobody was particularly pleased. We and the raccoon all agreed that he should not be there.
Unfortunately, we had no raccoon experience at that time, having grown up in Calgary, but a knowledgeable guest helped us (and the raccoon) out by sticking a palm frond in the can, giving the masked beast a ladder to escape. Despite this inauspicious start, the raccoons visit regularly now.
2015 Was the year of the many years when our Nativity scene was not quite to scale.
2017 Was the year that the baby Jesus never showed up. Mary and Joseph just kept waiting… right through into 2018, but still no baby.
UPDATE: We are happy to report that on December 27th, 2018 the baby Jesus did arrive, fashionably late.
One of our oldest memories of Christmas in Puerto Morelos is this garage on Rafael Melgar (near Chedraui) that hosts an annual elaborate Nativity Scene. The homeowners leave the garage door open so that any passerby can enjoy it. They have been doing it every year since we moved here. It is one of the beautiful sights we get to see during the Christmas season in Puerto Morelos.
We hope you have enjoyed this tour of our Christmases in Puerto Morelos. Merry Christmas and a Happy 2019 to all from Rob & Joanne InPuertoMorelos.com and Casa de los Viajeros.
And we leave you with this explosive look at New Year’s Eve from 2007/2008.
Hola again from your favourite town in Mexico, Puerto Morelos! This is Part II of our Beach Reads Town Update (Part I here), pointing out what is new and notable here in paradise. (Click any of the photos to see them full screen)
With the new Chedraui opening, Super Aki apparently decided they needed to up their game, so they expanded the store using most of the new space for a better produce section and a brand new fresh bakery.
The Aki Plaza is also adding on. A whole new building is still under construction, but we know half of it will be devoted to a Banco Azteca.
Most of the older retail space has now been filled in Aki Plaza. There is an alternative exchange house called G Capital, a popular coffee spot called Peekaboo Cafe, a fishing supply store called Artes de Pesca, Salon Mirame, Rush Laundry, Loncheria La Chona and the big Bancomer Bank which has ATM machines and some of the coldest air conditioning on earth.
Also, a whole new plaza has also sprung up where the car wash at the entrance to town used to be. A bunch of businesses have already moved in. Capitán Kay is a seafood restaurant with treats like fish tacos, tostadas and fish & chips. They are getting good reviews for their food and for their creative, nautical decor. They are open daily noon to 7:00 except Wednesday.
Also in the plaza is a new beef place called Cornelli’s Grill. They feature various kinds of grilled meats including ribs, arrachera, rib eye, chorizo and chicken. Ownership is the same as My Little Italy. They are open from 4:00 to 10:00 daily except Tuesday.
Closer to the ocean, nestled between the main roads of Rojo Gomez and Niños Héroes you will find a new boutique called Almar azul. Inside you will find all sorts of treasures, casual wear, swimwear, jewellery, decorative items and more. All cleverly designed and very local.
We watched the owners lovingly put their shop together over a period of weeks, and now they are open! Check out their unique items at their store, which is easy to find between the two main roads, one block north of the square, near Taninos and Blue Morelos. Their Facebook page has a map which will get you very close.
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The restaurants in Puerto Morelos have joined up to hold more special events in Puerto Morelos throughout the year. The aptly-named Puerto Morelos Restaurant Association has staged one event already, a traditional Christmas Posada. Held at Don Mexkal, the event had food, drink and traditional Christmas music.
Most importantly to the kids though, they had piñatas! Sweet, festively- dressed children become different people when handed a pole and pointed at a piñata! It’s all about the candy inside, and the paper mache creation is just in the way!
What a great event to be a part of! Look for more events from the Restaurant Association in 2019.
Hope you enjoyed our Beach Reads updates. Wishing you a Feliz Navidad and a fabuloso 2019. Hope your plans include a visit to Puerto Morelos!
Check out our places at www.CasaDeLosViajeros.com Fully equipped one and two bedroom suites, close to the beach and the square.
Hola from your favourite town in Mexico, Puerto Morelos! We’ve had a busy fall and the whole town is gearing up for the busy tourist season and for Christmas. (Click any of the photos to see them full screen)
The biggest local news is probably the opening of a new grocery store on the port side of Puerto Morelos. Chedraui opened a new “Selecto” store at the end of November.
The new Chedraui features a food court area with a cafe, sushi bar, sandwiches, ceviches and draft beer. Look at how shiny the bakery trays were on the opening day!
It has a smaller grocery selection than the Chedraui on the highway and features a cafe, sandwich shop, sushi counter and a place to get ceviche. The store has a good wine section, a specialty beer area (where you can get a draft beer) a bakery and a small pharmacy. The new store is located just south of the square on Rojo Gomez. Of course, we will continue to support our small businesses, like our produce/juice store on Ninos Heroes, but this will save us some trips up to the highway for sure.
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Speaking of Sushi, the talented Pablo Espinosa (formerly of El Nicho & La Guaya Cafe) has now opened a Japanese restaurant called Oishii Puerto Morelos.
Their menu features rolls, salads and rice & chicken dishes. Early reviews are very good. The restaurant is located on Rojo Gomez in the spot where La Guaya, and before that, Carpe Diem was. They are open daily except Monday from 5:00-10:00. Here is a link to their Facebook page with more information. (Don’t go by the map on their Facebook page though, it’s inaccurate. Use our PM Restaurant Guide map link instead)
Another much anticipated opening was The Burger Undergound. They gained fame and fans through their “delivery only” burger business, but now they have a restaurant on Ninos Heroes. Their menu features burgers and fries served fresh, fast and custom-made when you order. They are open daily noon to 9:00 except Tuesday. Here is a link to their Facebook Page with more info. They were also the subject of one of our InPuertoMorelos.com SHOUT OUTS earlier this month.
I would be remiss in not mentioning that our beach is looking good these days. The entire Caribbean had an invasion of Sargasso in the summer. Crews worked diligently every day to remove it, largely by hand, but it was often like shovelling during a blizzard. Now the currents have changed, and our shores are looking like they should again.
Here are the cash exchange rates for December 21, 2018 at CI Banco in Puerto Morelos. I post these rates on occasion so that you can compare these rates with the rate your bank or the ATM may offer. To see where the rates have been in the last couple of years, search “exchange rates” on our page at InPuertoMorelos.com
