Hekab Be Biblioteca Directions, Hours & Staff

Library Closed in Afternoon through January 31st

2012-01-24T08:25:00.000-08:00

We will be open in the mornings 9:30-1 weekdays (except Weds, closed all day) and open on Sat 9-1.

Library Regular Hours

2012-01-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 9:30 am-5:30 pm (closed 1-2:30 for lunch)
Weds 2:30-5:30 (Closed Weds mornings)
Saturday 9:00 am-1 pm
Closed Sunday

AA meetings are held at the library from 8:30-10 PM. every night except Sunday, and sometimes Wednesday. Although the group leader, Hector, does speak English, the meetings are mostly in Spanish. If looking for an English speaking group, Hector suggests going to Puerto Aventuras or Playa del Carmen.
They usually open only a few minutes before the meeting, so if you arrive early, please wait!

Directions to Akumal & Hekab Be

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**PLEASE be extremely careful driving on highway 307, it is a very dangerous road and visitors are the most frequent victims of car accidents since the road is unfamiliar to them**

The library is located in Playa Akumal on the same road that leads to the tourist areas of Akumal Bay, Half Moon Bay and Yalku Lagoon (also known as "North Akumal").

The highway in front of Akumal is a divided 4-lane road.

Coming from North of Akumal (Airport)
Coming from the North on highway 307 from Playa del Carmen, it takes about 20-30 minutes to arrive at the turn-off for Akumal.
You will pass the resort called Palladium and go about another 3 miles before reaching the exit for Akumal.
Because the road is divided, you must first pass the Akumal entrance, go under the bridge and go about a quarter mile and carefully turn around (make a U turn to the left) sign, from the left hand lane of the highway. You will then head back in the opposite direction to the entrance and make a right turn into Akumal.

Please be very careful in making your U-turns on the highway. DO NOT EXPECT oncoming traffic to slow down, stop, or let you in. USE EXTREME CAUTION!!

Coming from South of Akumal
To get into Akumal coming from the South (Tulum, Akumal Beach Resort, South Akumal, Bahia Principe, Aventuras Akumal, etc), you simply turn right into the entrance from the right hand lane of the road, that is marked “Playa Akumal.”

Once you are in Akumal Playa
After getting onto the Akumal entrance road, you will find Hekab Be about a quarter of a mile down the entrance road, just past the first speed-bump at the information booth. You will see the library on the left side (set back from the road, it is a white building), there is a big blue sign that says Hekab Be Biblioteca. That's it!
If you get to the little grocery stores or the arch, you went too far.

Walking directions from Akumal Beach Resort
The library is within walking distance from ABR, maybe about 15 - 20 minutes or so. Walking from ABR, go north or left when facing the ocean on the beach for 5 minutes or so, until you reach the Lol Ha beach bar (great place to people watch, have a drink, etc.).

Then turn left away from the ocean and towards the highway (west). You'll pass through the arch and go past the little grocery stores Super Chomak and El Pueblito. Keep going and you will see a white building set back from the road on the right, plus a big kids swing set, and a sign that says "Hekab Be Biblioteca." That's it. The library is roughly half way between the arch and the highway.

MEET THE LIBRARY FAMILY

2010-11-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

Mariana Galindo, our new Director. Mariana is originally from Veracruz state, but Akumal has been her home for the past 6 years. Mariana has a B.A. in primary education and is a certified elementary teacher. She has worked as a teacher at various schools in Veracruz and in the Riviera Maya, most recently as a teacher at Instituto Vittorio Monteverdi in Tulum.

As the new library director, Mariana has many goals, the foremost being to create an educational atmosphere that is warm & welcoming to people of all ages, from children to parents to senior citizens, and everyone in between! She will be implementing new programs including classes in music, dance, and other arts and it is her desire to see HB become not just a center for education, but also a cultural hub in the Akumal area.

Nayla (on right) is a middle school student who has been volunteering at the library for the past year. In exchange for her time, Nayla received the school supplies she needed. When our prior library assistant resigned, we decided to give Nayla the opportunity to take a part time paid position, since we know she also needs money to help pay for school related expenses. We are thrilled to say that Nayla has arisen to the challenge, proving herself to be an extremely responsible teen-ager and we are even happier to find that she has positively bloomed in this role! Not only can we see her gaining self-confidence day by day, having her at the library means many more middle school students have started using our services again.

Ellie is an active library volunteer who lives in Akumal and has been involved
in the library since it was founded over 10 years ago. She is an American married to a wonderful local man, and they have 2 young children who keep them both busy! But Ellie still finds time to help maintain the library blogs, answer emails, make financial decisions, and help with just about everything else as needed.

Debbi and her husband Frank, live in the East SF Bay area. They love the Akumal area and have been devoted to the Library for a number of years. She is a mother of 3 and has owned and operated several businesses. Debbi was instrumental in establishing a Paypal account so that the Library could more easily receive donations. Her best times are spent snorkeling Half Moon and Akumal Bays and exploring the east coast of Quintana Roo.

Alice (aka Alice in AZ) and her husband, Chuck live in Arizona. They enjoy vacationing in Akumal, but also are devoted to this wonderful literacy project. About 10 years ago, there were less than 50 children’s books in the entire village. Now the library has over 1,500 children’s books in Spanish and is a catalyst for literacy programs in the region. Alice is a vital information link to library visitors and donors on the US side. As an outgrowth of her work with the library, Alice has become a board member of Books for a Better World and taken several trips to countries in Central America to deliver books to areas in need. Alice has helped keep the library alive in times of scarcity, and we are so grateful for all she has done!

Liza is a legal assistant at a busy law firm and lives with her husband, Mike, in Portland, OR. They have been traveling to Akumal since 2006. They discovered the library while researching their first trip to the area. They brought down some books for Alice and dropped them off. After that, they were hooked and have been avid library supporters since then. Liza actively helps out with whatever the library needs are, be it fund raising, bringing school supplies, backpacks and books down, etc. She and Mike fell in love with Akumal and the local folks here so much so that they chose to have their wedding here (and not only that, they generously asked that people make donations to the library in their name in lieu of wedding gifts!). They consider it an honor to be able to help out the local children and the wonderful library and we are honored to have their help!

How to make a donation when the library is closed

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** Our STRONG preference is to receive all donations during library hours (Mon-Sat 9:30-1; Mon-Fri 2:30-5:30) so that we may thank you appropriately and record the donation in our guest book **

If time runs out and all else fails...
Please do not leave donations outside the library. Materials left outside often disappear--we cannot assure its safety. Donations in kind may be left with Charlene (an American woman who uses a wheelchair) at the Super Chomak, the little grocery store in front of the arch at the entrance to Akumal Bay Beach.

If you have a monetary donation and the library is closed, we ask that you consider mailing the donation directly to us (click here for information) or donate using paypal. Because Charlene is not always at the Super Chomak, we cannot assure donors that cash donations left there will be received by the library. If you decide to leave a cash donation at the Super Chomak, make sure to put it in a sealed envelope that says "Hekab Be Library" and give it directly to Charlene.