Martha Richard-Uscanga is originally from the Province of Quebec, Canada. She always felt a need to live in a tropical climate suitable to her health and well being and travelled extensively to Europe, Central America, Hawai, the Bahamas, all over Canada and the United States of America.  Then in 1977,  Martha vacationed in  Mexico for the first time and eventually discovered Cancun, a truly genuine tropical paradise, a little more than a sleepy fishing village at that time.  She fell in love with the area and  also recognized that within the next 10 years, it would grow rapidly.  In 1979, she decided to take a sabbatical year from her challenging position as a teacher, overseas coordinator for language studies and administrative assistant to the President of the largest Community College in Montreal.  A woman of action, she moved to Cancun and began to work for a trial period in order to assure that it was the right place for her as a final life destination.

Andrés Hernandez Uscanga,originally from the beautiful state of Veracruz , grew up in Mexico City but traveled throughout the Mexican Republic, discovering Cancun in early 1975.  He decided to exchange his hectic pace of life in Mexico City for a more relaxed atmosphere and settled in Cancun, working for several Five Star hotels on the island of Cancun as well as for a major international airline company out of the Cancun airport. 

When Andres and Martha met in 1980, cupid and a new destiny were waiting for them.They found in each other the same kind of goals and incredible compatibility. Married in Montréal, Canada in September of 1981 they immediately returned to Cancun to start a very happy and energetic life together.  Not only did they join forces romantically but also economically. They started working together in the tourism industry as destination managers & representatives for Canadian wholesalers who were sending direct charters of up to 500 passengers from Montreal weekly.  Their dedication to the travel industry and the growth of Cancun never faltered; in 1986 they established their own travel agency, MARAND HOLIDAYS.  Since then, they  continued to travel widely, attending many Travel Trade Shows, conferences, seminars and professional courses within their field.

By 1992, Cancun was growing at an incredibly fast pace.  Many of their customers at Marand Holidays selected Puerto Morelos, a typical quiet fishing village located 36 kilometers south of Cancun, as a vacation destination.  Martha and Andres spent a lot of time in this town, fell in love with the place and slowly moved into the life of the community, deciding that this nature-centered village was where they really wanted to live, a decision they never regretted.  They were fortunate to find a small and cozy Mexican-style house just about 300 meters from the seashore.  It took them six months to renovate the house to fit into their lifestyle.  For a while they lived in Puerto Morelos but maintained their business in Cancun, commuting daily.  In 1997, Martha and Andres changed the name of their business to MARAND TRAVEL and moved their headquarters to Puerto Morelos.

Visitors who come to Puerto Morelos are seeking its tranquility and simplified pace of life.  The community is involved in assuring that the natural environment remains preserved for future generations to enjoy, something Martha and Andres truly believe is important.  They have survived two Category "5" hurricanes and Andrés is a full fledge participant in the Tourism Comite for the "Hurricanes Civil Protection" of Puerto Morelos.  The first one was back in 1988 "Gilbert" and the last big one "Wilma" in October 2005. After a lot of repairs and renovations, the village has returned to normal again and is ready to receive the tourists.

MARAND brought new services to the community and encouraged the growth of tourism in Puerto Morelos.  They became representatives/agents of a reputable car rental company, LOCALIZA, as well as airline and regional tour operators at the international level.  Since  there are no banks as yet in the area, they opened a Money Exchange Center under the name of “MOREXE”.  They personally attend to the foreigners' banking needs whenever it is requested.  Two ATM machines have since been installed at strategic points in the community to aid not only the tourists but locals alike.  

Martha and Andres developed their first Website back in 1996 and ever since have continued to improve the information flow about Puerto Morelos, a typical Mexican village that still survives on the fishing and tourism industry.  For the divers and snorkelers, they can find a spectacular paradise from its “Coral Reefs National Park”.  You can discover more about the area at their website  http://www.puertomorelos.com.mx  the site you are currently visiting. 

Prepared and re-edited by Martha Richard-Uscanga
August 2006