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our photo gallery

our photo galleryJanet Dore2019-06-18T03:20:18+00:00

playa venao photos and more…

Click on our logo below to follow us on Instagram for lots of Panamá, Panama City, Azuero Peninsula and Playa Venao photos — plus the story of Vista Cañas.

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Instagram post 2195948115692131678_7177218666 Oh, boy...I really don't like being harsh in my reviews, but it doesn't make sense to do them if I'm not going to keep it real.
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👉🏻 SPOILER ALERT 👈🏻 Home Truths is my first Susan Lewis book—and it will also be my last. (I won this book on a @goodreads giveaway)
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I found the story to be completely formulaic, hence extremely predictable and the ending tied up everything with a shiny red bow.
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The internal and external dialogue, which was almost entirely coming from the main character, Angie, felt emotionally flat to me—pretty crazy seeing as how serious shit was going down. Angie's son was lured into a gang, her husband was brutally murdered by said gang as her son watched, and she became the target of the gang leader who proceeded to force her out of her home and go after her daughter for sex trafficking.
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BUT what bothered me most...A LOT...was the underlying message of the author that women are bleeding heart damsels in distress who need princes in various shades of armor to rescue them. Gahhhhh...WTH, it's 2019!!! The fact that one of my own is still perpetuating this crap makes it particularly upsetting.
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On a positive note, this book removed any doubt that I've evolved as a reader and am a full-fledged feminist. 😬
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Now onto The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux to learn what NOT to do when I move down to Panamá! 😄
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#bookreview #booklover #bibliotherapy #books #bookretreat #bookstagram #bibliophile #booklove #idratherbereading #loveofstory #currentlyreading #booknerd #bookstagrammer
Instagram post 2195217255527393194_7177218666 WORD.
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#takeabreak #zachgalifianakis #naturetherapy #oceantherapy #natureretreat #beachretreat #foresttherapy #minimalist #minimalism #slowliving #smallmomentsofcalm #seeksimplicity #simplicity #bookretreat #readmore #bibliotherapy #idratherbereading #booksandnature #booktravel #offthebeatenpath #happyplaces #nocrowds #tranquilo #outsideisfree #visitpanama
Instagram post 2190991839463935977_7177218666 Horseback ride anyone? We had a great ride with our @eco_venao guide!
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#horsebackriding #ecovenao #naturetherapy #natureretreat #offthebeatenpath #happyplaces #nocrowds #playavenao #panamaexperience #canas #azueropeninsula #panama #centralamerica #visitpanama
Instagram post 2188811070473694161_7177218666 I fell in love with Elizabeth Gilbert when I read Eat, Pray, Love many years ago—I can't believe I haven't read anything by her since! She did NOT disappoint with The Signature of All Things.
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This book checked all my boxes—history, science, strong and intelligent women, amazing character development, and a little spice. Whenever I thought I knew where the story was going, it pleasantly surprised me with a gentle and realistic twist. I was constantly reminded how the stories we tell ourselves can be SO wrong. I'm going to miss Alma.
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Next up is Home Truths by Susan Lewis. Won this book on a @goodreads giveaway!
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#elizabethgilbert #eatpraylove #thesignatureofallthings #elizabethlewis #hometruths #booklover #bookretreat #readmore #bibliotherapy #books #bookstagram #bibliophile #booklove #idratherbereading #loveofstory #currentlyreading #booknerd #bookstagrammer
Instagram post 2187370960146170527_7177218666 Happy Thanksgiving and bon appetit ❤️
Instagram post 2185817816522135087_7177218666 Shower anyone? Outside showers are the BEST.
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#selina #oceantherapy #offthebeatenpath #happyplaces #nocrowds #tranquilo #playavenao #panamaexperience #azueropeninsula #panama #centralamerica #visitpanama
Instagram post 2184526434268509809_7177218666 Yep...going to have this wall in the Vista Cañas living room 😍
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#natureretreat #beachretreat #inspiredbynature #dreamcometrue #offthebeatenpath #happyplaces #nocrowds #tranquilo #playavenao #canas #azueropeninsula #panama #centralamerica
Instagram post 2183632288607571232_7177218666 The street art in Panama...especially Pedasi and Playa Venao...is a big part of why I fell in love with this place 😍
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#streetart #offthebeatenpath #happyplaces #nocrowds #outsideisfree #pedasi #panamaexperience #azueropeninsula #panama #centralamerica #visitpanama
Instagram post 2183052927131152351_7177218666 ❤️ 🙏🏻 ❤️ I’ll be there as soon as I can
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#playavenao #panama #azuero #sunset #offthebeatenpath #dreamcomingtrue .
📷: @bebs.hollman
Instagram post 2182149783907759528_7177218666 Seriously.
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#idratherbereading  #booklover #readmore #bibliotherapy #books #bookstagram #bibliophile #booklove #booksandnature #booknerd #bookstagrammer
Instagram post 2179406534516455037_7177218666 My soul’s alive...is yours? 😍
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#eleanoraduse #naturetherapy #oceantherapy #slowliving #mothernature #healingwithnature #earthmedicine #nature #tranquilo #outsideisfree
Instagram post 2177824815350991105_7177218666 The fact that people love Victor of @localinpty makes for an extra awesome walking tour of El Chorrillo in Panama City ❤️ It’s a must.
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#elchorrillo #offthebeatenpath #nocrowds #panamaexperience #panama #panamacity #alocalinptty #centralamerica #visitpanama
Instagram post 2175093478361746595_7177218666 Yesterday was an especially exciting book transition day...because I did NOT like my last book.
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I really, really don't like leaving harsh book reviews. If someone ripped into one of my blogs, it would hurt my heart…and I’m an empathetic person. BUT I have to be totally honest about my experience with the books I read.
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I won the Kindle version of this book on a Goodreads giveaway. Being an avid traveler, the cover intrigued me enough to enter the contest. I really should have read more about it...my bad.
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There were two separate stories within the book, both totally focused on hunting—something I have zero interest in. I found the secondary story irrelevant and distracting. The dialogue—both external and internal—of all of the characters was mildly realistic at best and intensely irritating at worst. I found the main character, Paul, to be an unbelievably self-absorbed man-boy from beginning to end; the remaining characters were not well developed, so I never deeply connected with any of them.
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I've been an avid reader for approaching five decades now—at this point, a book must change me in some way, I gotta love the characters, or the dialogue has to make me laugh out loud to earn a 3, 4 or 5 star from me. Hence, 2 stars for this one.
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The great news is that I’ve already been hooked by Elizabeth Gilbert’s “The Signature of All Things!”
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#bookreview #currentlyreading #elizabethgilbert #thesignatureofallthings #booklover #readmore #bibliotherapy #books #bookstagram #bibliophile #booklove #idratherbereading #loveofstory #booknerd #bookstagrammer
Instagram post 2171254321793316291_7177218666 Paradise anyone? @isla_iguana__pedasi will take you there 😍 Just imagine...you, your book, a camera, some snacks, a chair to sit on and Isla Iguana 😍
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#traveltips #naturetherapy #oceantherapy #slowliving #smallmomentsofcalm #seeksimplicity #ilovetrees #mothernature #healingwithnature #earthmedicine #seaturtles #simplicity #nature #readingspots #somewheretoread #booksandnature #booktravel #offthebeatenpath #happyplaces #nocrowds #tranquilo #outsideisfree
#pedasi #islaiguana #panamaexperience #azueropeninsula #panama #centralamerica
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📷: @isla_iguana__pedasi
Instagram post 2170604140072723519_7177218666 Meh...a minor book slump for me. I don't know how “The Soccer War” by Ryszard Kapuściński made it onto my reading list. It got bumped to the top because a fellow reader from my book group thought I might appreciate it given my goal to learn about Central America in preparation for my upcoming move to Panamá.
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While I really liked Kapuściński (he reminded me a lot of my son), the book is just not my schtick. It lacks an emotional connection, it jumps from country to country to cover the latest political turmoil in the news, and it really didn't teach me much about Panamá other than to take the soccer games EXTREMELY seriously.
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If you are a fan of Africa, journalism, and/or the political machinations behind coups, ignore this review — you will most likely enjoy this book. Kapuściński is savvy, experienced and extremely likable.
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My current read—“A Boutique Safari”—is another obligatory read. I won a copy in a Goodreads giveaway and I’m feeling the pressure to leave a review. So far, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be great. 😖
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#thesoccerwar #kapuscinski #africa #booklover #bookretreat #readmore #bibliotherapy #books #bookstagram #bibliophile #booklove #currentlyreading #booknerd #bookstagrammer #operationexpat #panamaexpat