Panama - Grand Decameron Hotel

For the first time in Panama, I was surprised to see how well modern and history can combine so well together.  I never imagined a large modern city could be surrounded by a paradise of lust forest, vegetation and exotic animals. If I had not visited Panama City, I would have assumed it was much like many all-inclusive resorts, but it was very different.

We stayed at the Grand Decameron Beach Resort which is conveniently only 15 minutes from the airport.  I would highly recommend it for families and 50+, it is a very quiet and relaxing place.  It has a beautiful ocean view, the beach is long, clean and sandy white. The weather was beautiful and the sun is always shining.  The food was great with a lot of variety, and the staff was courteous and helpful.  The Grand Decameron came highly recommended to us and to be honest, we were a little disappointed.  The Plus Side of the hotel was undergoing renovations, so I believe that we did not get to fully enjoy the experience at the resort.   It is reopening this week for those that are going and I would recommend enjoying all the privileges of the Plus Side.  All in all, it is a wonderful resort, and I will not complain as I had the opportunity to enjoy 35-degree weather for a week.  If you are fan of golf, my husband said it was absolutely worth the money and that it was a beautiful course.

I highly recommend visiting Panama City and the Canal with the Decameron Tours. Our guide was funny and informative.  Panama City is a wonder between the new and the old.  I loved the old Panama, the old buildings and design, the relaxed atmosphere and small shops.  We did not go into the new city but will go if ever we go back. The Imax Experience really gives you a full-length picture of the history of the canal, very interesting.  It was a great day!

Starting 2026 visiting a country as spectacular as Panama is a great start to the new year. You can watch the video on my You Tube channel Femme Chakra Travels - Thanks for watching and subscribing, I appreciate it.

Update 2026

I hope everyone reading this blog had wonderful holidays and that your new year is starting off in the direction you hoped. Wishing you health, happiness and fun in 2026!  I had wonderful holidays, celebrated with friends and family.  A relaxing end to a year that I am glad is over.  2025 will not been on my top ten list.  Staying positive, 2026 will be better. 

I really did enjoy performing with the band in December and thank you to the Paroisse St-Jean Baptiste in Roxton Falls for inviting me to sing some Christmas cheer!  I grew up listening to these songs and they always put me in a good mood.  You can check out the video on my YouTube channel.   Going to do this again next holiday season 2026!

I love the dancing scene, the cabaret, the costumes and all the productions that I have created and who knows, maybe one day they will intertwine. For now, I am content to see where things will go. 

I have not written in a while. When something unpredictable happens, you must deal with it.   Although I was motivated to write, there is only so much time in a week and when you are dealing with other priorities, time becomes an issue.  I hope I get to spend more time in 2026 writing; it clears my head.

Heading to Panama tomorrow! Looking forward to visiting with my husband, family and friends a new country and a new culture.  Zen, water & sunshine with a mix of music, dancing and fun.   Bringing my camera along, looking forward to the next memory on Femme Chakra Travels. 

That’s my update!  I wish you all a great end of January and hope to see you soon.  My motto this year: Be better, wiser, have fun and don’t overthink, be you!

Riu Yucatan Hotel - Riviera Maya, Mexico

 

Riviera de Maya in Mexico was the first plane trip I ever took 20 years ago.  I decided that I wanted to learn about a different culture.  I specifically chose Mexico for its monuments and history.  I was fascinated by their pyramids and went to Chichen Itza and Tulum. They are a must see if you go. I jeep rode in the jungle, zip-lined across rivers, swan in cenotes, tanned, ate well, partied, drank and danced.   It will forever be one of the most memorable vacations of my life. I do have a soft spot for Mexico. 

We stayed at the Riu Yucatan in Riviera Maya. I have really nothing negative to say about this hotel.  We ate like a king and queen; the food was delicious and the a la carte restaurants were unlimited and amazing.  The hotel is very clean, the lobby and cleaning staff were attentive, polite, accommodating and very helpful.  I have not seen such great entertainment talent since going to Santiago in Cuba.  The nightly shows were awesome and the weekly Riu party is a must go as it’s incredible.  What a night!  The extra bonus is that if you love animals, they have a monkey refuge, and you get to see how they coexist without bothering anybody.

I once rated a video of mine on my YouTube channel and still feel bad about it today.  When you stay at a hotel or resort, you must know what you like before you go to the place. Some people enjoy the sun, the beach, the food, the amenities, the pool, the excursions, the entertainment, the shows, the disco, each person has their preferences.  My experience may never be your experience and vice versa, so why criticize anything.  My only negative and it is not Mexico’s fault; the temperature was a constant 40 to 45 degrees all week as it was the month of August, so it was a little less pleasant to do the excursions. Even hot, the Xcaret Park is an amazing place to visit.

If you like great food, sun and heat, water and great entertainment, you should visit the Riu Yucatan. I would not hesitate to recommend it. 

You can view the video on my Femme Chara Travels YouTube Channel

Femme Chakra Travels

I believe it is a privilege to be able to visit a different country.  I have only visited 5 countries, some numerous times, and every time I do, I think how lucky I am that I get to have those memories.    For me, those memories are worth more than a new car, a better wardrobe, new furniture and anything else that people work hard to make a priority. You must have a passion for traveling if you really want to experience it, 

For me, voyaging is the ability to live in the present moment.  No phones, no texts, no e-mails, nothing.  Well maybe a little but in general I can relax and enjoy myself.  I understand that some people fall in love with a country and want to go back all the time.  I love experiencing new places.  Although I have been to same countries numerous amounts of times, I try to never stay in the same city and never at the same hotel.  The thrill of living something new, adventurous, educational, emotional, it’s for me, a once in lifetime experience. 

I have been making videos for over 20 years.  I still have some on VHS.  I enjoy filming and it has been a useful tool for me throughout my artistic & professional life.  Editing is never fun, but the end project always gives me a high.  When I bring my camera on vacation, I want to remember everything I did, saw or experience as I will not live it again.  These are my memories that I want to recall when I am old and gray.  It’s great taking photos and videos but if you don’t do anything with them, they will just be photos and videos in a phone. 

I tried to be as exact as to what I saw, I hope you enjoy some of them.  Don’t hesitate to let me know what you think and if you have been to any of the places, please feel free to let me know.  We just got back from Riviera Maya in Mexico, looking forward to sharing our vacation with you.  Thanks for subscribing and sharing.

Visit Femme Chakra Travels: Femme Chakra's Travel - YouTube

Losing someone to Alzheimer’s

 

We cannot stop time.  In my 30’s and 40’s I never thought about death and dying in the context that it would ever happen to me.  It was a thought in a far away place that was only going to happen in a different space and time.  As I just turned 50, which is old to some and young to others, I don’t look at it that way anymore.  I worry, which is something I never did before.  It’s inevitable that we will all get old someday.  I want to get older, but I want to be healthy otherwise what is the point. 

The people that have a naturel desire to be healthy amaze me. They do it with such ease, they eat right, exercise, limit their alcohol and they don’t smoke.  After spending years doing just that, they still may end up with Alzheimer’s.  If you did not know, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.   It progresses leads to loss of ability to carry on conversation and respond to the environment.  It is a slow process, and it is an anguishing to have to live. 

I, in turn have seen the devastation that it can cause.  How an awesome caring man goes from strong, hard-working, reliable, and outgoing; to feeble, dependant, anxious, frustrated, and unhappy. If it can happen to him there is a chance it happens to me or someone I know.  There are over 55 million people worldwide living with dementia.  These patients are the most vulnerable. 

The next time you hear someone mention that their father, mother, friend or loved one has dementia or Alzheimer’s, read about it.  Take the time to understand what they are going through.  The 40- and 50-year-olds will see only see the numbers get worse and in the next 15 to 25 years, it will be our turn.  The younger generation will still be living in that far away place in a different space and time.  Hopefully your children will take care of you but if they don’t, we will be the ones that will have to deal with the situation.   I worry. 

Coming Up in September!

For those that don`t know, me and my husband have been in the entertainment industry for a long time.  I (www.femmechakra.com) focus more on the producing, singing, dancing side while he (www.francoquebec.com) has always focused on the producing, Disk Jockey, Sound and Equipment.  We are lucky to have done so many events.  It was rough year this year with the passing of his dad, but we will slowly get back to the beat of things for 2026. 

We will at 2 benefit shows in September for great causes.  You can join us in Acton Vale for the Casino Night benefiting the Centre de Benevole D`Acton Vale on September 20 or in Roxton Falls with the tribute band to AC/DC on September 26 with Christian benefiting the Project Espace Roxton.  

The CBAV in Acton Vale is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote volunteer action; to support and assist individuals and families in the community through assistance services, to meet essential needs, with the aim of improving their quality of life.  The Casino night on September 20, 2025, will be a fun night with some gambling (a lot of great prizes to win), dancing (DJ and live music) and you can come and listen to me sing! 

Project Espace Roxton is a non-profit organisation which aims at restoring the Saint-Jean Baptiste Church in Roxton Falls.  Christian will be doing the sound for the band Razor Back a tribute to AC/DC on Friday, September 26, 2025. Everyone is welcome! If you can make it to both or only for one night, then you are helping to support a great cause.  Hope to see you there!

I'm Back 2025!

Well, I’m back! I have been feeling a lack of motivation for a while and I think I need something new.  I opened this blog in 2010, and it has been at times, a great experience for me.  Some people are great at marketing themselves.  I admire the Twitters, the Instagramers, WhatsAppers, TikTokers and all the social platforms, I’m just not very good at it.  I’m a Facebooker and a You-Tuber at very best and I would not consider myself great at it.  Although I know that reading is not as popular as it once was, but I like writing.   Although I appreciate Facebook and YouTube for so many reasons, it does not let me express a story.  I miss being able to express myself properly.

Once I start talking, I never shup up but I figure if there are people that are interested in my knowledge, my ideas and getting to know me, then they can find me here.  Instead of wasting my time posting irrelevant stuff, why not take the time and be real. 

To all my wonderful French friends, I wish you could all read English.  I wish I wrote as well in French as I do in English, but I don’t.  I do not want writing to become a job, a responsibility or tedious and translating my feelings, thoughts and/or ideas it is just too hard. Maybe one day!  I do have the translate button if anyone wants to try it.

I want to post once a week and see where it will lead me. I want to find my discipline. I do hope you find it interesting but if you do not, that’s fine too.  I think I am interesting and maybe one day what I write may have a positive impact on someone else.  That would be wonderful!

As for my old posts, they are part of projects I worked on, things I did, my thoughts, shows I saw, artists I met, opinions, my music and parts of my life.  Please feel free to read them although they do not represent Anne-Marie in 2025.  I believe people do change; we can learn from our mistakes and grow.  With all my growth I am not the same person.  I’m stronger, wiser and I aim at being the best I can be.

Thanks for listening and please feel free to comment.  I would love to meet similar people that may have the same interests, ideas, or projects.  See you next week!