"I wasn't even going to paint! This was vacation," Ward exclaimed. However a sixth sense told her to pack a small carry on suitcase, a plastic palette, and acrylic paints taped shut. When ward arrived to Panama she found a painting paradise. Her traveling partners found the El Limbo Hotel on the internet. This clean, simple, hotel was located on a white sand beach at the northern edge of Bastimentos national Park. Ward often woke early in order to start painting at sunrise, her canvas propped up against coconuts and driftwood. Eventually, friend and hotel owner, Jimmy would show up with a cup of coffee, smiling,"It's a beautiful day" and it usually was.