Bev and Stan

The Dreamchasers

Bev and Stan

My soulmate husband Stan and I have always been captivated by foreign cultures, and what we can learn from them. We continue to chase lifelong dreams, taking adventurous risks while learning, doing, and sharing as much as possible. This passion has fuelled our global travels, as well as my study of foreign languages - French, Spanish, Indonesian, and Thai. And whether I am at home, or elsewhere in the world, my guitar and harmonicas are always with me, as music is the most universal language.

I have been very privileged, as I have had both the desire and the ability to pursue my dreams, chasing them with my soulmate by my side, forever grateful for this life.

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples. No need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples. My philosophy is kindness." Dalai Lama

In addition to following the call of travel, and completing a teaching career - my husband both a teaching and nursing career - I have also followed a calling for music, releasing three singles, two complete albums and four EP's as a singer/songwriter, all of which are available on all digital music platforms. My most recent single, released on November 1, 2023, is a cover of the Dave Matthew’s song “Mercy”. My previous albums "Standing on a Platform of Kindness" (2016) and “The Woman in Black”(2009) are primarily original music; stories inspired by life and travel experiences, influenced by blues, folk rock, jazz, and roots. For more about my music, please visit www.bevzizzy.com.

Thank you for your interest in our travels.





Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Bangkok January 1st 2024

Taking on Another Long Haul Flight. Just Days After the Last Long Haul Flight. I do not know how we managed it, when I was sleeping ten hours a day just to recover my energy from the previous South American travel adventures that significantly challenged my typically resilient constitution, but manage it we did. After a twenty hour transit returning from South America on December 15th, fourteen days later, on December 29th, we embarked upon our overseas journey back to Thailand. Three connecting flights and thirty three hours later, we arrived Bangkok on the afternoon of December 31st, Bangkok time. Somehow, after indulging in an afternoon nap, we found enough energy to stay up well past midnight and enjoy some of the New Year’s Eve activities in our neighbourhood. These included discovering a new neighbourhood funky ... read more
Fireworks Behind Bangkok’s Rama VIII Bridge
Loving the Energy Here

South America » Peru » Cusco » Sacred Valley December 21st 2023

Reflecting on our Travel Adventures in South America Our travels in South America in many ways have indisputably taken us to a whole new level of adventure. It already feels surreal to think that we condensed so many new experiences - navigating around Buenos Aires, a city of twenty million in a second language; taking on a four day, 48 kilometre hike at 14,000 feet altitude to Machu Picchu; hiking the 16,000 foot Polccoya Mountain; and experiencing a week of boat riding, trekking adventures in the Amazon jungle - all in less than six weeks. Looking back, I am not proud to admit that one reason we waited so long to travel to South America was because we believed it would be too dangerous for us. That we could not be as carefree as we are, ... read more
Solitary Man Stan, Polccoya Mountain, Peru
Above the Clouds Surrealism
Inka Trails We Walked

South America » Peru » Cusco » Sacred Valley December 19th 2023

Family Reunion in Peru During our month in Peru, we were fortunate to travel to all three of Peru’s geographical regions: the Peruvian highlands, the Amazonian jungle, and the coastal region. The first two regions were explored with family, as they were the sites selected for our pre-arranged family reunion. I have compiled all three into one entry, so this post is far too long. My apologies, but I simply did not have time to write a short one. I would suggest just passing on this post, unless you have a lot of patience and interest in Peru, as this is primarily an information based blog. The philosopher returns for the next entry. :) The Peruvian Highlands Our first and most extensive explorations took place during the two weeks we spent around Cusco, Peru, during which ... read more

South America » Peru » Cusco » Machu Picchu December 13th 2023

Undoubtedly the greatest challenge I’ve taken on in my life I’ll clarify a couple things here before beginning. First, I am writing entirely of my own experience in this blog, as my Dreamchaser soulmate Stan opted out of this particular adventure. Secondly, I’d like to state that, although I have done a few hikes in the past, I am not a devoted trekker. Not even close. I’ll take a bike, scooter, or kayak any day, instead of walking. The last - and only - time I even did an over night hiking trip was when hiking the Kalalau Trail on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, but that was close to fifty years ago, when I was about twenty years old, and I believe there were some mushrooms enhancing that hike. 🤣 So I think its fair ... read more
Alone in the Mists and Magic, Chanting to the Gods
Well, looks like yet another staircase.  Bring it on!
The Highlight of My Trek

South America » Argentina » Buenos Aires » Buenos Aires November 19th 2023

City of Rich Cultural Heritage, Stunning Architecture, Abundant Artistry, Warm, Passionate People, and Turbulent History Once we began exploring, we were out for several hours every day. But to simply list our activities, without sharing what we learned about the city, and the country, would be too shallow an offering. Hence, this blog entry is a long one, as the intent is to provide some historical and political context, as well as information about the places visited. We often take the hop on hop off city bus tour to get introduced to large cities, as their vastness can be intimidating, and Buenos Aires, with its population of over fifteen million certainly fits that description. The bus tours give us perspective and help us identify the places we want most to return to later. There were so ... read more
El Quarandi Tango Show
Teatro Colon
Cafe Tortoni

South America » Argentina » Buenos Aires » Buenos Aires November 16th 2023

Taking a Trip from Dismay to Delight It will be a challenge to share all we have experienced of Buenos Aires, as we have experienced so much in the past 18 days. But before I take on that challenge - which will be the subject of a subsequent post - I wish to reflect upon how I felt upon arrival into this new culture, in this new country, on this new continent where everything was unfamiliar, including the language in which everything is communicated, lest you get the impression that it has all been fun and games. Stan of course felt bewildered also, as it was all new to him too, and he speaks not a word of Spanish. But he was confident I would proficiently look after everything. As was I. And prior to departure ... read more
Our  Neighborhood Fruit & Vegetable Family Store
Our Daily Coffee Stop
Our Favorite Neighborhood Bakery

South America » Argentina » Misiones » Iguazú National Park November 12th 2023

Visually and Acoustically Stunning Natural Wonder of the World Every day I try to consciously practice reverence for nature, appreciating it more and more as I age and realize how small and insignificant we are, and yet also how connected we are to this great life energy. But I prefer to believe that we are only insignificant if we perceive of ourselves as separate from nature, and much prefer to believe that we are part of this life system called nature, that is also known by other terms - creation, the universe, cosmic energy, God. Well, for one whose respect and reverence for nature grows every day, a visit to Iguazu Falls is a year’s worth of growth - or perhaps a lifetime’s. Witness energy in movement. Power. Force. Abundance. Flow. Symmetry. Symbiosis. Tenacity. But words ... read more
Tenacity
Ingenuity
Adventure

South America » Argentina » Buenos Aires » Buenos Aires November 11th 2023

A Remembrance Day Flight to Forget This was an adventure that Stan and I have never before experienced. Currently traveling in Argentina, we arrived at the Puerto Iguazu airport at 5 pm Friday evening to catch our 90 minute flight to Buenos Aires at 7 pm. We did not know that Buenos Aires was experiencing heavy rain storms: the very same storms that caused Taylor Swift to cancel her November 10th concert in Buenos Aires that evening, and that caused the domestic airport in Buenos Aires to be temporarily closed. As a result, our flight was repeatedly delayed, until finally, six hours later - at 1 am Saturday morning - we boarded the plane that would take us, along with close two hundred plus other very tired passengers, to Buenos Aires. But it did not - ... read more

South America » Argentina » Buenos Aires » Buenos Aires November 4th 2023

Soccer, Tango and Vibrant Street Culture On our first four days in Buenos Aires we laid pretty low. The twenty five hour flight left us jet lagged and in need of rest, as the pre trip preparations had us exhausted even before we departed. But on day five we began our explorations. And this city is so beautiful, the people so kind and accommodating, and the culture and history so rich, that we soon compiled a long list of things to do while here, and immediately started the process of checking the boxes. Our first venture out of the apartment and into the big city of two million plus was to La Boca, an area of the city known for its large and colorful murals, tango street culture, and most significantly, its being home to one ... read more
La Boca Soccer Club Stadium
The heart of Caminita, La Boca
Street Mural, La Boca

MISSING May 6th 2023

I had thought my travel writing was complete for this trip, but it seems my heart still lingers in Asia. Even though we recently completed the journey back to Regina, Canada, it still has more it wants to share. We discovered this twinkling electric fantasyland strolling around our neighbourhood on our last night in Bangkok earlier this week, before bracing ourselves for a wildly fun tuk-tuk ride to the King’s Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in all its golden sparkling glory. The evening before we had enjoyed a long and wonderful foot massage on the street, while listening to an incredibly talented musician next to us who absolutely nailed a number of Freddie Mercury tunes with his impressive vocal range and stellar guitar playing. Who takes on Freddie Mercury? Who takes on Queen ... read more




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