Our Blog
happy new year
2023Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one!Cliff, Harold, Carlos (Charley) and my self want to take the opportunity to thank all our readers for an amzing past year and we are looking forward to 2023. We wish you all the very best in...
a season as BC Park Operators at Morton Lake
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work for BC Parks? We did, and so we applied for the job at Morton Lake Provincial Park on Vancouver Island, BC. We were lucky enough to be employed as a BC Park Operator for the summer of 2021. The park is in the heart...
A year on North Vancouver Island Part 2
Island of Cortes Once we returned to Campbell River, we took a 10-minute ferry crossing to Quadra Island, part of the Discovery Islands located along the Inside Passage seaway between Vancouver Island the mainland of British Colombia. A Rep for Hoyne Brewery...
North Vancouver island part 1
Back in Cranbrook, BC, Canada, feeling itchy to travel in 2021, especially with the land borders being closed, we decided to head to the milder weather of Vancouver Island after the new Year. So there was a window of good weather forecasted, and we headed west to the...
The day the world shrank part 2
As the whole world has been watching and reacting to Covid 19 pandemic with international borders shutting down and governments calling their citizens home immediately, it was clear that the last couple of months of inconveniences turned into a much bigger problem all...
The day the world shrank Part 1
We were in Belize at the end of February and decided that I fly back to Canada for a quick visit to see our kids and grandkids. So we booked the flight, and I jumped on the airplane on February 28th, 2020, bound home. The trip was long and very typical, with the...
Music for the birds
Belize Raptor Center is a rehabilitation and education site to promote knowledge of raptors by lowering human incident conflicts such as shooting, poaching, poisoning and habitat destruction.When needed, rehabilitation of injured and orphaned birds of prey will be...
Off the beaten path – an adventure to Caracol, Thousand Feet Falls and Big Rock Falls
The LuvShk travelling on muddy rough roads with incredibly loud monkeys above the tree canapes and a fascinating ancient city tucked away in the middle of the jungle. Welcome to the Caracol ruins in Belize!Visiting the Caracol ruins was one of our must do in...
A drive on the slow lane- Roseville to San Ignacio, Belize
The Mennonites are an essential ingredient to Belize's harmonious melting pot, contributing their unique flavour and character, along with Creole, Mestizo, Maya, Garifuna, European, North American, Asian and other cultures. And the Mennonite's influence spreads well...
STARLINK internet- a game changer
If you've looked up on a beautiful starry night at any point, you may have seen some unexpected new additions to the vista. No, I'm not talking about UFOs. Instead, thousands of new low Earth orbit satellites that form part of SpaceX's Starlink project are moving...
a jungle project in Belize
We were spending the day at the beach in the lovely town of Punta Gorda, a fishing town on the Caribbean coast of southern Belize. A car stopped, and a couple of university students and Chris Nesbitt, who runs the Maya Mountain Research Farm, jumped out and greeted...
a Mayan experience
We continued on the Hummingbird Highway to the southernmost town of Punta Gorda in the district of Toledo. The area is one of the least developed regions in Belize, also sometimes known as the forgotten district. Toledo is home to the Mopan and Kechi Maya people and...
drums on the hummingbird highway
The Hummingbird Highway is, perhaps, the most iconic and beautiful road in all of Belize. The Highway is the major artery that connects Belmopan in Central Belize to Dangriga on the southeast coast. Thus, it is the main thoroughfare for reaching Stann Creek and Toledo...
Welcome to Belize
With one foot in the Central American jungles and the other in the Caribbean Sea, pint-sized Belize is packed with islands, beautiful landscape and culture. Belize is the true definition of a melting pot, a land where many different cultures have blended together to...
Harry and Charley’s excellent adventure to cross the border to Belize
To cross the Belizean border with our furry friends, we had to start the process one week before we drove to Belize. We had to send an Import Permit application to the BAHA (Belizean Health Authority)by email and wait. While the government wheel was turning, both dogs...
Pirates in the Caribbeans?
Pirates do not just exist in the movies. Let me tell you a story we witnessed right in front of us at the Caribbean sea. As Cliff was raking the beach from garbage and seagrass, he could see a small fishing boat driving by quite fast. A few minutes later, a couple of...
Mahahual
Mahahual is a village on the Costa Maya in the municipality of Orthon P. Blanco on the Carribean Sea coast of the state of Quintana Roo. Previously a fishing village, it is now a cruise ship destination. We volunteered at the Travel Inn 6miles down the coastline. The...
making friends at a Pemex gas station
Part of travel on the road for many miles is seeing new places experience new cultures and learning how to adapt when things go sideways. Some times your limited with resources and need to rely on others for help. This is our story and I am sure more will come. “When...
Cholula Puebla
Cholula is part of Puebla a city in east-central Mexico, southeast of Mexico City and located at the Valley of Puebla, also known as the Valley of Cuetlaxcoapan, a broad valley surrounded on four sides by the mountains and volcanoes of the Trans-Mexican volcanic...
Bat Volcano
Bats hunt in the dark using echolocation, meaning they use echoes of self-produced sounds bouncing off objects to help them navigate. ... Contrary to myth, bats aren't blind. In fact, research shows that depending on the circumstances, bats sometimes prefer using...
green &red sausage brakes on fire
Leaving the butterflies was somewhat sad but turned out more of a challenge as we participated. As we were more than 3000m above sea level, the small road dropped and narrowed through steep parts of small towns, and our brakes got a thorough test. “Failure...
the journey of the Monarch butterflies
Monarch butterflies are known for the incredible mass migration that brings millions of them to California and Mexico each winter. North American monarchs are the only butterflies that make such a long journey—up to 3,000 miles. The insects must begin this journey...
Banos de Agua Thermales
Apart from beautiful beaches, sunny deserts and the rocky mountains, Mexico has some charming and natural Hot Springs, which are the results of naturally heated water coming out from the surface of the earth. These are the fascinations for the people which they use...
Crossing the Sea of Cortez by ferry
Getting to the mainland from the Baja, there are two options to consider. The first option is to drive back up on the peninsular and around to the mainland. Or the second option is to take a ferry from La Paz to the Mainland of Mexico. We decided to take the ferry...
The magic spell of the Sea of Cortez
The sea flirts with you and will try to keep you at this fantastic part of the world, and as Jaques Cousteau once called Mexico's Sea of Cortez' the world's aquarium, you will be amazed at the marine life surrounding you. We were lucky enough to visit some of the...
Guadalajara
Guadalajara is the capital of the state of Jalisco. The City it’s known for tequila and mariachi music. Guadalajara’s historic center surrounded by colonial plazas and landmarks such as the neoclassical Teatro Degollado and a cathedral with twin gold spires. The...
Sea turtles and surfers oh my
On Baja Sur, we found endless beaches and marine life beyond our expectations. Once you start to explore this area, it is tough to leave it all behind.Surfing is such an amazing concept. You’re taking on Nature with a little stick and saying, ‘I’m gonna ride you!’ And...
It all started here 30 years ago
Thirty years ago, Cliff and I travelled down the Baja in a lime green VW Van and arrived at Mulege Baja at Las Cocos Beach. What attracted us to this particular spot was the calm sea and the palapas . It was the perfect place to fall in love and to have a fantastic...
Salt mines, broken windshield and fish tacos
Salt Mines Guerro Negro is the first city on Federal Hwy 1 on Baja Sur and well known for whale watching. The city has a celebration each year to hail the annual arrival of the calves in the lagoons of Baja California Sur (BCS). As the season is in January and...
Dia de Los Muertos or The Day of the Dead
We celebrated this special celebration in Todos Los Santos, Baja. Let me give you a bit of history about this fascinating celebration: Day of the Dead or Dia de Los Muertos is a Mexican holiday that is celebrating the lives of the deceased. ...
The art of making tortillas
flour tortillas “You can learn new things at any time in your life if you’re willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you.” — Barbara Sher Leticia and Angela are two amazing Mexican ladies from...
Northern Baja
Arriving into Baja MexicoAs soon as we crossed the border, the street greeted us with hassle and bustle, smells of Mexico and confusion, but also friendliness and excitement. Tecate is a small Mexican Bordertown, and we were warned to watch out for the police as they...
Crossing into Mexico
Crossing a border is always nerve recking, and each country has its own set of rules and Mexico is no different. Before we embarked on our adventure in June, we did a bit of research on border crossings in central and south America. And it all came to the same...
Written in stones a desert adventure
"Mankind are so much the same, in all times and places, that history informs us of nothing new or strange in this particular. Its chief use is only to discover the constant and universal principles of human nature." David Hume Outside of Sedona Arizona, there is a...
Navajo Tacos
“The more street food we have, the more it’s embraced by every income strata, the better world we have,” – Anthony Bourdain Navajo fried bread with grilled mutton, corn and potato In Kaibito, a reservation town, just outside of Page AZ, we stopped at this small food...
THE WONDER OF THE CANYONS
We purchased a National Park pass which is valid for one year for $80.00 and covers most of all the entry fees for National Parks, National monuments and National museums all around the USA. The purchase was the best investment we have done for this kind of...
The Alligator Burger an exotic experience
We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. Walt DisneySo we got caught with our curiosity just outside of Virgin Arizona, even the password for the internet was” I am a virgin”...
The crappy truth about living in an RV
Anybody who has ever seen the movie RV with Robin Williams can relate to the event we had. Over the last couple of weeks, our toilet started to have problems. It seemed we had a blockage and no matter how many times we drained the sewage tank nothing was moving. The...
A midnight run trough Salt Lake City
Twin Fall has been a great stop with the fantastic I.B. Perrine Bridge which is 486ft tall and spans 1500ft above the Snake River. Its the only bridge in the world that allows year-round BASE jumping without a permit so free jumpers can test their courage. We watched...
The LuvShk Babies
In Vancouver, we spend some time with our son Nick and Jasmine. We decided to drive up to The Stawamus Chief, officially Stawamus Chief Mountain, which is a granite dome located adjacent to the town of Squamish, British Columbia. We camped with climbers from all over...
Ferries, Whales and Sunset or how to explore the Sunshine Coast
After finishing off at camp, we decided to get off the island with style. We boarded the ferry from Comox (Little River) to Powell River. While the boat was snaking around the countless small islands, we had entertainment by a couple of humpback whales showing their...
Vancouver Island Combo burger
What I've enjoyed most, though, is meeting people who have a real interest in food and sharing ideas with them. Good food is a global thing and I find that there is always something new and amazing to learn - I love it! Jamie OliverMany tourists order a combo burger...
Camp Bob or our story as camp cooks
It all started last May with a post on Facebook from our cousin Benj, who lives close to Campbell River on Vancouver Island. He and his family worked on a youth camp on Roberts Lake and were looking for camp cooks. We jokingly responded to him saying maybe we should...
Snake River Jetboat Adventure
“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are...
Ready set go!
After month and month of preparation, downsizing, renovating and planning the day of departure is finally here. The LuvShk packed, and a lot of goodbyes said. We are hitting the road! ”Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do...
the art of saying Good Bye
We love our friends and family and enjoy their company, which is what makes it so hard. We are afraid to leave behind the comforts of what we know and who we are when we are not close to our loved ones. Quite often, we define who we are by the people we...
The big Purge or how to sell everything
In just under two weeks we will be officially nomadic, moving into our 27 foot 1967 Travco motorhome living our lives on the road travelling to South America. To turn this dream to reality, we had to sell just about everything we owned. Until fall 2018 we lived in a...
10 facts why you should bring your dogs
When we started to think about going on the adventure, we considered absolutely everything we thought. However, what we had never imagined in the picture were dogs. And this is why traveling with dogs is awesome. Your dogs share your wanderlust and show you new ways...
Bathroom Renos
As we are getting ready to move into the Luv Shk, we noticed through our previous travels that our least favourite area is the tiny little bathroom. It is hardly big enough to turn around, and yes it has all the essentials like a toilet, mini sink and a shower but is...
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