This website illuminates my life and adventures. My longing for freedom has led me to over 2600 of the world’s 3978 provinces, to every country on earth and to the summit of the highest peak on each continent (thank heaven for good weather!). In my travels, I learned to respect the intelligence and ingenuity of people of all races and callings both past and present. Come see the world as I see it: as a peaceful place, full of nature and beauty. With the right spirit and intent, we can make our world a virtual Garden of Eden.
DISTINCTIONS: BBC 2017 Travel Pioneer • Journal Articles • Explorer’s Club Flag Expeditions
World Parks Project • Walk Across South America • Jeff Shea Travel Map
Bismarck Archipelago, Panguna Copper Mine, Bougainville, 1983 - In 1983, Panguna were peaceful. After I left, indigenous rebels seized the mine. A conflict went on for years. The immense size of this mine can be appreciated if (you take a magnifying glass and) note the size of the trucks on the left hand side. These are the same size as the truck in the other photo (Jeff Shea With Panguna Copper Mine Truck) on this site. Bougainville is purported to have the people with the blackest skin on earth.
Turkey, Kocaeli Prov, Containers
Slovenia, Preddvor Prov, House Front
Solomon Islands, Umbuni, 1982 - The area of the world known as Melanesia had the most profound impact on me of all my travels. From the moment I arrived, I began to see the world differently; the people lived in a society with such different values than the ones I had previously been exposed to. Here, life was hard and men lived boldly. Umbuni was the chief's son. To reach his land, the Kwaio, I sailed across the Pacific Ocean to Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, traveled to Malaita by local boat, took a truck across the island, then caught a ride with Fred Billy Akwafaasie across a large stretch of ocean in a motorized canoe to Sinalagu Bay. Fred Billy was a Christian. He walked Kelly Soma and I up the steep bush track to the frontier of the Kwaio. Fred Billy's village had been converted to Christianity by missionaries, whereas Umbuni's people rejected conversion. On the way up the bush track I asked Fred Billy if he still believed in the old ways. At first he flatly denied it, but then he revealed that traditional beliefs linger for a long time. He said, "No, I don't believe in the old ways?but sometimes at night, you can feel the spirits of the ancestors." Ancestors were worshipped in the Kwaio in skull houses, where the skulls of their forefathers resided. I asked Umbuni what would happen if I entered his land without his father's permission. Umbuni, a gentle and kind man, stated his case simply and without aggression: "I would kill you."
Taiwan, Ilan County Prov, Ducks Cooked
Slovenia, Bohinj Prov, Rushing Water
Bangladesh, Narsingdi Prov, Woman Traditional Dress
UK, Merthyl Tydfil Prov, Long Haired Horse_Prov,_Hampton_Court_Unicorn,_2009,_IMG_3762-700x834.jpg)
UK, Kingston upon Thames (London) Prov, Hampton Court Unicorn