This website illuminates my life and adventures. My longing for freedom has led me to over 2450 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
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Bed with Guitar, circa 1976
Jeff Shea - A drawing of my bed and guitar at home, California
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Slovenia, Ivancna Gorica Prov, Farm Land
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USA, Wake Island, Tern With Fish Perched
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Vietnam, Binh Phuoc Prov, DressShopGirl
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Congo Zaire, Jeff Shea with Leopard Tooth Necklace, 1984 - A pygmy in Mt. Hoyo in eastern Zaire sold me this leopard tooth necklace from around his neck for scarcely a dollar. I proudly sported it. It did not occur to me in those "innocent ages" of the connection to preservation of wildlife. It is not recommended to buy any animal parts, for that reason. With that said, loss of habitat (by deforestation for example) is by far the greatest threat to animals. I was told in Cameroon in 1999 that the bush meat market in Africa was thriving. I was told that even gorilla meat was popular. There is an enormous disconnect between Western ideologies and the reality on the ground, especially when hunger is involved. The answer is to preserve large tracts of land in great World Parks, one on each continent.
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Thailand, Khon Kaen Prov, Drinking Coconut Stand
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Vietnam, An Giang Prov, Vietnamese Coffee Maker
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Latvia, Bauskas Prov, Pole Sock -
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Nepal, Tengboche Monastery, 1983 - This photograph was taken above Tengboche monastery in the fall of 1983 during the Mani Rimdu festival. One night, I could not fall asleep in my bed within the monastery. I looked out the paned windows at the moon. Inspired, I put on my thin down jacket and climbed to this point above the monastery. The vast Solo Khumbu valley glowed in the moonlight, with its cirque of fantastic mountains: Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Kantega. Just then, in the middle of the night, the monks blew their long horns, sending a bellowing echo into the infinite night. It was a moment to remember, a moment when the consciousness was opened and the world galvanized into a single, pure and beautiful godhead.
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Israel, Southern Prov, Masada At Night Blue Walls