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
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.
Philippines, Batanes Prov, Beach
Thailand, Loei Prov, Upper Mekong River
Slovenia, Semic Prov, Kambic 1881 - A Marker At My Grandfathers House
Azerbaijan, Agsu Prov, Landscape
Argentina, Jujuy Prov, Andean Falcon Near Molulu
Vietnam, Lai Chau Prov, Verdant Terraces
Myanmar, Shan Prov, Khayaing Tong Temple
Latvia, Limbazu Prov, Sugar Cubes -
Central African Republic, Portrait Of Pygmy Girl, 2000 - One day during our stay in Bayanga, I went to the nearby pygmy villages and asked the young women to dress up in their traditional attire so that I could photograph them with my 8x10 inch camera. We put out the word and said we would come back. When we picked them up, we managed to get eight girls into the Land Rover with two of us and the driver, eleven people in all. I took this photograph with a 35mm. This girl had a strikingly beautiful face.