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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Lithuania, Telsiu Prov, Glass Shadow -
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Slovenia, Dobrova-Polhov Gradec Prov, Goose
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Azerbaijan, Tovuz Prov, Lamb And Eggs Skillet
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Turkey, Trabzon Prov, Road
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Slovenia, Braslovce Prov, Building
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Syria, Bosra Amphitheatre, 1984 - After visiting Cappadocia in Turkey, I travelled, mostly hitchhiking, down to Bosra in the south of Syria, making a detour to Palmyra on the way. In Bosra, I visited an amphitheater for the first time. The acoustics were impressive.
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Tibet, Monastery, 1991 - In 1991, it was necessary to be part of a tour if you wanted to enter Tibet. I paid for a few day "tour." When they wanted me to stay at the Holiday Inn in Lhasa, I begged them to put me up in a traveler's hotel. This was more to my liking. There, I met many interesting people, including one who had biked from the far east of the country. During a nightly discussion, one person spoke of how disrespectful Westerners were of the local traditions. They told a story about how they saw one Westerner walk across the floor of a monastery, such as the one in this photograph, while the monks were praying. Notably, the storyteller said that the monks did not seem disturbed by this. This seems to me to be an essential differentiation between the mind of a Westerner, or Christian, and that of a Tibetan, or Buddhist.
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Thailand, Nong Bua Lamphu Prov, Rice Harvest
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Argentina, Jujuy Prov, Night Walk On Way To San Lucas - Near the end of my 2010 walk across the South American Altiplano, I decided to do a night walk on the ridge which eventually led down towards San Lucas, a village in the mountains. I traveled for some distance until I finally found a place on the side of the path. About two days later, I reached civilization as we know it.
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Vietnam, Vinh Long Prov, Monk Sweeps