Traveling the World through the Eyes of My Aunt Shirley
By Krista Martinelli
So you’ve heard the phrase, “Welcome to my world?” This map is the world of my Aunt Shirley. She keeps this map inside a closet, keeping
track of all of the places around the world where she has visited. As you can see, there’s a thumbtack just about everywhere. She is, without a doubt, the most well-traveled, adventurous person I’ve ever met. Seriously – from the North Pole to the South Pole to the Galapagos Islands to Hong Kong and almost everywhere else in between, she has been there. (See the list of places visited at the end of this article).
Shirley Woods, former school administrator in Fort Lauderdale, got a taste of traveling in 1971 with her friend Betsy, when they took an extensive tour of Africa, including the breath-taking Victoria Falls. However, her consistent traveling really started in 1990, after she was retired and stepped out of the school system. Then it was off to Australia and New Zealand, just the start of an ongoing series of international trips, usually between four – six per year.
We love visiting Aunt Shirley’s house and seeing her souvenirs from her world travels. She collects crystals, and my kids love seeing the many crystals displayed in her home. Interesting books are everywhere you look. And you will see lots of musical instruments, souvenirs and artifacts. It’s one of the most fascinating places in the world to my children.
I asked about her favorite place, and she narrowed it down to two trips. The first was her trip to China and Tibet. “Tibet,” she explains, “is a country that speaks to my soul.” When she visited in 1995, China was in the process of taking over Tibet, and the Dalai Lama had been expelled from the country. Tibet holds many ancient traditions and its own ancient wisdom of medicine. Yet China is making every effort to expunge anything and everything Tibetan.
The experience of visiting Lhasa was almost surreal, she says, as its located 12,000 feet above sea level and takes some acclimation. With the help of a Tibetan guide, she visited Lhasa, experiencing life “above timberline.” Traveling in the countryside outside of Lhasa, she came across something so startling; it made her stop in her tracks. A rustic home with a Swastika painted on one side and a Star of David on the other side of the front door. Her guide explained that these pre-historic symbols originally were used to invite good spirits into the home and expel bad spirits from the home. So the dwellers in the home, oblivious to the history of Nazi Germany, were simply warding off bad spirits and welcoming the good ones in their older-than-Christianity and Judaic ways.
The other most amazing place she’s visited is Antarctica. She took a small passenger ship, the Marco Polo, and explored some small islands along with setting foot on the continent of Antarctica, that very few people ever get the chance to visit. “It’s a purity beyond all purities on Earth,” she says. “Antarctica is a place where you see no footprints of civilization anywhere.” As she explains, there are no electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs). “You immediately feel a lightness of your being. There’s nothing pushing at you.” The wildlife does not seem to be afraid of people. For example, the penguins do not run away. They have had very little exposure to people and have no fear. Spectacular in its primordial beauty, Antarctica is a place to behold.
As far as difficult trips, there’s been only one trip where Shirley ran into political uprising and was unable to fly home on time. However, things were not so bad when stuck in Kathmandu in Nepal. She just spent three extra days in the Yak & Yeti Hotel. “We felt safe because the hotel was right next to the king’s palace,” she recalls.
When asked if there’s any place that she still would like to visit, Shirley mentions Bali. “It’s the last stop in the book/movie Eat, Pray, Love,” she says. It’s a place she’s been curious about for a long time. So it’s already on the travel schedule. She’s aiming for Bali next June with her long-time traveling companion Jackie, as well as with a retired Wellington High School teacher Barbara Dale McCall.
According to Shirley, the overseas image of Americans has improved over the years. The book “The Ugly American” depicted our unwelcome and sometimes unattractive image as a nation about forty years ago. “Personally, I’ve always been treated warmly while traveling,” she says, although she did find one exception to this rule – in France. She remembers a French shop owner who refused to serve her “because she was an American.” However, her husband stepped in, graciously apologizing for his wife, and helped us. As Shirley is quick to point out, that was just one person among many kind individuals in France that she met. For the most part, people in other countries tend to treat Americans warmly.
Shirley is adventurous when it comes to her travels, but not so daring when it comes to the exotic foods. While their food, in general, is amazing, Thailand also offered possibly the most exotic and frightening variety of things to eat. Some of the delicacies in local marketplaces were silkworms and “crispy beetles.” While Shirley’s friend Jackie was willing to give these things a try, Shirley played it safe.
I asked what the makings are of a good traveling companion, since
Shirley has taken countless trips with her friend Jackie. Because of the intensity that traveling brings out, it’s certainly difficult to find the right person to travel with. “Jackie is always in a good mood,” says Shirley. “She is very helpful and always joy-filled.”
Among many types of trips, Shirley has been very happy with a company called Grand Circle trips. She’s taken 14 of these guided trips, and they include a home-hosted meal with a local family. “They are precious, gracious, hard-working people,” says Shirley, speaking of the families who host these special meals. She loved the tea ceremony in Japan, as well as the meals with families in Russia, Italy, Turkey, Egypt and other countries.
Why does she travel so much? “Traveling opens hearts and minds beyond the cocoons that we are used to living in.” By venturing to new places, you will find “deep, enriching experiences,” says Shirley.
So until my kids are a little older and I’ve saved up a little more money for trips, I will be traveling vicariously – through my Aunt Shirley. And I’m really excited about the next big trip – Bali!
Shirley Woods’ World Travels
Around the U.S. including
Alaska
Hawaii
Oahu
Kauai
Maui
Canada
Ottawa
Toronto
St. John’s, Newfoundland
Calgary
Victoria
Lake Louise
Antarctica
Paradise Harbor on the Continent
Deception Island
Port Lockroy
Half Moon Island
England/Wales
London
Dover
Glastonbury
Stonehenge
Land’s End
St. Davids
Exeter Castle
Tintern Abbey
Scotland
Edinburgh
Kenya
Nairobi
(environs)
Tanzania
Serengeti Plane
Lake Manyara
Greece
Athens
Delphi
Temple of Athena
Rhodes
Santorini
Mykonos
Meteora
Ukraine
Yalta
Odessa
Bulgaria
Varna
Turkey
Ephesus
Istanbul: Saint Sophia, Topkapi, Blue Mosque
Antalya
Izmir
Gallipoli
Troy
Cappadocia
Italy
Vatican… St. Peters
Sistine Chapel
Assissi
Venice
Florence
Verona
Milan
Sicily: Around the whole island
Malta Around the whole island nation
Gozo
Egypt
Cairo
Luxor
Aswan
Pyramids
Down the Nile
India
Delhi/New Delhi
Jaipur
Agra
Taj Mahal
Nepal
Kathmandu
Temples, Stupas, and Palaces
SE Asia
Viet Nam
Nha Trang
Saigon
Phillipines
Manilla
Malaysia
Kuala Lampur
Thailand
Bangkok
Chiang Rai
Chiang Mai
Laos
Cambodia
Angkor Wat
Myanmar (Burma)
Singapore
China
Yangtze River
Beijing
Shanghai
Canton
Hong Kong
Tibet
Central & South America
Costa Rica
Aruba
San Blas
Panama Canal
Cartagena, Columbia
Manta, Ecuador
Lima, Peru
Macchu Pichu
Lake Titicaca
Santiago, Chile
Around Cape Horn
Falkland Islands
Ushuaia, Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Amazon River
Manaus and Jungle surrounding
Trinidad
Devil’s Island
Martinique
Barbados
San Juan, Puerto Rico
St. Thomas
Tortola
Mexico
Monterey
Puerto Vallarta
Oaxaca
Acapulco
Chichen Itza
Copper Canyon
Uruguay
Montevideo
Brazil
Iguazu Falls
Punte Del Este
Rio de Janeiro
Norway
Kirkenes above the Arctic Circle
Along the west coast
Alesund
Bergen
Oslo
Denmark
Greenland
Sweden
Finland
Helsinki
Iceland
Reykjavik and surroundings
Isafjord
Akureyri
Europe
Along the Danube from Passau to Budapest
Frankfurt
Munich
Passau
Hungary
Budapest
Austria
Vienna
Czech Republic
Bratislava
Melk
Spain
Madrid
Toledo
Granada
Alhambra
Seville
Costa del Sol
Salamanca
Avila
Malaga
Gibraltar
Morocco
Tangiers
Portugal
Lisbon
Fatima
Santarem
Canary Islands
Las Palmas
Belgium
Antwerp
Brussels
Ghent
Holland
Amsterdam
Ireland
Dublin
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Trinity College
Killarney
Ring of Kerry
Galway
Rock of Cashel
Blarney Castle
Clare Coast
Tipperary
Japan
Tokyo
Hakone
Kanazawa
Kyoto
Switzerland
Zurich
Grindelwald
France
Strasbourg
Alsace-Lorraine
Nice
Antibes
Vence
Cannes
Monaco
Monte Carlo
Aix-en-Provence
Arles
Avignon
Vivres
Tournon
Vienne
Lyon
Dijon
Paris
St. Pierre Island off Canadian Coast
Mont St. Michel
Rhone and Saone Rivers
Germany
Frankfurt
Berlin
Dresden
Rothenburg
Rhineland
Along the Rhine, Mosel, and Main Rivers
Luxembourg
Poland
Warsaw
Poznan
Auschwitz
Krakow
Russia
Moscow
Kremlin
Along the Volga, Svir, and Neva Rivers
Uglich
Yaroslavl
Petrozavodsk
Kizhi Island
Mandrogi
St. Petersburg
Hermitage
Peter and Paul Fortress
Catherine’s Palace
Slovakia
Slovenia
Croatia
Bosnia
Montenegro
Serbia
Romania
Transylvania
Mexico
Cabo San Lucas
Acapulco
Puerto Vallarta
Manzanilla
Venezuela
Las Piedras
Jamaica
Panama
San Blas
Curacao
Dominican Republic
Israel
Tel Aviv
Jerusalem
Mount of Olives
Sea of Galilee
Bethlehem
River Jordan
Garden Tomb
Environs
Galapagos Islands
Australia
Cairns
Sydney
Melbourne
Phillips Island
New Zealand
North Island
South Island
Roturua
Aukland
Christ Church
Fiji
Tahiti