13. OUTGOINGNESS – The Outgoingness of Aloha Wanderwell
Driving around the world was not enough for Aloha, so in 1930 she earned her pilot’s license and headed for a flying tour of South America. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she met the most famous Amazon explorer of the day, and he helped the Wanderwells plan an exploration of the remote Brazilian wilderness. Not long after, Aloha was landing a floatplane on the Paraguay River and making contact with a tribe of Bororo Indians. For the next few weeks, Aloha lived with the Bororos. She swam in the river with the women, danced to the drums with the men, and wore their tradi- tional face paint. As always, this adventure was filmed and shown around the world. By the time she completed her journeys, she called herself the world’s most widely traveled woman. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized her as the first woman to drive around the world. And it should not be forgotten for much of that journey, Aloha was a teenager. She was an explorer, driver, pilot, camerawoman, speaker, adventurer, and more. But most importantly, Aloha was a friend to everyone she met wherever she traveled, “There is always tomor- row, with new adventures beyond the horizon, new friendships to make, and perhaps new mysteries to encounter.”
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