Raja Ampat Kayak Expedition

The sea is our largest tract of wilderness. It is possible to spend days on the sea without seeing another person or hear a man-made sound. The horizon always in front, sometimes the bending land or the small misty shape of an island I am paddling towards. I enjoy the rhythm and solitude. The times when I hear only the wind, I think of nothing, and the sea think nothing of me.

Spending more than one day on the sea and extending days forward becomes an expedition, where daily necessities have to be considered. Sea kayak touring, in its purest form, is a self-supporting endeavor to a place unknown. The kayak is loaded with enough food, water, and shelter in its holds for weeks. On deck, a map and compass aid to navigate to unknown places. Seeing these places for the first time on a kayak, on our own power, is an amazing experience. There are still many places within our region like this.

In a few days a kayak team will depart for one of the remote places in our region, a group of islands outside a bird's head shaped peninsula also known as Raja Ampat. An area with 610 islands, mostly uninhabited broken karst islets. The second expedition in a 3-part series to explore the edge of our region and paddle our isolated waters. What will we discover?

Paddling at the edge of our region, far from the outside while looking inside, between the fine curve of knows and unknowns, with dramas of movement...an attempt for a brief glimpse at harmony. That was the unfolding adventure during Song 1.

This is Song 2.