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4317 Km – No Reservation

Having worked as a geologist for most of my life, I have been constantly on the move from one corner of the world to another, pulling me afar from my comfort zone. As a reserved person, it gets difficult for me to define where do I belong. Taking pictures is my way to ease the weight, it serves as an emotional way out. With time, I realised that photography has helped me in transforming time into explicable moments, which later serve as a mirror to which I can reflect on the reality of my life. These are my personal notes and a way to celebrate life by doing something that I love.

4317 Km – No Reservation is a diary of our dream journey to Flores Islands in two Land Rovers, crossing four straits, five islands,spanning 4317 km, using up 519 litres of diesel and with too many packets of cigarettes. We did it in 22 days.

I have been dreaming about this trip since 1998 when I bought my first Land Rover. Flores has always fascinated me. Even though it is located in the western part of Indonesia, it has a different natural environment from other regions, with its tropical forest waiting to be discovered. I am always attracted to the breathtaking beauty of nature, bringing me back to my childhood days watching 8mm video of the green, lucid earth. The moment when we stepped into Flores, I felt the connection coming alive again. We were still in the midst of the rainy season, with the rain pouring constantly. The hills were covered with greenery, and it’s quite unbelievable that such an environment still exists in the western part of Indonesia. This is my childhood dream come true.