![]() I became a travel writer who could no longer wander. All passports in the world instantly became equal: people of all nationalities equally had nowhere to go. The heyday of low-cost flights and freedom of travel was suddenly over. The pandemic reversed the tide of globalization. Lockdown, quarantine, and all forms of social restriction became a living reality for almost all humans everywhere. ![]() What I used to think of as an "overkill" solution with Chinese characteristics immediately became a new universally-adopted norm. new epicenters mushroomed in many places. Iran, Italy, England, Brazil, United States, India, Indonesia. The ease of travel and the massive human movement in a highly globalized world impeded the super-tight lockdown in Wuhan and other Chinese cities in stemming the outbreak from spreading abroad. However, the world situation of the COVID-19 era was decidedly different from the SARS period. The lockdown proved effective in shelving SARS into history in just a matter of months. They fortified "walls", confining cities, offices, schools, and housing complexes. The Chinese government immediately took extreme measures that seemed to be a typical solution for the nation that built the Great Wall. ![]() It was as the city's very air were shrouded by vicious, life-threatening viruses. I had experienced a coronavirus outbreak before, when Beijing was hit by SARS in 2003. I knew, though, it wasn't just an outbreak. When the news broke of a mysterious respiratory disease outbreak in a city in China, most people in other parts of the world paid no mind. Prospective travelers had been enthusiastic about vacation plans. Airports in Singapore, London, and Doha had been bustling. The Tokyo Olympics and the Dubai World Expo had been vaunted to be spectacular. The year 2020 had been off to a great start. He is also working on a travel essay book on nationalism and identity diversity in the Archipelago. Currently, he fills the rubric "Indonesia from Across the Borders" which is published in the daily paper Kompas. His latest book is Jalan Panjang Untuk Pulang (The Long Road Home, 2021). ![]() His third book, Titik Nol: Sebuah Makna Perjalanan (Ground Zero: When Journey Takes You Home, 2013) is a travel account with an original writing style combined with a memoir, soon to be produced in film form. His first book is Selimut Debu: Impian dan Kebanggaan dari Negeri Perang Afghanistan (Blanket of Dust: Dreams and Pride from the War-torn Afghanistan, 2010), followed by Garis Batas: Perjalanan di Negeri-Negeri Asia Tengah (Borderlines: Journey in Central Asian Countries, 2011). His works have become pioneers in the genre of travel literature in Indonesia, because they involve readers in their physical and spiritual experiences, while moving readers to reflect on conflicts and identities within themselves. He also lived in Afghanistan for almost three years as a journalist. The search for an answer to that question has taken him on trips to China, India, Pakistan, Central Asia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, the Netherlands, Suriname, and other parts of the world. Born as a minority, since childhood he has always pondered why people has to be hostile to each other just because of differences in identity. Agustinus Wibowo is an Indonesian travel writer interested in identity issues.
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