Four Eyes - anywhere Exceptional Destinations
Text by Vega Probo, adapted by darmansjah
Listened gobsmacked photographs in Afghanistan rubric Portfolio Magazine National geographic Traveler. Become more familiar with the author and photographer, Augustine Wibowo.
FAMILY FROM hardly ever roam, dozens of men who control the world's languages actually have crossed the globe. Almost all trips done alone or with colleagues he met in the street, "If appropriate, get together, if not match, live apart on the road."
His experienceexploringAfghanistanandCentralAsiancountrieshe pouredeach ofthebookcoversDust(2010)andBorder(2011). On two occasionscame face to facewiththesefriendlymeninJakarta, some time ago, continuesvia the virtual worldchat, impliedhow greatenthusiasmforlearningto surf-worth which hereflectedonhis bookreader.
When andwherethe first timeflierFar? First timedoingan independenttripto Mongolia, 2002.In thefirst and second dayI was robbedin that State. That experiencetaught methat the realchallengetobe faced. At leastI am no longerafraidto travelindependently, that latercreated the concept oftravelingfor me. For threeweeks inMongolia, I witnessedmany culturesare"alive" again because oftourism.For example, the tradition of eaglehunting(hunting with eagles) whichgets crowdedbecause everyyearheldfor foreigners.
Is theresomethingtoinspire youtraveled the world?I collecta lot ofstampsfrom almosteverycountryin theworld. Seeingpaintings onsheets ofstampsmade mefantasize aboutthe countries ofthe middle of nowhere.
So, how did you explore Afghanistan and countries in Central Asia? Generally I avoid tourist spot, because for me the trip was a learning process. I learned about the lives of real people, and it's kind a hard to find in the tourist spot. I prefer to visit remote villages that are not included in the list of tourist destinations, or arguably off-the-beaten track, because I can find the real life and get a real learning journey. Afghanistan, according to me, is like a treasure box. Every time I go, there are always surprises, no paradox. I'm fascinated by the mystery of Afghanistan, to stay in the country for three years. Writing a book about Afghanistan titled Dust Blanket.
What exactly doyou wantforthereader?I hopethe readeris not just alook at lifein the locationsthat I wrote, butat the same timecantakereflectionsfromlife stories, bothsuccesses andfailuresofother nations, andbe learnedforour ownlivesinIndonesia.Actual tripisa reflection, sotravelwriting. Ipromoteresponsibletraveling,because the journeyis doneirresponsiblywill causenegativeeffects, especially forthe places wevisit.
Many peoplewhowritetravel books, but fewbooksa memorable trip.According to you?Writing a bookis not so easywaypeople imagine. Not justto go toa place orcountry, journal writing,andpublished. Book a trip, orhere Ifocuson thenarrativejourney, shouldhave acommon threadanda stronggroove. The trip was alearning process, thematurationprocessitself, andthe process of findingsomething. For thetripI did inAfghanistan, for example, Itakepride inthegrooveofparadoxin a countrycompletely destroyedby thewar. ForCentralAsia trip, I was impressedbyhow thestateboundary linedividingthe landsthere-Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and they arefighting each otherfor the sake ofthe boundary lineand conceptcreationinvaders.ThenIlift theplotin the bookThe Borderlineisonthe line, not just physicallybut alsomentally, which separateshumans.
Experiencedtraveled the world, how you look attourisminIndonesia?Wehad arich country, theinterestof visitors from abroad, and of course weshould be proudof it. Buton the other hand, wemust remembertourismare the twosides of the coin, on oneside ofa developedtourismsectorbringsa lot oftouristsandincome, buton the other handmany of the 'poison' that damage thetourismcultureof local communities. My ownmost memorableduring a visitto Disneyland. Funny thing is, there arelocalresidentswho do notbelieveI am Indonesian, and hecontinued toconversein English.
Destinationsthat stillmakesyoucurious?Curious? I think Inow nolongerbetoo curiousdestination. OnceI'd love toNegra-closed statelikeBhutanorNorth Korea, as well as to countriesthat do notexist, such asNagoroKarabakh, Abkhazia, orTransdniester. Butnow, mydestinationwasnot everything. Travelingin essenceno longerseekthe exotic, butthe process oflearning, andwe can actuallylearnon the go. One ofmyphilosophiesison the way: it's not about thedestination, it'sabout thejourney. So,whereverthe destinationisspecial,even thehomeitselfthatis soyou know.
Augustine Wibowo, a travel writer. Currently working in the media in Beijing. Next project, working on the third and fourth books about travel in Tibet, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Kashmir, and Mongolia. Youth from Lumajang, East Java, was once a volunteer earthquake in Kashmir, Pakistan, for six weeks. Interests: Photography, traveling, and fitateli.