With Planet Earth in lockdown, our industry at a standstill and many of us in self-isolation or quarantine at home, or grounded, this is our blog for you – it’s a way to share stories within our community, to form solidarity and foster a sense of belonging.
Short essays on what we are each doing, how we are getting through this darkest hour in travel, how are we handling withdrawal symptoms from travel, what we intend to do with this down time, a word we want to focus on, a wish we have or simply, an important topic you want to share with your travel friends at this time.
Martin Reiher, managing director, Meesta Production, Singapore
First things first: I recorded the video footage on April 12, 2020. Wearing masks in public was not yet advised by the government.
It was only five days into the “circuit breaker” in Singapore. At that point, the situation wasn’t unexpected – yet completely unprecedented: Work from home, eat at home, have (digital) conversations from home, relax at home…whatever you do, just stay at home! How would I deal with this in the weeks, or even months, to come?
Luckily, we’re allowed to exercise outside and go for walks. So, I did exactly that on the first Sunday. I took my thoughts and my GoPro on a stroll through the empty streets of Singapore’s Chinatown and CBD. Crazy! I have never seen this city like that. Usually packed with hundreds of people, visitors from all around the world, shoppers, store owners selling food, tea, gadgets or souvenirs while shouting and playing a cacophony of way-too-loud music, and now…Nothing. Nobody. Quiet.
I filled the serene emptiness with my thoughts.
What if this isn’t just a phase? What if we got thrown off the treadmill as we tried to run faster than we could? What if we need to rethink our habits and our lifestyles permanently? What needs to change – what do I need to change? So, I wondered and wandered, studying my unreeling reflections.
I’m a die-hard optimist. That doesn’t mean I ignore the blazing fires around me, it means that I keep looking for the fire hose. I believe that we will become stronger and, hopefully, more resourceful through this time. The planet needed the slow- down, and so did we – and so did I.
There are things that I dearly miss. There are things that I have to sacrifice, perhaps, permanently. That’s not easy but it might be for the better. It requires adaptation and creativity. And as every journey has it, it starts with the first step. For me, it was that Sunday walk through the empty streets of Singapore. It gave me the space and time to examine the current world, and how I can contribute to impact it positively.
I made this video to capture this special time and my reflections, and to share it with my friends and family who, I knew, I wouldn’t be able to see for a while.
Staying at home is a price to pay…but I feel like I can make it worth it.
Sunday Walk in lockdown Singapore from Web In Travel on Vimeo.
Note: You can also listen to Martin Reiher on A Life In Travel Podcast
Note: We will be running this blog for as long as we need to, to get us through this. If you wish to contribute, please send your essays to Siew Hoon. Send images too, it’s your story.