Lombok — The Great Sojourn — theNOSTOMANIAC.com

22 - Vortex to Vortex (Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Indonesia)

I saw boatloads of octopuses, but they were always antisocial, refusing to cavort. Most species are harmless and curious, so I thought we’d get along famously. I made overtures but my guide reprimanded me via underwater whistle and finger wag. Probably for the best. My enthusiasm got the better of me. I was only thinking of myself, not the octopus minding his own bloody business. Saw plenty of cuttlefish (a close relative) as well. Amazing creatures are these. They hover in one place and…

Batch 4, Indonesiaby Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Bali, Ubud, Lombok, Gili Islands, Gili TRawangan, Indonesia

23 - Mt. Rinjani Before The Shake (Lombok, Indonesia)

Even without a major catastrophe and threat of death, Rinjani was a real asshole. I found the going slow, the pace grueling. Although the volcano is described as such in the tourist literature, I had hoped to fare better. The reviews are often written with the lowest common denominator in mind. I aspired to be farther along on the bell curve. Nuh-uh. My ego likes to think I wasn’t at a hundred percent. It began with a fever which I’d hope to quell with 800mg of ibuprofen. Nuh-uh. Fatigue set in early on, at a much lower…

Batch 4, Indonesiaby Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Lombok, Mt. Rinjani, Senaru

24 - Crazy-Rich Decadent Asshole (Kuta, Lombok, Indonesia)

Normandy and I spent a night recuperating at a small hotel in Senaru. You could say we became better “acquainted.” Our relationship was good, but “la lune de miel était finie” as they say. Our “Soup de Amour” had a shelf life of about four days. The first few spoonfuls were delicious, but shit got bitter at the bottom.

A few doors down, there was an eighty-four-year-old American guest from Rochester, New York…