Sumatra — The Great Sojourn — theNOSTOMANIAC.com

49 - Kalinda’s Other Plans (Sumatra, Indonesia)

There’s something to be said about just being. No camera. No packs strapped to the bike. No real destination. No need for an enhanced state of hypervigilance. Just ride. And smile. Feel the breeze on my knees. Take a breath before death. Chill without a pill before you’re over the hill.

The coastal road led me through a series of small villages, one picture postcard after another. Quaint and tidy with a touch of drowsy. Perfect place to dodder as the day winds down. The sun retreated, casting its orange glimmer across the rocky beaches, old stone houses, and rickety wooden harbors in one final act of rebellion. Beautiful. But, of course, I didn’t have my camera, did I? I wonder…

Batch 9, Indonesia 2by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Sumatra, Kalinda, Madagascar, sle of St. Marie, Nosy Boraha

50 - Kiss My Baby Krak (Mt. Krakatoa, Sumatra, Indonesia)

Seeing Baby Krak requires a boat. My hostel arranged one. Low season. Solo tourist. It’s never cheap to do things alone, so the “tour” set me back sixty dollars. Normally, you’d frolic with a group. Normally, I’d be thrilled to have my own private vessel, guide included. Normally, I’m down with “normally.” Buuuut one client equals small boat. You don't want the small boat. Really, you don’t. (Boat? More like watercraft as in “arts” and “crafts.”)

Come the morning, I drove to the home of el capitan and waited patiently as preparations for our voyage ensued. I sat outside a small shop sipping coffee with my guide and three unknown Sumatrans listening to what I can only describe as Indonesian prom music from a high school “Enchantment Under the Volcano” dance…

Batch 9, Indonesia 2by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Sumatra, Kalinda, Krakatoa

51 - Honkey On A Harley? (Krui, Sumatra, Indonesia)

Case in point. Petrol stations were now few and far between, so mom-and-pop kiosk operations filled the void. I patronized a small roadside stand in my quest for fuel. Given the abnormality that was me, I was invited for coffee, free of charge. I sat and at once became the center of attention to four young males. A few months earlier, the scrutiny might’ve been unbearable, but I’d come along way since then. I even started to enjoy it. (This assumes the absence of perceived danger, of course.) I sipped. They stared. I smiled. They stared. I tried not to burst with awkward laughter. They stared. If all that wasn’t strange enough, there was monkey tied to a nearby tree for no obvious reason. PETA wouldn’t approve (nor did I), but it probably wasn’t the best time for a “Free Willy!” confrontation…

Indonesia 2, Batch 9by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Sumatra, Krui, Bandar Lampung, Sheraton

52 - Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (Sumatra, Indonesia)

In town, I entered a restaurant for information and lunch. On the topic of park exploration, I received the Indonesian equivalent of No way, Jose. The owner said it wasn’t possible. If I wanted in, I’d have to enter from Kota Agung. Fooey. I asked around. Same answer… repeatedly. Not possible. I sulked over a bowl of chicken and rice, and then I asked again. (As in, “Are ya sure, sure?”) Still no. Fiddlesticks.

I straddled the Phantom and began my dejection tour back to Krui. I mentally flagellated myself for the defeat but wasn’t so self-absorbed in pity that I missed the park entrance I’d failed notice on the way in. So much for situational awareness, eh gov’nah? Across the road was a ranger station…

Indonesia 2, Batch 9by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Sumatra, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Liwa

53 - Liwa to Sungai Penuh (Sumatra, Indonesia)

I’m not famous and likely will never be so. I’m okay with that. Besides, I’ve had enough of a taste to get the flavor of fame and stardom. In Sungai Penuh, I entered a restaurant for lunch and thought I heard a record scratch. Not five minutes after sitting down, three Indonesian teenage males surrounded me. One politely asked (in English) if he and his friends could join me. I hardly got to the “y” in “yes” before they sat.

A teenage female sitting nearby saw this as the green light, pulling up a chair next to me. She was very sweet with kind eyes and a soft smile… and hellbent on a photo. She handed her cell phone to one gent, and the session began. One photo was taken with her standing and me sitting but this didn’t cut it…

Indonesia 2, Batch 10by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Sumatra, Liwa, Bengkulu, Sungai Penuh, Indonesia

54 - Orang Pendek & Motivation Frustration (Kersik Tuo, Sumatra)

I also visited the national park office for information on Mt. Kerinci, receiving another wet blanket in return. The mountain was closed due to frequent eruptions. This confirmed what Yan had told me, but I needed to hear it from the horse’s mouth. The horse beat me down like a panda in a Chinese zoo. I remember thinking, How do you close down an entire volcano?

I was mildly optimistic about park exploration, and far too excited to take the rational step of waiting another day for lickin’ chicken to work its way through my system. The morning of my departure north was something of a poopfest…

Indonesia 2, Batch 10by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Sumatra, Sungai Penuh, Kersik Tuo, orang pendek

55 - Danau Gunung Tujuh (Sumatra, Indonesia)

Sahar managed an actual conversation on the way back. He was, in truth, an interesting guy with lots to offer. Just not then. And not to me. Still, I liked him. Really, I did. The only thing standing in the way was his work ethic. I wanted to do shit. He didn’t. Nothing exotic there for him. That was his life. For me? It was like driving to Wally World so I could tailgate in the parking lot.

After our non-adventure, he invited me into his home and showed me pictures and videos of all the shit I yearned to see. (Ironic, much?) Pictures from his Orang Pendek explorations. Videos of Mt. Kerinci’s spectacular eruptions. I considered asking him where I could find that Sahar…

Indonesia 2, Batch 10by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Sumatra, Danau Gunung Tujuh

57 - Pit Stop Padang & Backtrack Fever (Sumatra, Indonesia)

Turns out, I have some semblance of a conscience. Who knew? I let guilt be my diving rod. En spent three days surveying a route in the shit (i.e. the intended inclusion area). He’d spent his own time and money at my behest. I couldn’t leave him hanging. This wasn’t just business. I genuinely like En and considered him a friend. Sure, a shitload of things could go wrong, but I had to take the chance. The payoff was potentially huge. Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! (Minus the lions and the bears). Elephants? Tapirs? Rhinoceroses? Who knows? Only one way to find out, right?

Time was of the essence. He was only free for a week which included the three days for the trip.

Batch 10, Indonesia 2by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Padang, Mentawai Islands, Sumatra

58 - Kerinci National Park (Sumatra, Indonesia)

En had a knack for the lyrical. After leaving the second “crime” scene, we encountered flower blossoms “snowing” in the jungle. White flower petals fell to the ground in sputtering gasps, taking on the aura of large snowflakes. En pointed to this and said he’d only seen it once before under similar circumstances (i.e. in the presence of slain tiger prey). He compared the blossoms to jungle tears, a land mourning the loss of life. Simple. Evocative. Profound. Well done, En. Well done.

Less poetic were the leeches relentlessly assaulting our ankles, an assault that would continue for the duration. Anticoagulant-secreting bastards with an insatiable appetite for blood. Not a fan. Tear ‘em off and bleed. And bleed some more. And then keep bleeding. Delicious…

Batch 10, Indonesia 2by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Sumatra, Kerinci National Park

59 - Mishap & Maninjau (Sumatra, Indonesia)

I took my time. I lingered. No rush. No agenda. A photo here. A vacant look across the lake there. Got lost in my head. (It’s a jungle up there.) Such a worthy pursuit, no? An anomaly garnered my attention, one I had to verify with close inspection. I passed a man on a motorbike with two large baskets filled with coconuts attached saddlebag-style. And on the back seat betwixt the baskets was his partner: a monkey. It wasn’t just the fact he appeared to be delivering coconuts with a primate shackled to his motorbike. It was the juxtaposition of their task and the stoic, borderline angry expressions held by each. Not sure if man mimicked the monkey or vice versa. These two were dead fucking serious.

This was too much. I needed a snapshot for posterity. Who knew when or where …

Indonesia 2, Batch 11by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Maninjau

60 - Low Calorie Acid Trip (Bukittinggi, Sumatra, Indonesia)

And yet, I was drawn to his mysterious nature and reciprocal curiosity. Wanna see a tiger, you say? Well, he knew a guy. Of course he did. Not just any guy, but a tiger whisperer, if you will… or would. For the right price and a fair amount of patience, we might succeed in “summoning” a striped crusader. This tiger “shaman” (my word, not his) lived just outside the town’s center. According to Pria, Mr. Whisperer, with the aid of a spirit man, had the power to compel tiger attendance. Difference between his guy and a spirit man? Dunno. Shit got confusing and stayed there well before the actual meeting. If the spirit guide was the one doing the calling, then what was the purpose of the man we were going to meet?

Batch 11, Indonesia 2by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Bukittinggi, Turret Cafe, vespa, Sumatra

61 - U.F.G - Unidentified Flying Goofball (Lake Toba, Sumatra, Indonesia)

So, I sold the fucker. I sold it for less than half of what I paid, but this was better than the alternative. I thought for sure I’d be handing the keys to some lucky bastard in Medan with instructions to “Live long and prosper.” Profits be damned. I was willing to take what I could get. While waiting for a ferry from Parapat to Tuk Tuk (Samosir Island), I struck up a conversation with a local man. I mentioned offhand I’d hoped to sell the Phantom before I left Medan. I quoted a price. He disappeared ninja-style. Much to my astonishment, he returned shortly after with the rough equivalent of a thousand dollars (US). He smelled a deal. He smelled right. I suspect he was as excited as I was when I first bought it. He had that “kid in the candy store…

Batch 11, Indonesia 2by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, Danau Toba, Batak

62 - Ratna’s Place (Danau Toba, Sumatra, Indonesia)

Upon return, she recieved me with a smile and a cup of tea. Soon after, we went for a stroll in the hills behind her village. Ratna was one of twelve children; her father a Batak king whose jurisdiction stretched to adjacent villages and up the mountain. He died when she was four (she was forty at the time) and unfortunately, didn’t pass on a king’s ransom. I guess the crown wasn’t what it used to be by his reign (more of a leadership/advisory role, I deduced). Power without glory. Her father married twice, Ratna’s mother being the second following the death of the first.

Ratna spent most of her adult life away from Toba, living first in Jakarta with her extended family—brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, etc. She worked at a transportation/cargo company based…

Batch 11, Indonesia 2by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, Batak, Permaculture

63 - A Trip Within A Trip (Danau Toba, Sumatra, Indonesia)

On my world trip, I took a little “trip”. And it was fucking glorious. Absolutely magnificent, kind sir… or ma’am. Drugs in Indonesia are a big fat no-no. Illegit. Too illegit to quit. Shrooms technically fall into this category, but no one seems to care. They are sold openly in Bali, the Gili Islands, and the Lake Toba region. It’s so blatant, I was sure they were legal, or at least not illegal. Nope. I guess it’s on the books, but the books are out of print. And that was fine with me.

What does “openly” really mean? More than one Toba restaurant had mushroom omelette on the menu. Ideal, as I love breakfast and tripping my balls off. A winning combo indeed, so gimme a “P” for paradise, eh gov’nah?…

Batch 11, Indonesia 2by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Sumatra, Lake Toba, Danau Toba, psilocybin