Batch 11 — The Great Sojourn — theNOSTOMANIAC.com

64 - Lounging Lawang (Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia)

The area’s biggest draw is orangutans, and for good reason. They’re spell-binding little bastards. (Actually, some are quite large.) The term “orangutan” was coined in the seventeenth century and is derived from the Malay and Indo words orang, meaning “person” and hutan, meaning “forest”. And when you meet them you understand the appellation “person of the forest.” All in the eyes, my friend. All in the eyes.

Not far from a cove of guesthouses (including mine) lies a rehabilitation center. The surrounding area contains a mix of wild and semi-wild (rehabilitated) orangutans. Every day at 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. rangers feed “attendees” and offer a public viewing. The most popular activity is a two-day, one-night shallow trek into the park to spot “wild” orangutans.

Batch 11, Indonesia 2by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, sumatra, Bukit Lawang, orangutan

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

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

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

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

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