Batch 12 — The Great Sojourn — theNOSTOMANIAC.com

70 - Wrong Turn, Right Way (Negombo to Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka)

I arrived in Puttalam por la manana, secured lodging, and went for a spin on the nearby peninsula. Destination: Kalpitiya. I surmounted my first military checkpoint without incident. The soldiers asked where I was headed, but the question felt more like a product of curiosity than regulation. The peninsula isn’t a tourist hotspot. Mr. White Stuff on a dirt bike is a rare event. I received many familiar “What the hell is that and why is it here?” stares I was so accustomed after my Indo sojourn, it almost felt like coming home. There wasn’t much to see in the way of attractions but this was fine by me. The ride was the destination. Old Dutch fort commandeered by the army and closed to the public? Ain’t no thang.…

Batch 12, Sri Lankaby Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Sri Lanka, Buduruwakanda, Puttalam

69 - Naked Negombo (Western Province, Sri Lanka)

A single month wasn’t ideal. I had to economize my time, make shit count. Best way to do so? Get your own goddamn wheels. Worked wonders in Indonesia. Worked wonders in Sri Lanka. I’d already made inquires via the interweb regarding motorbike rentals and found a shop ready and willing to fulfill my mobility desires. It all looked kosher on the agency’s webpage, but you just never know. I was cautiously optimistic.

Optimism? Justified. Suranga of Sha Lanka Negambo kindly offered to arrange an airport transfer to his shop. Upon arrival, I was united with my new travel companion—a Honda XR 250 Baja. Two hundred fifty cubic centimeters of pure adrenaline…The 250cc’s was more than adequate for my purposes. They had 400cc and 650cc engines available, but I didn’t see the need for more firepower.

Batch 12, Sri Lankaby Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Sri Lanka, Negombo, Angurukaramulla Temple, Sha Lanka Negambo

68 - Sri Lanka Timeline

1505 - Portuguese arrive in Colombo, marking beginning of European interest.

1658 - Dutch force out Portuguese and establish control over whole island except central kingdom of Kandy.

1796 - Britain begins to take over island.

1815 - Kingdom of Kandy conquered. Britain starts bringing in Tamil labourers from southern India to work in tea, coffee and coconut plantations.

1833 - Whole island united under one British administration.

1931 - British grant the right to vote and introduce power sharing with Sinhalese-run cabinet.

1948 - Ceylon gains full independence

1949 - Indian Tamil plantation workers disenfranchised and many deprived of citizenship…

Batch 12, Sri Lankaby Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Sri Lanka

67 - Not Just Dead… (Kuala Lumpur, Malyasia)

First and foremost, I was hoping to repair the external hard drive I dropped in Bali, or at the very least retrieve the data. Wish in one hand, shit in the other. Six different shops crushed my hopes and dreams in succession. A corrupted drive? Yeah, there’s an app for that. A broken (as in no spinny-spin) hard drive was a horse of a different color… or a unicorn as it were. I required a repair and extract solution. They didn’t have it. Who does have it? Um, forensic data engineers? NASA? The NSA? Google? Bill Gates? One shop owner intimated I might find someone in KL, but it would cost both my legs and one-third of my liver. A bridge too far to recover an iTunes library and some bootleg movies… sigh. The owner of the last shop on my digital trail of tears put it perfectly…

Batch 12, Malaysiaby Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

66 - Selamat Tinggal Indonesia!

Indonesia became my friendliness baseline, my initial reference point for cultural warmth and hospitality. The people are most definitely one of the highlights. It wasn’t all peaches and sunshine. There were, as everywhere, bad apples. I fondly remember the gentleman who knew I was walking in the dark by myself toward Mt. Bromo down the wrong path but refused to help because I had no interest in paying for a horsey ride. A-hole. Such encounters were the exception, not the rule, and in no way tarnished my overall experience. If anything, such experiences were a gift. I can’t help but chortle at the memories.

Disappointments? I had a few. I’ve mentioned the immigration cluster-fuckage many times. Beyond that? Well, the surprising level of development and tourism infrastructure…

Batch 12, Indonesia 3by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, Bali, Ubud

65 - Kindertehuis (Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia)

Buuuuuuut… it’s far better to regret the things you did do, as opposed to the things you didn’t, eh? When was I ever going to be on the edge of the Sumatran jungle again? It’s unanimous, I was indeed a schmuck for this indiscretion.

I did, however, embark on a quest for the lost Café of Internet. Like my quest to execute a jungle quest, it ended in frustration. For internetting, I had two options—a shop in town or a place on the outskirts past an upscale hotel. Due to the unstable nature of the electrical grid, I was directed toward the latter. Why, exactly, I can’t recall. Perhaps, my informant intuited generator power at the out-of-town establishment. The “lost” cafe was allegedly a twenty-minute walk from my guesthouse.

Batch 12, Indonesia 3by Mr. Nos T. O'maniacMarch 1, 2020Indonesia, sumatra, Bukit Lawang