I was on Cherating beach again on the weekend, to clear my head.
I was once again reminded by Farisa who sells bus tickets in Cherating that I am the only local who is allowed to stay at the Mata Hari chalets. The family that owns it aren't your typical Malay family. I would agree with their policy for various reasons.
The locals travel in droves. They never travel alone, unlike the foreign travellers. And the locals always make a mess of the place after they leave because they think Allah cleans up after their shit. That's what living in a muslim culture does to your sense of civic responsibility. And because they're mob-travellers, they're noisy and inconsiderate to the other guests.
And I guess the locals must also have bothered the foreign guests a lot with dumbass questions. Mata Hari has a kind of serenity to it that I would also preserve by banning all Malaysians.
Except me, of course. I spend all my time reading and unlike most Malaysians, I have interesting travel stories to share.
But there were no locals this time round. Why, it's Ramadan of course! The best time to go visit Malaysia if you want peace and quiet. Ramadan is the period of abstinence and fasting for the muslims. And this includes abstinence from going on holidays!
I had the beach all to myself! It was also sunny and since it was the low season, the accommodation was also slightly cheaper. Not that price bothered me in the past. Mata Hari chalets are plenty cheap -- just USD5.50 per night.
Comments
hi tim! was at Cha-Am beach, Thailand over weekend … it was chok-a-block with mobs just as you describe, but here they rely on non-Islamic deities/spirits to clear up their shit… attitude is identical, though! “One more mekhong-soda and sod it all”!!
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Monday October 25
Cherating in Ramadan
I was on Cherating beach again on the weekend, to clear my head.
I was once again reminded by Farisa who sells bus tickets in Cherating that I am the only local who is allowed to stay at the Mata Hari chalets. The family that owns it aren't your typical Malay family. I would agree with their policy for various reasons.
The locals travel in droves. They never travel alone, unlike the foreign travellers. And the locals always make a mess of the place after they leave because they think Allah cleans up after their shit. That's what living in a muslim culture does to your sense of civic responsibility. And because they're mob-travellers, they're noisy and inconsiderate to the other guests.
And I guess the locals must also have bothered the foreign guests a lot with dumbass questions. Mata Hari has a kind of serenity to it that I would also preserve by banning all Malaysians.
Except me, of course. I spend all my time reading and unlike most Malaysians, I have interesting travel stories to share.
But there were no locals this time round. Why, it's Ramadan of course! The best time to go visit Malaysia if you want peace and quiet. Ramadan is the period of abstinence and fasting for the muslims. And this includes abstinence from going on holidays!
I had the beach all to myself! It was also sunny and since it was the low season, the accommodation was also slightly cheaper. Not that price bothered me in the past. Mata Hari chalets are plenty cheap -- just USD5.50 per night.
Comments
hi tim! was at Cha-Am beach, Thailand over weekend … it was chok-a-block with mobs just as you describe, but here they rely on non-Islamic deities/spirits to clear up their shit… attitude is identical, though! “One more mekhong-soda and sod it all”!!