LOCAL-CUSTOMS
Some
terms :
Kampung
Stay : or Village Stay. Yep,
Kampung is the Malay word for Village and Rumah is the Malay word for
House.
KOLAM :
Under normal circumstances, a Kolam is a pond. But in this case it is a
receptacle or tank of water to
bath and wash with. Please don't immerse your body into it. If you
do, then please drain it then refill
LEPAK
: the art of
relaxing; in a manner envied most by the harried and
stressed. At Rumah Yamin this art is practiced whenever
possible...
Halal,
Kosher, related to Bible (God's instructions to Noah when
he landed on Mt Sinai after the big flood. Since the area is 99.9 per
cent Muslim, you would not be able to buy any alcoholic beverages.
But if you do bring it to Rumah Yamin, you are expected to be discreet. Bag and throw the trash at the stainless steel Leach bins
on the main road. No pork please. Plastic
disposables are probably the best unless you are an environmentalist and
abhor such things. Why would you want to go through all that trouble of
bringing your own "non-Halal" foodstuffs when you can have
great meals from the foodstall next to the house, and when you can get
fresh fish direct from the sea in front.
DO'S
& DON'TS
Do
: Mingle with the neighbours and
the village folk.
Do
: participate
in any local or nearby event if you are lucky to come across one during
your stay there. Remember, Rumah Yamin is a kampung-house, therefore any
occupant is part of the kampung comunity..
Don't
Neck in public
Don't
go nude or topless at the beach or at anytime.
Survival
Tips
Keep
a torch: handy in the night. Don't be
alarmed if you hear some loud thumps on the roof at night. It happens..
Mosquitoes:
plenty in the dry season. Sleep under a fan, in the mosquito netting.
Hot and still in the dry season.
Drink lots of
fluid.
Speaking for males, if you piss once about every hour or so,
you're definitely OK.
Behaviour
-As long as you realise that the people
of Terengganu are conservative muslims, you should be able to
adjust your behaviour to them, as the malay saying goes, "masuk
kandang kambing, mengembek," or loosely
translated as "do as the Romans do"
Manners
: Culture
- Learn more about the Terengganu Culture by
clicking to the Terengganu Tourism site.
