Last night returning from getting something to eat, I drove past the reception of the place we are staying at and gawped at the sight of a male guest, legs astride, in speedo swimming trunks, talking to two of the Muslim ladies who work here. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Tonight at dinner, the owner was visibly distressed by the group that had brought bottles of beer into his restaurant, despite him asking them not to the previous evening.
These are just two of the many examples of tourists being completely unaware of local sensitivities here on Ko Lanta.
It’s no secret the majority of locals here are Muslim; it’s even described as so in the Lonely Planet. And once you arrive here it’s also pretty obvious from the mosques, turbans and hijabs.
However, this does not seem to stop the holiday-makers from going topless on the beach, driving around on mopeds in bikinis, walking around shirtless and drinking a can of beer walking past the mosque.
From what the locals I have befriended tell me, this really upsets them. What is commendable however is how they handle it. They aren’t rude, they don’t taint all “farang” (foreigners) as uncouth and they don’t create discord. They do feel though that some are taking the piss.
From what I can see, I would have to to agree. It’s rude and it smacks of hypocrisy.
Coming from the UK, where public discourse around immigrants, and Islam in particular, demands that you comply with British norms (whatever they are), this smacks of double standards. Yet another example of western “do as I say not as I do”.
The mentality seems to be that when you come to us, we expect you to be flexible and respect how we do things – BUT – when we go to you, we do what we want. Your culture, your religion, your sense of taste isn’t as valid or important as ours. Anyway, we’ve paid for our holiday so we are going to bloody-well enjoy it!
Travelling anywhere, no matter who you are, you need to be respectful of the local culture, customs and sensitivities. Anything less displays an arrogance or reveals a complete ignorance. Neither are great.
If you plan on coming to Ko Lanta, show some common sense, especially in the south where it has much higher Muslim population than Saladan and Long Beach.
- Going topless really annoys locals – don’t do it. It gives us a bad name.
- Wearing your bikinis, etc on the beach is fine – they can deal with that and put up with it. However, once you leave and beach and go into the roads for shopping, eating, etc then wear some clothes please.
- Men shouldn’t walk around shirtless especially if going into restaurants or public spaces. Wearing your speedos in front of ladies is a no-no.
- Don’t walk around drunk or drinking – do your drinking in the many bars and places meant for drinking. You might think you look cool, you don’t, you look a fool.
- Don’t assume you can “bring your own” booze. If you see the words “halal” or the crescent moon and star on the restaurant sign, this is a Muslim owned and they really don’t want alcohol on their premises.
Remember, you’re not visiting Islamic State so you don’t need to come here with any sense of trepidation – the people are lovely, calm and welcoming. But it would be nice to show some respect to the way they like to live – just as we would expect anyone coming to the UK, France, Germany, etc to do the same.
If it wasn’t for the conservatism of these islanders, Ko Lanta would not be the place it is. It’s safe, family-friendly and doesn’t have the unsavoury elements of many of Thailand’s other beach resorts or islands. It would be nice to try and keep it that way.
No Payne No Gain 