All right.. this is more of a followup post from the one I did about Ramadan on Sing-Cro. Hm.. I wonder how many travellers out there are aware when they are travelling to religious countries? To observe certain religious customs at specific times of the year, etc..?
Personally I've never travelled within the UAE or any of the Arabic countries. I've been in transit at Doha and Dubai a couple of times but not stepped foot in the countries. But I recalled hearing announcements on the plane before we alighted and at the airport while waiting for my plane... travellers are adviced to refrain from eating in public whilst in the country or airport. Why? It is the holy month of Ramadan. The month of fasting. It was the first time for me to hear that but I respected the custom even though my stomach was growling.
I was in Thailand too many times that I've lost count. For those out there, Thailand is a Buddhist country. So one will see Buddhist monks on the streets and various Buddhist temples all over the country. But do keep in mind that certain customs need to be observed too... In certain temples, lady travellers are advised to be "well-covered" before entering the premises, that is, no shorts, clothes that expose the shoulders or bosoms.
That's my experiences. Do you have any to share regarding your travels to religious countries?
Personally I've never travelled within the UAE or any of the Arabic countries. I've been in transit at Doha and Dubai a couple of times but not stepped foot in the countries. But I recalled hearing announcements on the plane before we alighted and at the airport while waiting for my plane... travellers are adviced to refrain from eating in public whilst in the country or airport. Why? It is the holy month of Ramadan. The month of fasting. It was the first time for me to hear that but I respected the custom even though my stomach was growling.
I was in Thailand too many times that I've lost count. For those out there, Thailand is a Buddhist country. So one will see Buddhist monks on the streets and various Buddhist temples all over the country. But do keep in mind that certain customs need to be observed too... In certain temples, lady travellers are advised to be "well-covered" before entering the premises, that is, no shorts, clothes that expose the shoulders or bosoms.
That's my experiences. Do you have any to share regarding your travels to religious countries?
10 comments:
Yeah, I recently moved to Istanbul, Turkey and experienced living in a Middle Eastern country during Ramadan. Now Istanbul's not that bad, but you might wanna watch where you eat and drink (or smoke) in public during the day... and in front of who.
Also, be prepared for extremely loud messages sent out from the minarets of mosques ^_^
Hello Bas!
I love your website. So nice of you to drop by my blog! :)
Yes I know those loudspeakers installed on mosques. We have quite a few in Singapore and every Friday is prayer time. One can't possibly miss that!
Surely any country is a religious country, or more accurately the citizens of that country follow one or more different religions. For example Thailand might be predominately Buddhist but there are Christians and Muslims here to name but two..
Thanks Don for pointing it out. Sorry peeps I should have put a more precise title. I meant to say "More religious countries".
To followup on this post, I have found an article online: "Least Religious countries".
For those who are asking, Croatia is predominantly Roman Catholic. So the Church actually has a strong influence on work practices here! :)
I visited Istanbul last year and they were pretty all right..no requirement to cover up my head when I entered the Blue Mosque..just to remove our shoes. But I had to cover up my head with a scarf when I visited the Temple Mount in the promised land. I guess we observe the rules of the place and don't get into trouble with anyone.
Hey Shutter Buggie.
I guess it's not too much about not getting into trouble than to show respect to the countries' cultures that we are visiting :)
Yeah. I think it's only normal for men to wear a 'keppel' (?) when they're visiting a synagogue for instance.
Hi Bas.. I'm not sure about the name of the "hat" too. :P
In Indonesia, I know some women will wear the scarf even though they are not Muslims.
Well timed for me to post a comment, you are running my EC add and I didn't know it.
I stumbled the post and included it in my blog carnival today.
I work with people across different cultures, and all too often people don't know about the level or religious belief in countries. They also don't know that not everyone has the same weekend!
Keep up the great posts.
Hi Cindy! :)
Yes, it takes a lot to learn about every person's cultures. But once we've done it, it just makes the world feel smaller. I would love to learn more each day!
Thanks for the comment!
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