What irritated you in Malta/Gozo

JayJay1970 wrote:

Especially when the refuse collection is 1,000 times better than the area in the uk we lived in ( household organic bin emptied once a fortnight even  in summer)

Malta is changing to weekly collection in 2-3 years

right that's it then I'm off back to Blighty!  oh oh that will be bad is that absolute George?

Announced a couple of weeks ago

georgeingozo wrote:

JayJay1970 wrote:

Especially when the refuse collection is 1,000 times better than the area in the uk we lived in ( household organic bin emptied once a fortnight even  in summer)

Malta is changing to weekly collection in 2-3 years

That's OK, you will still be able to put your bags out every NIGHT.   

georgeingozo wrote:

JayJay1970 wrote:

Especially when the refuse collection is 1,000 times better than the area in the uk we lived in ( household organic bin emptied once a fortnight even  in summer)

Malta is changing to weekly collection in 2-3 years

I bet that won't last long, especially areas like Bugibba. With all the bars etc, it will become even more infested with rats and roaches?!

am sure they will find a way of charging for more regular collections for business but they prob wont go for it

Jay - they do beach and coast cleanups here on the mellieha and armier beaches etc  - the ones i ve seen usually organised by a diving outfit - and volunteers

redmik wrote:

I am not in denial, I simply choose to regard most things as minor issues and those that are not minor, I do something about. As for stating that I see that everything is perfect, how OTT is that? Do you know me? Do you know how I view everything?
I am a positive person, with positive attitudes and a positive outlook.
If you can't understand that simple philosophy, then it isn't worth trying to explain it to you.
I also choose to ignore the sarcastic comments, though I will admit to being surprised by the authors of them.
I would also say that the sights I have seen around the world, the situations and conditions I have been or otherwise experienced make it very easy for me to ignore minor issues.
Also please indicate where anyone thinks I have been 'rude'.
I have not.

And those that were seen to be dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.
Friedrich Nietzsche.

And you do not know me    I am a positive person too, but this thread was titled 'What irritated you in Malta/Gozo' so I mentioned the things that irritate me, that is all. You need to take a chill pill & stop getting so wound up by an internet forum... 

And all because I asked a simple question...............

The disregard for indicators whilst driving.. oh and pulling up to have a chat in the middle of the road
" Those are not irritations; just a way of life."

Pardon my French , but that's utter bollocks !!! - A disregard for indicators whist driving is more than an " irritation " , it's downright dangerous !
And trust me on this , being stuck behind someone with his head out of the window , having a natter with his mate , while everyone else is trying to get to work on time ........ certainly qualifies as an " irritation " !!!!

Hey Moyes14, get used to it before you have a heart attack. Or take a bus or retire or live on Gozo 

Oh and what is dangerous is to presume any driver is actually going to do what they indicate their intention of doing.
Ask any UK driving instructor.

Redmik obviously does not drive 

To be brutally honest , Redmik does not work or even live on Malta so really, has no experience of the " irritations" faced by people who do have to contend with these everyday events ! 😄

✌️

Guys,

I'm a newbie here and in Malta.
But having spend already around 40 nights in last november and december, I allow myself to comment the negative vibes that one can have about the Island.

True: they drive weirdly, the streets are pretty much the dirtiest I've seen, the people take time and don't care about being on time or embarrassing others by stopping their car in the middle of the road for a chat with a pedestrian, and so on...

But, at the end of the day, most of us enjoy the positive vibes of living here: weather, history, sea, nature...whatever we don't have at home. At least, being from Brussels, I don't have those up sides.

I like the comments of those of you saying that the down sides are not that much a problem as we can get used to it and that looking at the up sides make our days lovely!

Glass half empty VS half full :-)

I really intend to enjoy my next six months in Malta.
And if I feel that I have to remove my shoes prior to enter my place to avoid the dirt to penetrate my privacy...I'm more than happy to do so.

Just my two cents of course.

I drive when I have to and no I do not work but  I used to live and work on Malta though and I can imagine what it is like now. I'm not saying I am any better a driver than anyone else but I was also trained to drive professionally so I know what I should and more importantly, particularly in regard to defensive driving, should not expect other drivers to do. It's not just Malta either but in many other countries one should expect what others describe as hassle. I have also driven in some 20 odd other countries over some considerable distances, so I feel I know what I'm talking about. The responsibility should be upon the driver of their own vehicle, not that of others.  It's called 'anticipation' and 'reading the road ahead'. It's also interesting that Malta has lowest accident rate in the EU, especially given the number of vehicle per capita here. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/vi … -eu.462160

evelynOnGozo wrote:

irritated about paying for drinkwater 😁 (i'm spoiled from austria, u can drink there everywhere from the water tap 😋)

and why drive the cars left?! 😜 the wheel is on the wrong side! ^^ (i drove a month with the bus before i started to drive with the car, once i get on the false side, and once i turn false...but i'm glad here on gozo there is not much traffic so i survived 😄 watch out for a white car... thats me)
by the way... think the gozitans are good drivers, the streets are small and the curves are dangerous, think most of the austrians would be afraid to ruin their cars here


🌺🌻🍀

You can drink the water in Malta it just has a high mineral content.
As for driving on the left.....read on,

The English drive on the correct, left side of the road and the Americans drive on the incorrect, right side of the road.

Until 1789 all of the world drove on the left because the vast majority of people are right handed which meant you could pass weapon hand to weapon hand. Even primitive tribes passed each other on jungle paths walking on the left.

The French changed because, pre-revolution, the aristocracy drove on the left and the peasants were forced over to the right. When the revolution came, so as not to be seen as aristocracy, the aristocracts joined the peasants on the right. Napoleon's conquest of half of Europe introduced much of the driving on the left because it was part of the Napoleonic Code.

Almost half of Europe still drove on the left until WW2 and Sweden and Iceland only changed in the 1960s. Most of the old British Empire drives on the left. Contrary to what is said above, fewer than half the African countries which used to drive on the left switched to the right and one, Namibia, switched to driving on the left. Japan drives on the left because Herbert Austin, a pre-war major British car manufacturer set up the Japanese car industry. (To this day, Nissan build a Nissan Cedric, named after Herbert Austin's son).

Until 1792 all of America drove on the left. Then the Lancaster to Philadelphia Turnpike introduced a rule to drive on the right because ox carts were driven from the left hand side and, by passing left hand to left hand they were able to do so safely. Gradually, all states followed suit. Also contrary to what is said above, Ford built it's first left hand drive vehicle in 1908, up until then they had all been right hand drive. Cadillac didn't change until 1916.

Interestingly, accident statistics are higher in left hand drive countries than in right hand drive countries and when Sweden and Iceland switched, after an initial drop due to people driving more cautiously, the accident rate rose quite noticeably. The reason behind this is right eye dominance along with right dexterity. Not as many many people are right eye dominant (about two thirds) compared with being right handed but it is enough to make a significant difference when observing oncoming traffic.

Not only is driving on the left historically correct but it is also safer. Interestingly, if there hadn't been a French revolution then, maybe, the U.S. would be the only country in the world driving on the right (but then, if there hadn't been a French revolution then, without French help, America would not have won the War of Independence and would be driving on the left anyway).


Terry

And there was me thinking it originally came about because most people were right handed and used their swords that way. Driving on the left  evolved from that. A bit like spiral staircases benefiting the right handed defenders. 

but this is malta they dont know their left from their right!!!! LOL

toonarmy9752 wrote:

but this is malta they dont know their left from their right!!!! LOL

Talking of which I see that Sudan has bought the 'bendy' buses and they drive on the right 
Maybe they'll just remove the engines and scrap the rest?

tearnet wrote:

evelynOnGozo wrote:

irritated about paying for drinkwater 😁 (i'm spoiled from austria, u can drink there everywhere from the water tap 😋)

and why drive the cars left?! 😜 the wheel is on the wrong side! ^^ (i drove a month with the bus before i started to drive with the car, once i get on the false side, and once i turn false...but i'm glad here on gozo there is not much traffic so i survived 😄 watch out for a white car... thats me)
by the way... think the gozitans are good drivers, the streets are small and the curves are dangerous, think most of the austrians would be afraid to ruin their cars here


🌺🌻🍀

You can drink the water in Malta it just has a high mineral content.
As for driving on the left.....read on,

The English drive on the correct, left side of the road and the Americans drive on the incorrect, right side of the road.

Until 1789 all of the world drove on the left because the vast majority of people are right handed which meant you could pass weapon hand to weapon hand. Even primitive tribes passed each other on jungle paths walking on the left.

The French changed because, pre-revolution, the aristocracy drove on the left and the peasants were forced over to the right. When the revolution came, so as not to be seen as aristocracy, the aristocracts joined the peasants on the right. Napoleon's conquest of half of Europe introduced much of the driving on the left because it was part of the Napoleonic Code.

Almost half of Europe still drove on the left until WW2 and Sweden and Iceland only changed in the 1960s. Most of the old British Empire drives on the left. Contrary to what is said above, fewer than half the African countries which used to drive on the left switched to the right and one, Namibia, switched to driving on the left. Japan drives on the left because Herbert Austin, a pre-war major British car manufacturer set up the Japanese car industry. (To this day, Nissan build a Nissan Cedric, named after Herbert Austin's son).

Until 1792 all of America drove on the left. Then the Lancaster to Philadelphia Turnpike introduced a rule to drive on the right because ox carts were driven from the left hand side and, by passing left hand to left hand they were able to do so safely. Gradually, all states followed suit. Also contrary to what is said above, Ford built it's first left hand drive vehicle in 1908, up until then they had all been right hand drive. Cadillac didn't change until 1916.

Interestingly, accident statistics are higher in left hand drive countries than in right hand drive countries and when Sweden and Iceland switched, after an initial drop due to people driving more cautiously, the accident rate rose quite noticeably. The reason behind this is right eye dominance along with right dexterity. Not as many many people are right eye dominant (about two thirds) compared with being right handed but it is enough to make a significant difference when observing oncoming traffic.

Not only is driving on the left historically correct but it is also safer. Interestingly, if there hadn't been a French revolution then, maybe, the U.S. would be the only country in the world driving on the right (but then, if there hadn't been a French revolution then, without French help, America would not have won the War of Independence and would be driving on the left anyway).


Terry

Wow, thanks Terry.
I had never though of all this and as I love history, I will spread the word about the true reason of left driving ;-)

Even better, I will now drive on the left when in Brussels, my home town.
Joking of course.

I must say that it took me only a week to get used to the left driving when in Malta...even more funny, when coming back to Brussels, with my own car, I had to "think" not to drive on the left anymore.

Anyway, at the end, when you choose to live somewhere, enjoy the local habits, don't criticize them !

stephanevan wrote:

Anyway, at the end, when you choose to live somewhere, enjoy the local habits, don't criticize them !

.

redmik wrote:

toonarmy9752 wrote:

but this is malta they dont know their left from their right!!!! LOL

Except when voting !!

The water in Gozo is still mainly from the ground as where Malta is Osmosis plant water. I don't know if the Gozo water is treated once leaving the ground as I know it is naturally rich in fluoride and treatments normally strip the fluoride so I am guessing it's not?

It seems that it is all a blend of groundwater and RO water.


Groundwater

In 2005-06 the WSC produced just under 31 million cubic metres (cu/mt) of potable water in Malta & Gozo. Approximately 13.4 million (43%) cu/mt. were produced from various groundwater sources, the main one being Ta' Kandja Pumping Station which is a series of underground galleries some 8km in length, 100m below ground.

Ta' Kandja Galleries

Ta' Kandja Underground Galleries are situated in the limits of  Siggiewi. This was the last pumping station built, and was completed in 1963. It consists of  a network of 6.2km of galleries out of a network of 42 km of such galleries which are beneath the Maltese island.

Reverse Osmosis

Groundwater production, however, is not enough to meet demand which means that the Corporation has to convert seawater into high-purity drinking water in its three RO plants at Pembroke, Cirkewwa and Ghar Lapsi and blend it with groundwater. Moreover, the underground water table, is affected by illegal extraction, causing its salinity to rise to unacceptable levels, which has forced the WSC to increase RO water production. This allows it to reduce groundwater production as a percentage of overall water production.

In 2006-07 just under 17 million cubic (57%) meters of water was produced by RO plants. cu/mt.

Storage & Control

This blend is stored in the 24 reservoirs in Malta, Gozo and Comino which have a total capacity of 400,000 cubic metres. All the production, transfer and storage of water is controlled and monitored in real time by remote sensing from the Control Room based at Luqa. Reservoir levels, flow rates and pressures are kept at optimal operating parameters at all times.

Distribution

The water distribution system is a vast and complex network of over 2136 km of pipes, pumps, reservoirs, automated and manual valves and other components that bring safe, good-quality drinking water to your tap.

This network leads to approximately 142,000 water service connections to homes, businesses, industries, hotels, schools, etc., serving over 400,000 persons throughout the Maltese Islands.

That doesn't really tell you how much water is ground water in Gozo. We are taught that it's all ground water in Gozo (because of the fluoride, Gozo has statistically less dental decay than Malta.)

The island of Gozo is still completely supplied
with groundwater except for some water from
Cirkewwa RO plant during peak consumption
time, usually in August. Due to the current
design of the distribution network in Gozo, a
number of areas are still supplied by localised
pumping from individual boreholes. Therefore
there tends to be a large variation in the quality
of the water being supplied, from one area to
another.

Edited because I just found this: http://www.researchgate.net/publication … 3adde8.pdf

This is the conclusion:
The level of dental fluorosis in Gozo is negligible
in the deciduous dentition of the 5 year olds. Dental
fluorosis is also low in the permanent dentition of
12 year olds and the majority of the fluorosis present
is of a mild form. The 12-year-old children are
not aware of the aesthetic changes on their central
incisors associated with dental fluorosis.
There are unexplained differences in the prevalence
of dental fluorosis in permanent dentition when
analysed in different Gozitan localities that cannot be
explained directly through water fluoride levels.

I think that specific consumption figures of each derived water per island are not available because of the mixed distribution system but I have seen that the rough overall ratio of RO to ground derived water is appx. 53:47.
What I do know is that Lynn cannot tolerate the local water yet I can so we buy in our drinking water in 10 or 20L containers delivered. (Much cheaper than buying from shops.)

Yes, that is fluorosis which is different to amount of fluoride in water.

Gozo, as all water is from the ground and since some of it is 'polished' Fluoride in Gozo water is around 0.6-1.0 ppm compared to Malta's mixed water of 0.0-0.2 ppm of fluoride. Internationally, laws state that water should contain no more than 1.5 ppm (and I think that has now been reduced to 1.0ppm.) Gozo, before their water was 'polished' could contain over 2.0ppm in fluoride (P.Vassalo 2010)
Which is why there has been a recent study in fluorosis in children in Gozo...To see if there has been a reduction since the water has been polished.

Then can I expect pearly whites?

  Yes, if anyone could stand the taste!!!

british people (well two) who think they know everything but don't ....your self employed because we dont want to pay your contributions (as an example) when your not .. those who look at me like im from another planet because i will happily travel 1hr and half to work everyday ... really as if this is odd ...

robpw2 wrote:

british people (well two) who think they know everything but don't ....your self employed because we dont want to pay your contributions (as an example) when your not .. those who look at me like im from another planet because i will happily travel 1hr and half to work everyday ... really as if this is odd ...

Wow! Now that is some bus journey..............where is it you work then Rob?

bugibba, selling boat trips  -hopefully a real job will come by soon so i dont have to do this as i hate it ,.theres no guarentee of money etc

God certainly loves a trier...............good luck chap.

Only just found this topic and would like to say how would Maltese answer this question if the tables were turned ?

Chardor wrote:

Only just found this topic and would like to say how would Maltese answer this question if the tables were turned ?

Dawk kollha English tkun edukat fuq it-toroq u dawk barranin kollha li jitkellmu ħafna clairière.