Ramadan 2019

“Polite is nice.”

As usual, that is excellent advice from my dear friend, and it extends well beyond the month of Ramadan.

That concept, “polite is nice” transcends to mutual respect of cultural diversity, and frankly…those who can’t accept, or understand it, are better off staying home.

As Ramadan approaches, please accept my profound best wishes to you, and to yours.  And with that, my continued best wishes for your awesome dedication and fine work on this forum.

Thank you for your kind words

I'll never patronize you, and as you well know, I never have.

There should never be a reason to thank anyone for the truth...and if anyone knows that truism to be more true than among Indonesians, I'd like to know just who the hell they are.

Leaving our home cultures, as many years ago as we have...you from the UK, me from the US...we are now bonded as brothers in our new home land.  There is something in that which all expats, or would be expats, to consider, and in my humble opinion, you convey this message better than anyone.

Totally agree, just as a note / word of warning last year during Ramadan, a few of us had a few cold ones in a local bar, (we had been in a semi open air restaurant upstairs from the bar that was requested to close for several days by the local authorities or religious police.
Two Singaporeans had been asked several times to come back inside as they had alcohol on show to public view but this was ignored,
Two deportations and IDR 50 million each later the problem was resolved
Expensive beer even by Singapore standards for the two of them

Religious police. I think they have those in Aceh but I don't know of anywhere else.
Where was that?

Batam , who insist on certain conditions, it’s what the local bar/ restaurant owners refer to as

I must visit that place one day, but not sure when as we have no sites there at the moment.

To be honest you would be very disappointed (as an ordinary tourist) it’s mostly industrial that said it doesn’t stop the tourists I think it was around number 5 on most visited in Indonesia. Probably one of the most expensive places in Indonesia also

Ramadhan will be more interesting this year as it happens through a range of other holidays such a ascension day, Waisak day and Pancasila Day so hopefully everyone will more tolerant with each other.

Something I need to remember and be more wary of is every year I seem to have bad motorbike experiences during fasting due to peoples moods I guess affected by food either a lack of or a sudden sugar rush. I was involved in 2 collisions last ramadhan because of other riders in a hurry to get somewhere 5.50pm and they year before 3. All minor and all annoying because the people involved didn't even stop.

FInally, lasts years annual banging of the drums at 2 or 3am in my area during Ramadhan was abruptly stopped after night two when 2 rival groups of drummers  met and had a fight over something and from there no more drums. Sometimes you can't make it up....

Very true with the safety part of things, at the fabrication yards I’ve worked at over these periods they alter the start/ finish times, usual times are 7am -6pm but most start around 6am and finish between 4/4:30, it is noticeable other road user gradually becoming even more chaotic than usual

The above 2 posts  have got that right. Everything is fine in the mornings but the closer to 6, the worse the roads get.