Still related to the month of Ramadhan, we want to give you another article about this special month. You know, during these three days fasting time, the Muslims are devoting to the God Almighty with ways that they believe. Aside from the fasting, they also do the other religious activities such as reciting Quran, I’tikaf, and many others.
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Even though it looks pretty usual, for some tourists, especially the people who visit Indonesia for the first time, this can be a little surprising because some things may come up not as they expected before. That’s why this time we want to tell you about things you must not do in East Java during Ramadhan.
1 – Don’t be clueless for your own trip
So, let’s start with the first one in things you must not do in East Java during Ramadhan. Don’t be clueless about your own trip. As we always mention, planning is really important. Planning is not essential for serious activities only, even though holiday seems to be a light one, that doesn’t mean you can have no actual plan for it.
For the basic plan, at last, you should know where to go. As you may know already, Indonesia is really wide. Really wide. Make sure to decide where you want to go, and which place you want to visit. After that, do the budgeting. Each person has different plan for budgeting, so make sure you know where the money goes.
2 – Don’t book a flight days before Eid
The end of Ramadhan month is time to celebrate the Eid Fitri. It’s one of many important events in Islam religion, and all Muslims are obligated to do it, even though it’s actually included as Sunnah, but with some considerations. Make sure that you don’t book a flight some days before it.
The reason behind it is because most of the flight will already be taken even before you want to book it. Yes, it’s really possible, especially in this rare event of the year. Make sure that you pick and book your flight weeks before Eid Fitri if you can make it. It’s way safer, more comfortable, and less panicking.
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3 – Never take transportation days before Eid
As mentioned in the previous article, people usually will do this thing called “Mudik”. If you still haven’t read it, Mudik is an Indonesian word which basically means Going Home. People will go home to their families and do the Eid pray together along with the other neighbors who live nearby.
Because of that, the transportation will be used by massive wave of people, making them full only in hours. During this time, it would be really hard, even for ordering the taxi. Most people, including drivers, are going home this time so you may have a chance to take a walk to certain point because of it.
4 – Don’t book a hotel near Eid Fitri
This case is basically the same as two previous points when it’s hard to find transportation either for local or international activity. Also relevant the first point, which is to have a plan for basically everything, you also need to decide where to stay when spending some days in East Java.
The province has the best hotels in the big cities like Surabaya or Malang. But, it’s also possible to get a decent hotel in basically everywhere around the province. But of course, during Eid Fitri, most of hotels are already full. This is because the people who came from outside the area in order to visit their family.
5 – Don’t bother to visit your favorite attractions on the Eid Fitri Day
Eid Fitri is almost similar to Nyepi, which is the day of Quiet. You can expect to find a nice and peaceful morning of Eid Fitri. Most people are going to Mosques to do the pray, and they get home hours after that. With that, you need to wait for about three to five hours to visit your attractions based on your plan.
However, some of the attractions may close all day long. The malls, for example, are sometimes closed during the Day of Victory. So, without actually planning to visit them, take a look at the information about places you want to visit on the Internet. Make sure that they are open even in Ramadhan and Eid Fitri.
6 – Don’t be so disrecpectful
Another one in things you must not do in East Java during Ramadhan is about respect. People in Indonesia are highly appreciated respect, even though given in a very simple way. This not only goes for the locals only but also foreigners as well. The way to respect people of Indonesia is really simple actually, smile.
Just smile if you want to. And during month of Ramadhan, Muslims are fasting all day long. So, as long as you got some respect from the people, it’s okay if you want to wander around looking for foods or drinks. There are some Warung already open for the Non-muslims from the morning until evening.
7 – Don’t lack of cash
As mentioned earlier in previous article, we said that you need to stock some cash in the firs place before Eid Fitri, this is because of many people would take their money from the banks a week before it. That’s why, you also need to take the same step as for them, taking up a good portion of money.
This is important because when you need a money to spend, you don’t have to go to the ATMs because you already have some. Some banks are also closed during Eid Fitri, because of that very reason.
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8 – About Eating in Public
About eating in public, many foreign tourists would like to order takeaway rather than eat their foods on the spot. Of course, this reason is highly related to the fasting activity that most Muslims do during Ramadhan month. They just want to respect them with eating privately in their hotel room than in public.
You can pick to do that or another else. It’s you choice basically. But many people would recommend eating privately in order to give the Muslims some respect.
9 – Don’t wear revealing clothing
When you visiting the other countries, especially the country where there live a lot of Muslims, you should at least wear non-revealing clothing. Aside from to give the Indonesian people some respect, you can also minimize the risk of crime out there. The girls usually wear a shirt during the day.
If the day is really hot, remembering that Indonesia is one tropical country, you can also wear a t-shirt also.
10 – Don’t be so noisy when passing mosques
The next one in things you must not do in East Java during Ramadhan is the behavior when around religious places. During Ramadhan, people usually recite Quran solemnly. Usually, they do it in a group, so they can recite the Quran together. However, when passing mosques, especially during that time, you need to be quiet.
It’s not because it’s forbidden for you to make some noise, but it’s way better if you can respect their religious activity.
11 – Don’t be shy to interact with people
Usually, the foreign tourists are always keeping a distance between them and the locals, even though not all of them. And after meeting and actually close with Indonesian people, they realized that they are actually very friendly. With that, you don’t need to be shy when meeting the locals.
Some people are able to talk in English. But if not, that’s the time you need to show your basic knowledge about Indonesian language by saying some words they could understand.
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12 – Don’t be shy to ask for Takjil
During the Ramadhan, many mosques, or maybe all of them, are always preparing the Takjil which is a meal for breaking the fast. They serve it free for everyone. The thing that foreign tourists may not understand about this is they can actually get one too. Even non-muslims can actually get them
If you’re backpacking, this can help your budget. No more budget for dinner. You can also get an opportunity to get free food and eat it together with all the people.
13 – Don’t be close minded person
And the last thing in things you must not do in East Java during Ramadhan is to open your mind. You need to filter all the information about Indonesia thoroughly. Many said that Indonesia is radical, hateful and hating foreigners. Those are not near reality at all. You need to see it for yourself.
With an open mind, you can see the life of Indonesian people through your own perspective and find the true face of Indonesia.
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