The mosque collector
Trip Start
Jun 07, 2004
1
46
50
Trip End
Nov 27, 2004
Pinang,
Malaysia
Monday, November 15, 2004
One typical evening, I am in my usual place on the veranda. Those present include three English girls, Sarah being one of them. Plus Anisha, the Indonesian girl with a huge personality, who pretty much runs the day to day operations at the Spoutnik Guesthouse. And another Indonesian chick by the name of Yuli. As drinks are being enjoyed, Yuli abruptly lifts up her top and vigorously shakes her bare breasts at Duncan and I. It's not a custom we are familiar with, and we decide that she is wanting our immediate attention. It transpires that Yuli is from that place across the street. A hang-out for vagrants and nutters.
I had actually previously invited Anisha to come down to Lake Toba with me. She's a Batak herself, and good company. She agreed, but was then made to say no. By Megan, the owner of the Spoutnik. There is a business related issue that hadn't occurred to me. If staff are seen going off on ' holidays ' with foreigners, then the Spoutnik Guesthouse quickly gets labelled with the unfair reputation of a whorehouse. And subsequent visits by corrupt officials. Here's an example ;
A rather horrible looking man visits one day as the veranda is busy with foreigners drinking their beer. He sits down but makes no effort to say hello to any of us, which could be viewed as hostile. His job is collecting money for the mosque - and today, he wants extra. Because it's Ramadan. Megan suggests he only wants extra so that at the end of Ramadan ( tomorrow ) he and his cohorts have lots of beer money. She's almost certainly right. He suggests in return that she pays extra ' mosque tax ' on the basis that her establishment is packed with foreigners and therefore she can afford it. She refuses and now he begins to grope at her. I should imagine he's in breach of the conditions of Ramadan already - either drunk or on drugs. He goes on to accuse Megan of running a brothel. Why would all these foreign men stay here otherwise ? ( actually, there are more foreign girls here than men, which probably winds him up even more )
He returns later with a ' heavy ' who sits on his moped wearing shades - doing his best to look intimidating. Megan has ' a friend ' sitting inside just in case. A friend with a badge. And a fair crowd of backpackers unimpressed with threats from the piece of scum who has no place being among us. This so-called mosque collector helps himself to some beers from the fridge and leaves it at that.
Several more days pass with visits to a very modern shopping mall - The Sun Plaza - where I discover a fantastic hardware shop that sells things like camping equipment, power tools and car accessories. A musical instruments shop with drums and guitars. A Next menswear store, a KFC and a Pizza Hut. There's a decent supermarket too that sells cans of Heinz baked beans, full English breakfasts in a tin and other cheap instant meals. The much older Yuki Plaza - opposite the Mesjid Raya ( the great mosque ) contains a MacDonald's and an internet café but the shopping outlets are more ' trashy Asian ' ; CDs, cheap bras and cheap shoes.
Wearily, I begin to pack my stuff ready to leave this place which I am beginning to like. Discovering that one pair of light blue Marks and Spencer's jockey shorts are missing. The staff have retrieved them from the washing line and kept them. I explain that they are both expensive and essential kit. The girls explain that it is customary to leave behind a small gift. And so those underpants will forever remain, like a piece of me - in Medan. I shall forever be hanging my arse out at the great mosque !
Next ; The Cameron Highlands in Malaysia
