How do you deal with the adhan (call to prayer)?

[galilee]

Hello, It's not a muslim bashing topic, even if i know it would be the easy way to go, I m just trying to find a solution.

I ve been here for almost 7 years now, not my culture, country nor my religion, so i had to adapt (at least try) but i failed(miserably) as

every morning for the first call of the day, it wakes me up most of the time and interrupt my deep sleep badly. As i have to work 6 days a week 8h/day,

I found myself moaning about religion many times and turned sour.

A year ago, i decided to re insulated my house it was not perfect but enough to bring, to my wife and i, some quietness.

A few months ago, the decibels increased(new speakers were installed) and here we go again, i m now thinking about filling up my bedroom window.

Any of you have a similar story and, of course, a solution ?( leaving is not an option )

[coulson]

Single malt and earplugs

Edited May 31, 2015 by coulson

[Ghostnigel]

I lived near Hua Mak airport link 2 years ago, (muslim area), the big Mosque near the Srinakarin Road intersection with 7....their sound system carried for miles, and i was only across the railway tracks...the 5 am one was a killer, and why do the schools have band practice at about 6 am....they sure as hell want the world to know they are here!!

[Ghostnigel]

By the way, the solution? Move, just like i did

[JDGRUEN]

It is excessive ... they installed speakers 1/2 kilometer from the Mosque. They were really bad back in January and I suspect someone of authority intervened, because it was curbed a bit as it was not just a call to prayers -- but a sermon of sorts that went on for a long time several times a day. It went back to just the call to prayer. In the past week or two - many times each day - but shorter.

I know of people who are looking for a solution ... to stop the multiple daily remote broadcast...

[Mr Somtam]

Room without windows. Thickest Rockwool you can buy to cover the thick concrete walls and heavy solid wood door... Or just move...

[wangsuda]

Get a million watt system and play the religious music of your choice (but not muslim) next to the mosque. Give the baastaards a taste of their own medicine. Heck, you could hire a few of those sound trucks that drive around and have them play near the mosque.

[a99az]

This sounds like a job for "Captain Zippo" Move and get a new life.

[LindaLovelace]

I live by a wat. It was a little loud, but I could live with it. I built a house with SuperBlock, which gives some sound insulation, more than pure concrete, I sprayed under the roof tiles with expensive PU insulation. I bought thermal pane (two pane windows). I built here to be close to my spouses's elderly parents, for whom we care. I have a lot of eggs in the basket now and cannot just move. And, with the way I built the house, it was all quite manageable.

The wat is always squeezing all the poor villagers for money; always building something. Well, about three years ago, they built a new speaker tower. It must be 100 meters high, with two tiers of big horn speakers. They got a new amplifier to go with it. Now it must crank out 150 decibels at 100 meters. As testament to the power of this amplifier, at this insane volume, there is no distortion. It penetrates my house like water through a sieve. Sometimes they go all day long -- sometimes, most notably, Songkran, for several days. They often start at 4 a.m. and go late into the night. You can complain about the schools. You can complain about the police. But nobody is allowed to complain about the wat.

Like I said, I never minded it too much, but now, with the insane volume, I sometimes feel like I am going insane. I wear industrial sound suppressing ear muffs, which muffle the sound -- a little. I feel helpless and trapped. I sometimes go sleep at a guest house in another area when the celebrations over there get too intense. There is no good answer. I have fantasies of acts of, well, better left unsaid . . .

Like the OP, I find myself cursing the wat and religion in general. This morning they fired up the speakers at 4:30 a.m. with loud music, then the loud mouthed abbot came on. Birdsong was completely obliterated. Even the roosters were drowned out. I told my spouse he was Ajan Pra Bagsia and that he was spewing kii from his mouth into the village. I was informed that such labels and descriptions were "inappropriate."

Yeah, I know, I did it to myself . . . but I pray for the day that Thais decide that constant loud public noise noise is not in the public interest, Yeah, again, I know: In my dreams . . .

For the OP: You could always kill yourself.

Edited June 1, 2015 by LindaLovelace

[JDGRUEN]

I knew my area - greater Krabi - was heavily Muslim in population before I came here. And I can respect the Morning and Evening call to prayer -- If they did not run wires down the telephone polls and put up loud speakers some 400 meters and more away from the Mosque.

I can almost tolerate it then ... but when they start running sermons near all day and preaching is what ever language it is - a very guttural harsh tone ... added to the remote speakers - I think it is a bit much ... And this is a known heavy Tourist Town... I think a anonymous letter to TAT is in the making for me... And keep sending them using a near untraceable Email address.

I have watched unknowing tourists duck their heads when then speakers come - then look around and up ... mumbling <deleted>...

[fredge45]

Had a similar problem with a neighborhood mosque while living in Jakarta. Two bags of rice delivered the 1st of each month ensured that the loudspeakers were pointed away from my little enclave. If I forgot to send the rice then on the 2nd I would get blasted out of bed at dawn!

Always there are ways to get through these non-sensical problems.

[grumpyoldman]

Be careful here, a guest at a resort in Phuket wrote directly to the PM about the noise,the locals blockaded the resort until said infidel was presented. Touchy deal.

[siam2007]

I lived near Hua Mak airport link 2 years ago, (muslim area), the big Mosque near the Srinakarin Road intersection with 7....their sound system carried for miles, and i was only across the railway tracks...the 5 am one was a killer, and why do the schools have band practice at about 6 am....they sure as hell want the world to know they are here!!

I lived at Hua Mak too for many years. The thing is that those religious fanatics expect that the non-Muslim Thai majority will not take action in order to "respect" other religions.

So the Mosque-officials know they can basically do whatever they want.

If you want to rent a new apartment even in BKK, always go to the area when a Muslim call to prayer is scheduled (easy to find out via google). This may save you from an unpleasant surprise after you signed a new contract. Exactly what happened to me in the sri Nakharin area when I was looking for a new place to stay in 2012. Though it was coincidence and not planned when I went there during the 3 pm call to prayer. Huge mosque was more or less just behind the Condo complex. Only then I learnt why the rent was so cheap but the unit was still unoccupied for a long time.

[Gonsalviz]

Move far far away.

[steven100]

cut the wires .....

[taninthai]

never really understand the expats that move into the middle of a muslim village then complain about the noise i know a few expats like this in the area ,simple really if you don't like the noise don't move into the the middle of a muslim village ,plenty of places to live around krabi and ao nang out of ear shot of all the noise.

[galilee]

Good to see that i m not alone, Taninthai it s, not that i didnt know before moving in Aonang, i knew the Mohammedans were part of the Aonang population(30++% at that time) just the noise pollution(sorry to call it this way) increased dramatically the last few years.

It s not something you can't anticipate, i just have to adapt last chance before building a "bunker", i ll go check some roller shutters (better insulation) in town and see how it works in a few days.

Anyway, in case the Krabi inhabitants dont know yet, the province is promoting Halal tourism, a condominiums project is even being built in this perspective.

Oh and i m happy here nothing would make my wife and i move from this beautiful place... for now!

[IMA_FARANG]

When I worked in Saudi Arabia I lived on a hill about 3 houses above a Mosque.

Another American lived 2 houses away from me. He had a dog he trained to start barking and howling each time they began prayer calls.

What really got me was not the prayer calls but that the caller always spent a couple of minutes clearing his throat before he started the calls.....on the PA system.

Nothing like being woken up at 5 a.m. with the sound of someone clearing his throat over a PA system.

Also in Jeddah it was a local tradition to fire a cannon 1 hour before the Dawn prayer call.

Supposedly so everyone would be awake in time to attend the Dawn prayer call at the Mosque.

But then in Turkey they hire people to go around the streets with drums during Ramazan as it is called there two hours before the Dawn prayers so everyone will know when it is time to stop eating before the fast of Ramazan starts at Dawn prayers.

You re supposed to go out into the street and give the drummers some small coins or sweets to thank them for reminding you to wake up in time to start your Ramazan fasting.

Yeah, sure.

Edited June 3, 2015 by IMA_FARANG

[sushiboy]

Making our first trip to Krabi next week, so good to know bout the daily calls there, not that I wasn't expecting it. As we've done in the past with travels in the south we use a nice Bluetooth speaker and a fan to help drown out the morning call. Afternoon calls I rarely hear anyway since we're about the town staying busy.

At our place in Hua Mak we just use a fan but we don't really hear the speakers all that much here in the complex. I will admit though that they are definitely broadcasting more sermons than I can remember last year. Have wondered often if it's just one mosque here broadcasting or multiple?

But for sure it's always a good practice to visit any prospective place you might intend to move for this reason as well as traffic, food, etc....

[coulson]

never really understand the expats that move into the middle of a muslim village then complain about the noise i know a few expats like this in the area ,simple really if you don't like the noise don't move into the the middle of a muslim village ,plenty of places to live around krabi and ao nang out of ear shot of all the noise.

Imagine how the guys who bought land in Satun feel?

The change in religious demographic may not be so evident immediately, it sort of creeps in slowly once the inital high of living near a beach wears thin.

[coulson]

When I worked in Saudi Arabia I lived on a hill about 3 houses above a Mosque.

Another American lived 2 houses away from me. He had a dog he trained to start barking and howling each time they began prayer calls.

What really got me was not the prayer calls but that the caller always spent a couple of minutes clearing his throat before he started the calls.....on the PA system.

Nothing like being woken up at 5 a.m. with the sound of someone clearing his throat over a PA system.

Also in Jeddah it was a local tradition to fire a cannon 1 hour before the Dawn prayer call.

Supposedly so everyone would be awake in time to attend the Dawn prayer call at the Mosque.

But then in Turkey they hire people to go around the streets with drums during Ramazan as it is called there two hours before the Dawn prayers so everyone will know when it is time to stop eating before the fast of Ramazan starts at Dawn prayers.

You re supposed to go out into the street and give the drummers some small coins or sweets to thank them for reminding you to wake up in time to start your Ramazan fasting.

Yeah, sure.

During Razadaz it does get more theatrical. If I'm lucky enough to stay asleep while everyone is out f(e)asting in the wee hours, I do eventually enjoy the relative quietness during the hours after the inital 5am 'call to sleep'