Manners ettiquette and customs

OK... if I may I'll kick off with a first absolute customs of Malta that apply to road use: -

1) In Malta, when entering the car (as a driver) ensure that all functional brain cells are duly 'left behind'

2) Upon setting out upon your journey, do not under any circustances enter into anything regarded as 'polite' road behaviour (this is seen as a real weakness!)

3) Halt signs do not mean slow down and stop but rather they mean see if you can accelerate into that 2cm gap between two oncoming cars before the person next to you (in a single lane road I might add) beats you to it!

4) At congested roundabouts, do not give way to anybody, creep as close to another vehicle as possible and wherever possible, always add to the growing congestion.

5) When parking, never find a space that's actually big enough, always find one that either a) will assist with the shortening of length of the car infront. behind and your own or b) if the car will not fit in, just leave it double parked!

6)Frequently, you will come across strange individuals casually walking down a strip of pavement running by the side of the road. Do not dispair, you have the right tool to hand... just before you get to their position, press your hooter for all its worth... it generally tends to get a reaction... within a later post, we will discuss deciphering just what these reactions mean!

(All additions welcome !!!)

Cheers

What I don't like is the crossroad near the tunnel which goes down to Paceville. There is no sign, no area for pedestrians.

Last time, I crossed the road, I was very careful but suddenly a car speeded up in my direction. Hopefully he braked down but she started again to go like a crazy driver. Seeing I was not happy, he opened the glass to tell me, next time I will crush you. He wanted to go out from his car, and before that, I left. He had shouted enculo, he was italian in fact from the accent and he drove on the left side.

I'm not sure a maltese would have had the same reaction. In particular, when he wanted to come to me and when he wanted to kill me next time.

Most important thing is that if you see me in a bar you should buy me a beer

Lol, by the posts I'm guessing there are no real customs that people use, other than general manner, apart from when driving of course :p

Obviously there are local customes and etiquette in Malta as there are in any other Country. However, many of these customs are perhaps more honoured by older generations than they are by younger persons but you have to also remember that Malta becomes more cosmopolitan by the day with the influx of non-natives and the exodus of Maltese (it is alleged that the Maltese population in Australia is greater than that of Malta itself!)

So the real answer is to play it by ear and just be as polite as you can to the locals (not always easy) and accept the way things are done in Malta are sometimes different to what you may consider the norm! (again not always easy...)

There have been already posts about the topic. I don't care if the Maltese don't smile, don't say thank you like an English gentleman. I would say that they rarely say no, they say yes yes and they don't do it. The people who are intelligent and have studied, they leave the country.

A Maltese can be a good person. They are not complicated people. You have to protect yourself and don't trust what says a Maltese in general. Of course, it doesn't apply to all the Maltese. But for me, the big drawback is I tend to trust nobody or else you are quickly ripped off.