Restless nights

Before entering a hotel room, Helen always knocks on the door a few times.

“After I enter the room, I’d say aloud that I’d be staying in the room for a few nights. I’d also ask the spirits not to disturb me.

“Basically, it’s a gesture to make peace with any beings and avoid any hauntings in the hotel room. It is also to enjoy a pleasant stay and a good night’s sleep,” says Helen who does it for her peace of mind without caring if others think she is being superstitious.

Once she checked into a hotel suite in Batu Pahat, Johor, with her family members and a friend. At about 10pm, everybody felt uneasy because they kept hearing noises in the bathroom even though it was empty.

“We heard the toilet being flushed constantly,” she says. As everyone felt uncomfortable, they decided to check into another hotel.

Sarong ghost

Three years ago, advertising executive Daniel T learnt that you never knew when you’d offended some spirits.

“When we checked into a heritage hotel in Penang, the concierge showed us a cupboard where sarongs were kept for guests to wear. We decided to take pictures of ourselves striking funny poses with the sarongs.”

That night, as he was dozing off, he felt someone brushing against his hand. Thinking that it was his girlfriend, he reached out but grabbed thin air.

“When I opened my eyes, the doors of the cupboard flung open. We were so spooked we rushed to the lobby and insisted on changing our room. A friend said the spirit must have been angry as we were fooling around with the sarongs.” recounts Daniel.

Pinched by a ghost

Two years ago, a couple went for a holiday to Langkawi with a group of friends. They stayed at a kampung- styled resort, surrounded by padi fields. Each kampung hut was over 100 years old.

“On the first night, there were incessant knockings on our door. But every time we opened the door, there was no one there,” says Mona, a housewife in her 30s.

“When I woke up, I had bruises all over my body as if someone had pinched me. No one else in our group experienced it though. I will never ever go back to that resort. Obviously, I’m not welcomed there,” she says.