Door knocking

[Marvin Boggs]

There are two funny behaviors here that I've noted regarding knocking (or lack of).  

First -- just stand outside and hail repeatedly, but they will never knock.  My landlord will stand in the stairwell and softly repeat "Opo" a hundred times until we wonder what that sound is, and go to the door to check.  Or in the barangay, a neighbor will hail you from the yard or from the gate even, rather than knock on the door.  Is there some superstition about knocking?  

Second -- but if I'm in the bathroom with the door locked, the person waiting for me will knock on the door!  You've tried the handle, you know its locked, and you can hear someone is in there.  Let's knock anyway!    

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, Marvin Boggs said:

Is there some superstition about knocking?

I used to keep my gate locked.  If anyone wanted my attention they would stand there and say "Ayoooo" until they got tired of it.  Much easier to ignore them that way.  Knocking is so annoying.  If I was expecting someone then I left the gate open so they would feel welcome enough to come to the door and knock

 

[hk blues]

3 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I used to keep my gate locked.  If anyone wanted my attention they would stand there and say "Ayoooo" until they got tired of it.  Much easier to ignore them that way.  Knocking is so annoying.  If I was expecting someone then I left the gate open so they would feel welcome enough to come to the door and knock

 

We keep our gate closed but not locked.  In such case, I would be surprised if someone opened the gate and came into the garden to knock on the front door - it's not the done thing here.  They usually just shout - often not loudly enough to be heard though - or rattle the gate.  If they are in a car they beep the horn and then expect me to go to them - grrrr!  

[GeoffH]

Family will come to the door and call Ayo, trades or delivery people will stand outside the gate and call.  If a taxi or a tricycle has been ordered they just sound their horn (but then taxis do that in Austrlalia too so nothing unusual there).

The gate is normally kept closed but not locked during the day and locked only at night.

Normally there is someone in the sala downstairs during the day and from there you can hear people at the gate. 

Edited March 5, 2020 by GeoffH

[manofthecoldland]

I would think that in the tropics, where everything is traditionally vented for open air-flow (before A/C) among the populace, hailing or calling out was the norm to announce your presence. For those of us living in close quartered neighborhoods without expensive walls or other sound barriers, its still the norm. You can recognize immediately if its someone you know.... or a stranger. 

Calling out is easier on the knuckles, and usually much more effective. Lots of bamboo enclosed yards don't have solid gateways. Rapping on bamboo doesn't cut the mustard to any great degree, and your feeble rap is competing with the roosters, motorbikes, etc. Hailing is more effective, easier and informative.

Doorbells and buzzers aren't in common use here unless in urban areas or subdivisions. I don't recall seeing door taps or knockers either.  My wife put a transmitter buzzer on the gate at the far end of our bamboo access bridge, but took out the battery after the neighborhood rascals took a shine to doing buzz-and-run's. The kids liked to do that at an apt. we rented many years ago, also.

Even with doorbells, buzzers or knockers in plain view, many prefer to announce themselves vocally. Maybe they're proud of their melodious vocal talents ( Ha-ha !)  Usually the dogs let us know they're here long before they can announce their presence. 

I can see having a bell/buzzer/knocker for a solid house or gate. The wiring/electronics can often fail, though, due to humidity and quality issues. if not maintained ... not a given for a lot of non-Westerners.

I called out last week at my Glaswegian friend's nice house outside his metal gate. I hadn't seen him for 3 years since he only came over for a few months every winter, afraid he would lose his UK health benefits if  he stayed too long.  He usually came to borrow my old bicycle when he was here for his brief stays, and would bake and deliver to me a chocolate cake in gratitude. The crank bearings and last set of tires were all pretty much shot the last time he returned it, and I smiled to myself thinking that he'd have to let the moths our of his purse the next time he came back over since I had no intent to replace something I no longer use myself.

His Filipina spouse, who's my wife's second cousin, came to the gate and ushered us into their house. I asked, "Where's Jerry ?"

She looked aghast. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

You probably guessed it. I was talking to a widow.

R.I.P., my old friend. I shall miss you.

 

[Arizona Kid]

5 hours ago, Marvin Boggs said:

There are two funny behaviors here that I've noted regarding knocking (or lack of).  

First -- just stand outside and hail repeatedly, but they will never knock.  My landlord will stand in the stairwell and softly repeat "Opo" a hundred times until we wonder what that sound is, and go to the door to check.  Or in the barangay, a neighbor will hail you from the yard or from the gate even, rather than knock on the door.  Is there some superstition about knocking?  

Second -- but if I'm in the bathroom with the door locked, the person waiting for me will knock on the door!  You've tried the handle, you know its locked, and you can hear someone is in there.  Let's knock anyway!    

It's especially annoying when it's the holy rollers. For some reason it takes them much longer to go away when they are being ignored!

[Arizona Kid]

4 hours ago, hk blues said:

We keep our gate closed but not locked.  In such case, I would be surprised if someone opened the gate and came into the garden to knock on the front door - it's not the done thing here.  They usually just shout - often not loudly enough to be heard though - or rattle the gate.  If they are in a car they beep the horn and then expect me to go to them - grrrr!  

Nobody that my 5 dogs don't know can get close to our gate. Even the neighbors wake up.

[Gary D]

I suspect they keep outside the gate for the very reason that if it's closed it's probably keeping dogs in.

[hk blues]

22 hours ago, manofthecoldland said:

I would think that in the tropics, where everything is traditionally vented for open air-flow (before A/C) among the populace, hailing or calling out was the norm to announce your presence. For those of us living in close quartered neighborhoods without expensive walls or other sound barriers, its still the norm. You can recognize immediately if its someone you know.... or a stranger. 

Calling out is easier on the knuckles, and usually much more effective. Lots of bamboo enclosed yards don't have solid gateways. Rapping on bamboo doesn't cut the mustard to any great degree, and your feeble rap is competing with the roosters, motorbikes, etc. Hailing is more effective, easier and informative.

Doorbells and buzzers aren't in common use here unless in urban areas or subdivisions. I don't recall seeing door taps or knockers either.  My wife put a transmitter buzzer on the gate at the far end of our bamboo access bridge, but took out the battery after the neighborhood rascals took a shine to doing buzz-and-run's. The kids liked to do that at an apt. we rented many years ago, also.

Even with doorbells, buzzers or knockers in plain view, many prefer to announce themselves vocally. Maybe they're proud of their melodious vocal talents ( Ha-ha !)  Usually the dogs let us know they're here long before they can announce their presence. 

I can see having a bell/buzzer/knocker for a solid house or gate. The wiring/electronics can often fail, though, due to humidity and quality issues. if not maintained ... not a given for a lot of non-Westerners.

I called out last week at my Glaswegian friend's nice house outside his metal gate. I hadn't seen him for 3 years since he only came over for a few months every winter, afraid he would lose his UK health benefits if  he stayed too long.  He usually came to borrow my old bicycle when he was here for his brief stays, and would bake and deliver to me a chocolate cake in gratitude. The crank bearings and last set of tires were all pretty much shot the last time he returned it, and I smiled to myself thinking that he'd have to let the moths our of his purse the next time he came back over since I had no intent to replace something I no longer use myself.

His Filipina spouse, who's my wife's second cousin, came to the gate and ushered us into their house. I asked, "Where's Jerry ?"

She looked aghast. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

You probably guessed it. I was talking to a widow.

R.I.P., my old friend. I shall miss you.

 

I guess the thought of having to unlock the padlock on his wallet was too much!  

 

[Arizona Kid]

21 hours ago, Gary D said:

I suspect they keep outside the gate for the very reason that if it's closed it's probably keeping dogs in.

That's what I love about it. My dogs are trained to not go outside of the gate. And the delivery guys are trained to not come inside of the gate... Never been burglarized one time since I moved here in 2002.