Living with the ghosts is better than living with people

That's what a 50-year-old housewife does. Not that she has supernatural powers and communicates with the nether world as part of her hobby.

The woman, who wants to be known only as Madam Chen, said that living near the dead seems to be better than with the living.

She told The Star: "I've never experienced anything supernatural in my years of living here. Even if I live with ghosts, it's better than living with people because it is not noisy and there is no pollution in this area."

Also, there is the advantage of being secure.

She said: "I feel secure living here. Most of the time, I only close my door grille and leave my wooden door wide open."

Madam Chen said she has been living next to a graveyard at Mount Erskine in Georgetown for the last 30 years.

Mount Erskine is one of Penang's many Chinese cemeteries and is located at the north-eastern part of the island.

For the past few days, Chinese cemeteries there were crowded with people visiting the graves of relatives as it was the Qing Ming Festival.

The crowds may throng the cemeteries during this period, but for the rest of the year, Madam Chen's life is peaceful.

She told The Star that she will not move away from the place even if she could afford a bungalow. She is not the only person who loves to be with the dead. There are other families who are living within the cemetery grounds, and they have been living there for decades, the report said.

Growing up in the area gives a sense of belonging to Mr Yuen Kah Moon.

Prefers his old house

Born and bred in Mount Erskine, the 60-year-old retiree said he eschewed the comfort of living in a condominium to live in his old house.

He told The Star: "I have a condominium unit opposite this graveyard, but I seldom stay there as I am already used to the environment here."

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