It's interesting to observe people who don't want to take hitchhikers. Maybe they think I'm dangerous (do I really look scary..?) and dirty. Or maybe it's just very lovely to have some empty seats in your car to look at. I don't own a car, I don't have a clue.
Well, a few days ago I hitchhiked from Amsterdam to Middelburg. My destination was my home. A small city in a remote south-west corner (Zeeland it's called) of the Netherlands. A some point I spent a long time waiting at a petrol station just close to Breda. The day was really beautiful.
I stand next to the station, in the warm sun light, waiting for the cars to come. I start to talk to the people, since very few cars passed. The first thing I realized was that a lot of people had to get off the highway at the next exit. Surely some local traffic is found here, but so many people... Definitively this is the most easy way to refuse a hitchhiker, while still being polite.
A new car approaches. It's a woman, and a daughter - I guess. I ask the lady: "Do you happen to be going to Zeeland?".
She replies: "Ah no, we're just going a little be further, it won't be any use to you."
"So where is it where you are going then?" I ask, for even a short stretch would be useful, after more than an hour in this station.
Now, this is funny bit coming. She replied:
- "It doesn't matter, it won't be any use to you, anyway"
Ah right... So then I wished her a pleasant journey and said goodbye.
I understand that some people don't like the idea of taking hitchhikers. It is very interesting though that people don't dare to tell right in face that they don't want to take you. And then the ways they try to escape, or make up something.
Some minutes later I found a very friendly man who brought me even further than his own destination. I arrived back home, after just a few minutes of walking, before sunset.
Comments
why not
in Spain, after meeting many locals (and sometimes waiting 4-5 hous), i got really close of undrstand why people dont pick up hitchikers.
- they only see/hear/read in the radios if something bad happening in connection with hitcikers (robbin, killing etc). They are scared, they dont pick up anyone. As they dont meet any hitchiker they dont know that things are not like this in real life.
- they are afraid that there are drugs with you, and if police checks they can have problems
- they are afraid that u dont have identification papers, and if police checks they can have problems
(these last 2 actually asked more times: do u have drugs with u? do u have papers?)
But that was Spain.
About the of refusing: it's just simply more difficult to refuse someone directly than escaping. So poepl just find the ways to escape, sometimes with stupid lines like the ones you found.
good story, reminds me
good story, reminds me of what Davide wrote earlier: By this point, I had already walked up to her, and asked her if she was heading toward Zilina, she told me, in a surprisingly composed voice that she was, but would not be able to give me a ride.
Happy you made it to Zeeland though and looking forward to hear your story when you will hitch back here again :-)