Croatia_ unbelievably trusting

Croatia is a top destination amongst younger Europeans and for the wealthy the island of Hvar is the place to be.  This is the place to perfect your tans, strut your stuff and to mix with the rich and famous in this swankiest French Riviera –style town .The boats are big and flash, the chicks hot, the boys cool and the price of everything doubled.

4th July

 We are staying in a bay called Mala Milna some 4kms south of the town of Hvar, which also is cool but in a somewhat more honest way.

It is a family camp with a spectacular views, clear water and people just enjoying the environment around them. There are the 2 little girls painting rocks and selling them on the foot path beside their tent, the skinny blonde 7 yr old boy with his fishing net walking for hours through the rock pools stalking the fearsome creatures hiding in the shadows.

The grandfather is on the concrete jetty teaching his granddaughter to dive, and the rotund grandmother sunning herself in a skimpy bikini without a care in the world;

Dad’s out fishing in his kayak and mums has just settled into a good book in the shade of the tree.

It is a safe camp and people seem to trust their fellows to a degree greater than what I would perceive as sensible. Gear is left lying everywhere as people head off to the shops, the beach or for a walk. Cars are left unlocked with the windows down and often the reception office is left open unattended.

In the last week I have had three experiences which have astounded me in the Croatian’s trust in his fellow. In a camp ground just outside of Dubrovnik I sat down at a table to get Wifi and there was a trendy mobile phone sitting there with no sign of the owner. I picked it up and took it to the reception. The camp manager just laughs. “That’s my brother’s” he says “leave it there, he’ll be back, no one steals thing in Croatia”. So I do as I’m instructed and about an hour later this bloke turns up to get his phone and with a cheeky grin asks me in halting English “did any girls ring for me while I was away, did you say yes”

Later that night the local village was having a Patron’s festival with the village talent, playing, singing and dancing; followed by a feed. The whole event was free and it seemed that the community was out and we as tourists were very much the minority. While I was watching the show I was tapped on the shoulder and this person points to a wallet, keys, cigarettes and a mobile phone sitting on a ledge. “Not mine” I explain. The bloke then just laughs and says “no worries he’ll be back soon, Croatians cannot go far without their cigarettes”  

Last night Bronni and myself went out to dinner; a traditional fish meal at this little restaurant totally unassociated with the camping ground. It was nice. When I came to pay they didn’t take credit cards and I didn’t have enough cash so I explained that I’ll go back to the camp and get the money but the proprietor said that it’s okay to pay tomorrow, “you should not rush after such a nice meal”. When I offered my name or something for security she simply said “I’ll see you tomorrow, go and have a good sleep”

It blew me away. Restaurants’ throughout the world have problems with people scarpering without paying and I’m certain that this restaurant would have had its share and yet they still trust their fellow being.

Amazing!

Trust and honesty are two conjoint attributes that don’t get the recognition they deserve in our modern world. It is the 2 pot glue that bonds people in the home, on the sports field, in the work place and in battle into a strong united force. Without trust and honesty you do not have a relationship, at best it is an association of individuals with similar agenda’s.

From my observations it seems that these attributes only get recognition in today’s world if it is affects our personal brand. We use breaches to justify our dismissive attitude to the importance of these qualities.   How sad it is that we cannot see the bigger picture that trust and honesty can bring to our community, work place or home and that we would need a war to teach us these lessons. 

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