Thursday, November 4, 2010

Trust is a near impossible battle with me

Yesterday I was eating dinner with the Danish people from the jungle trip at the burger place, like I mentioned in the other post.

I forgot what we were talking about but I guess the subject of the conversation is not relevant to this post.

Let's pretend it was prices on the food we were eating. They told me the price. I had to check the menu to make sure that was the price. Then Line, the girl, said "you really don't trust anybody do you?"

It's true. I don't trust anyone I've met on this trip really, except for a rare few that I've grown close to. It has to do with the fact that people's opinions have rarely lined up with mine. If someone says a certain location is an amazing place to visit, I don't usually assume they know what they're talking about anymore. My reaction is "I'm sure it's pretty nice but is it worth it?" I used to think people knew what they were talking about, back in July maybe, or maybe just in June when I was doing NZ.

For example, if someone today tells me Ipanema beach is amazing in Rio or using diction like "the best beach ever", I don't believe them. It's because if I do, I'm usually dissapointed. Not many people have seen as many different beaches as me, and we all have different tastes on what makes a beach awesome.

Back in NZ, when someone told me the beach is awesome, I'd believe them. Then I'd go there, and I would agree. But somewhere in Australia things started changing. I think it was diving in the Whitsunday Islands. Someone told me diving in the Whitsundays was amazing, even compared to the Great Barrier Reef. I dived there because of that. It sucked compared to the Great Barrier Reef. I was not feeling well during the GBR dives either. Remember I had that big skin infection and it was affecting my balance?

Add on top of that numerous people that I've come across either trying to steal my money from my pockets or swindle me over the counter or at their cart and my natural propensity to question people, and the product is me. Someone who just doesn't take any opinions or pretty much any statement anymore as something substantial unless it's backed up by a feeling inside of me that they know because they have the experience, they're being honest, or so many people say so that it's gotta be pretty close to correct.

I think what it was was that I started the trip with an open innocent mind about people. I told myself that I would keep myself open to other people and their thoughts. Then reality kicked back in as I got going a month later.

So when I got to Egypt, and someone randomly told me I *must* go diving in Dahab because it's comparable to doing the GBR with the number of fish and coral even though they've never been to the GBR, I nodded and said "ok" but I didn't really believe them. I don't want to insult them, so I don't tell them they're probably wrong, even though that's what I think.

I only believed Mario when he told me after taking his diving classes in Dahab that a few spots were good and the others nothing special. Mario is from Australia and has done the GBR. I just had a feeling his opinion would not dissappoint me.

This post is not about the fact that people are wrong. Right or wrong, it's really about the fact that I can't and don't trust people on a general basis. If I show trust prematurely, I'm feigning it. Like at work with people I don't know. I just do it because I have to. I was that way before I started traveling, and now I'm even less trusting while I'm going from place to place.

Last night was the first time in the last 10 months somebody just pointed that out to me. I was surprised to hear it. I agree though. It's true. I'm sure other people have noticed it, but just haven't said anything to me.

1 Comments:

Blogger ben said...

you better believe it when I tell you the food is "krazy delicious" at a certain restaurant

December 2, 2010 at 4:47 PM  

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