Hitchhiker's guide to Grenada

I picked up a hitchhiker this morning.

Did you just get a mental image of a dirty, homeless man with a nappy sleeping bag rolled up under a worn out backpack? Some creepy loner on the highway that is very likely a murdering schizophrenic maniac?

Don't panic, it's not quit like that. My hitchhiker was a lovely young woman in a freshly pressed white shirt and jeans. And she was about six months pregnant. She waved me down at the bus stop on my way back from dropping C.J. off at school.

That may sound shocking, but Grenadians hitchhike all the time. Which gives you an idea of the relative safety of the island.

I don't think it even crosses their mind that this could be a dangerous thing, whereas in North America hitchhiking is now near the top of the list of "horribly risky and stupid things to do in this day and age," along with riding your bike without a helmet or not putting your child in a car seat (you guessed it, they don't do those things here either).

It's sort of refreshing, the "age of innocence" that persists here. It seems Grenadians are more trusting as a people. Like when you eat at a restaurant you practically have to tackle the waitress to pay your bill. They just assume you won't leave without paying.

On practically every corner here there is someone needing a ride. A lot of Grenadians do not have cars so they walk or take public transportation. They will hold their hand up when you drive by, which means they need a lift.

Being the cynical, leery American that I am I never pick anyone up. They could be a murderer! They could steal my car, slit my throat, kidnap me. No matter how illogical this seems, I can't help but think it every time I drive by someone on the road waving me down for a lift. It's a hard cultural shift to make - that hitchhiking is safe and routine.

But this morning, when I saw this pregnant girl standing out in the heat, I didn't think twice. I just stopped the car. I felt pretty confident she was not going to murder me. Having been pregnant in this tropical heat not so long ago, I didn't want to leave her stranded. She jumped right in, and I gave her a lift to a house just about a half mile from my own.

The fact that this young, vulnerable woman would take a ride from a perfect stranger tells you how acceptable this practice is here. Still, I was glad to keep her away from any creep that might have picked her up. I mean, anyone who picks up a hitchhiker is also potentially a murderer or kidnapper!