Tuesday, August 21, 2007

"You were sure lucky!"

That's how my neighbor greeted me when I got onto the bus. It was a couple of minutes before its 4:30 departure, and I managed to worm my way onto the bus, which was filling rapidly.


"The 3:30 never came. I've been waiting."

Second time lucky today, since I almost missed the bus to Jerusalem a good few hours earlier. I was cutting it pretty close, and then before I was really ready to go, I got an important phone call.


We never know exactly when a bus will arrive in Shiloh, since we're in the middle of the Ariel-Jerusalem 148 bus line. Also, it does happen that buses don't arrive at all. There aren't enough bullet-proof buses in good working order, and all of the bus lines in Judea and Samaria have problems. We residents are suffering from unreliable bus service. That's a reason many people "tremp," hitchhike. Most people would really prefer to travel by bus, but when the bus doesn't show, or there's no public transportation between two places, like my situation between my home in Shiloh and my job in Beit El...
When I was still a minute's plus run, and I can no longer run, from the stop, I saw the bus pulling up. Miraculously, many people got in, so he was still at the stop when I got there.

But that's not all. Not only bad things go in "three's." When we got back to Shiloh, I was ready to collapse when I looked up the hill, in the direction I had to walk to get to my house. Then my phone rang. My neighbor asked me if I could say some T'hillim, Psalms, as part of the group in her house.


"Should I come to your house? I just got off the bus."
"Sure."
"Great! Your house is closer than mine. Just please have some cold water waiting for me."

So I walked to hers, and after T'hillim, she drove me home.

Baruch Hashem! Thank G-d!

6 comments:

Holly Schwendiman said...

How frustrating the transportation woes must be for everyone! Here's hoping for some better resolutions and continuation of good luck!

Hugs,
Holly

YMedad said...

Did you leave a comment at this story?

CRUSTY MOM-E said...

bulletproof buses..thank you for reminding me that there are far worse things to fret about, and the dedication that you have for your home.
Many many blessings to you, Me-ander!
Always,
Crusty~

Anonymous said...

L'fi tzorech stops sure do make things more complicated. At least the drive itself is reasonable.

Anonymous said...

People should travel more on the roads and give other people hitches (tramp). There are so few cars on the roads of the Shomron, especially after dark. More cars give more security, and also would force the IDF to secure the roads better instead of bulletproofing buses and bus stops. How about travelling from the Dan region to the Galil via Tapuah Jncn and the Alon road, or to the Dead Sea via Halamish, Ofra and Maale Michmash? It saves a lot of traffic jams, and the scenery is beautiful.
Hope that you get easy tramps despite the shortage of buses!

Batya said...

holly, thanks!

w, sure did, but I don't know why it's not up

crusty, the buses are bullet-proof, though the vast, vast majority of cars aren't. At most they have windows that won't shatter from rocks. thanks for your good wishes.

t' If buses are overcrowded they skip stops, and if they're just aren't enough, they just don't come. Some break down mid route, but that's another story.

yoni, you're right!