Don't Be Shy, Report

This isn't about the "Me, too" movement, but in a way it's connected. There are many things that should be reported. Not all are dramatic and sexual.

I'm sure that in the rest of the modern world, like in Israel, the various public transportation companies have phone numbers and internet sites through which you can report various irregularities. My husband and I have gotten free tickets to be used to and from Jerusalem when reporting that scheduled buses haven't arrived.

Today I reported something else. Not for the first time did a bus driver take off before I could get near a seat. But today I reported it. I was very annoyed and sat myself down on the steps. I managed to twist around and place my Rav-Kav (prepaid bus pass) on the "sensor" to pay, which could have been dangerous for me. But I had been holding it and wanted to put it safely away.

Click here to report it.

I'm sure this driver has done it to me before. Another time a driver told me to sit in a proper seat, and I told him that I don't walk in moving buses. That's extra true when the bus is making turns, as it did seconds after I boarded.

Luckily I wasn't dressed in anything fancy. Denim skirts are pretty hardy.  I even took a picture.

As you can see, I was sitting on the steps of the bus.

It was about a seven minutes' drive until the next stop. When the bus stopped, I quickly got up and found a seat. And when I got home, I reported it to Egged Tavura.

Such Miraculous Traveling, Thank Gd

Jerusalem Egged Bus

We're "carless," meaning that we don't have a car. So to travel to and from Shiloh, we're very dependent on others, public transportation, rides planned and "spontaneous," and above all, the mercy and miracles of Gd.

I'm the impatient type. I hate waiting. It makes me nuts. Unless I'm pretty certain that there will be a bus in 5-10 minutes, I prefer waiting at a bus stop where there's also a chance for a ride aka tremp. I also time my leaving home for when there should be a bus very soon or lots of people passing with cars, who could offer a ride. I also have a pretty good knowledge of Jerusalem bus routes, the lightrail and connecting stops.

For years I've said that I travel by siyate d'Shmaya caful, meaning "doubled hand of Gd." First is that like all travelers, my safety is in Gd's Hand, and second it's thanks to Gd that I even get on the road.

How to travel, which bus or ride to get into, sometimes demands split-second decisions:

"Should I get into that ride which only goes part way?"
"Will this bus stop give me a better chance for a ride home?"
"Does this look like a good driver?"
"Do I have enough time before my scheduled bus to do a quick shopping?"

The list of questions as I travel is really much longer.

Yesterday after checking out some new kitchen stuff (bli eyin haraa, slowly making progress) and seeing one of my baby grandsons and his parents, I started on my way home. I caught a #18 and hoped I would be able to get a #66 from King David Street. But there wasn't any listed on the sign or app, so I walked as quickly as possible to the lightrail across from the Municipality. I took that to Pisgat Zeev and waited for a bus there.

Since I have a month's unlimited bus ticket this month, I can get on and off buses and the lightrail between Shiloh (actually Eli) and as far as Mevaseret Zion or Maale Adumim. That gives me a lot of flexibility in traveling.

I checked the schedule of buses to Shiloh and saw that there'd *probably be one in about half an hour. Now, would that give me time for a quick shopping in Rami Levy, Shaar Binyamin or not? OK it would depend on how quickly I could get to Shaar Binyamin. But I also must remember that the last time I tried it, I missed my bus. Maybe it would be better to just get off a Hizme-the "city line" and tremp home...

A minute later a #468 came. I could take it to Ofra, which is more than half the trip home. Usually, that's my principle:

Take the first bus or ride that is going in the right direction as long as it has a chance of connecting buses and/or rides.

But for some inexplicable reason, I jumped off at Hizme. Within seconds there was a ride to Ofra, but again, I didn't go for it. Something in my head kept saying to wait for an even better ride, even though the chance was minimal. A minute later someone I know was going to Maale Levona and could drop me off at Ofra. As I weighed the pros and cons in nanoseconds I heard my name being called. Just past the bus stop a neighbor had stopped and was inviting me for a ride home.

I ran to the car, got in and had a ride to my door. Totally miraculous. Gd is truly great!

*There is never any guarantee that a bus will arrive. They breakdown and there aren't any spares. Sometimes even two in a row don't show.

Where was The Police?

Yesterday afternoon we got stuck in a humongous mess of a traffic jam at the junction of Sha'ar Binyamin. Apparently, a car had seriously stalled between Sha'ar Binyamin and Adam, and by the time our bus was ready to rejoin traffic on Route 60, the traffic was already backed up a kilometer to the north.

There was total bedlam as cars, vans and trucks cut and U-turned wherever they dared. Traffic on the dirt security road was heavy.

There's a police station in Sha'ar Binyamin, and a fit policeman could have walked over in about five minutes, even faster by car. There should have been a police crew directing traffic. It's a total miracle that we didn't get totally tangled up for hours. That was my fear, since we were in a rush to make it to Jerusalem on time for Israel's Place Among the Nations, in the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.

I sent an email to the police at the time and don't know if they actually sent anyone, since the bus driver managed to join the slow-moving traffic on Route 60 to Jerusalem. We crawled for a couple of miles and by then the stalled car must have been towed. Thank Gd we got to Jerusalem and the Begin Center on time, no thanks to the local police.