Sudden Return to Tremping AKA Hitchhiking, Let Me Tell You About It

There was a time when most of my travelling was by tremping AKA hitchhiking. Our bus service has never been all that great, and being "car-less," I had no real choice. It's either tremp or: 

• never go anyplace
• spend a day or two on what should be a short trip
• not be able to work outside of Shiloh

In recent years a few things have happened to keep me on buses:

• bus service has improved a bit, with more buses, a better route, the fact that buses passing Shiloh stop at the junction
• you can get an "all day unlimited travel" bus ticket, which is half price for senior citizens
• thanks to technology we can check an app to see if a bus is coming and when
• I'm retired, so I'm more able to plan my travel around the bus schedule

But there are times when the idea of standing around and waiting for a bus takes too much energy. And I can't sit, because what if someone is driving by who would have given me a lift if he/she had seen me waiting.... Honestly, I'm not the sitting type.

Late, last Thursday night was one of those times. My daughter had driven me as far as Ofra, where she lives and I'd been following the progress of the bus on the app efobus. It was due in about 20+ minutes, so I planned on going back into Ofra five minutes before its arrival, if I didn't find a ride.

There was a soldier at the hitchhiking post, and when he saw me, probably three times the age of other trempistim (hitchhikers,) he immediately offered to help me check out the drivers offering rides. But in the end, he was amazed that some of those who stopped knew me by name, and I ended up getting a ride with someone I had once worked with. So, thank Gd I got home quite awhile before the bus, which doesn't go directly to Shiloh.

Then the next morning I had a much more complicated trip. I had originally checked it out and was confident that I could get to the large bus stop on the way to Elkana by taking the bus to Ariel and then transferring to another. That was before I discovered that there'd be a marathon in Ariel. Bus service inside Ariel wouldn't be back to "normal" until an hour or so after I needed to get to my destination.

I had no choice. I had to tremp or not go to our friend's azkara, memorial. Yes, I decided to hitchhike.

I walked to the main Shiloh bus stop, but nobody was going in the right direction. Finally I got a ride to a better corner. From there it took awhile until I got a ride with somebody going to Eli. Waiting on the road outside of Eli isn't all that great, but I felt that I had no choice. As you can see, there's construction going on, though not that day. They're changing the junction and probably adding traffic lights.

It took quite awhile for me to get a ride. Actually  I was about five minutes from crossing the street and trying to get home.

Someone was going just a few kilometers past where I needed. We bypassed Ariel because of the marathon. There were no buses on the road as we drove, which confirmed my suspicion that tremping was the only way for me that morning. Then I walked down to the place I'd be picked up for the azkara.

Going back home I had to do the trip in reverse, but there'd be bus service to/from Ariel. As we were driving to the bus stop, I realized that at best I'd just miss the bus home. But after all of my successful tremping that morning and the night before, I felt perfectly confident.

I checked the app and saw that there was an 86 to Ariel expected in a couple of minutes. I got off at the first stop in Ariel and then realized that those shopping and then driving to Shiloh wouldn't see me. The parking lot exit is further on. I should have gotten off at the next stop. So I began to walk there as quickly as I could, even though the air on that sidewalk was full of construction dust/sand. Suddenly I heard what could have been someone calling me. I stopped and turned around. It was an old friend. He asked what I was doing and then offered to take me to the last stop in Ariel, near the university, where it's easy to get a ride home.

So, Baruch Hashem, in a short time I was on my way home. Because the bus goes through Eli and then Shvut Rachel before it gets to my neighborhood, I actually got home before that bus I had missed passed my house.

Gd's Great for sure. He took good care of me when I needed those rides. Baruch Hashem.

In case you're wondering, I'm not reverting to tremping over the buses. But it's nice to know that it can be done, when Gd wants it to happen.

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.

More in My Car-less Traveling Saga

Cross-posted on Shiloh Musings.

As most of you certainly know, we don't have a car. My husband's travel needs are relatively simple, so like many in the modern world he has no big problem commuting to and from work and other activities by public transportation. He actually enjoys the quiet time for napping and whatever. My travel needs are sometimes more complicated, but since there's no car on the horizon at all, I find myself enjoying periodic adventures.

Wednesday is my most complicated day of the week. Of course, it starts off simply enough, because I usually sleep at a friend's apartment Tuesday night. She's one of my "learning buddies," aka chevruta, so we travel together to Matan in her car, where we meet the rest of the group for our Al Haperek studies. After that we stay for Yael Ziegler's class,  "Kings, Prophets and Hurban,"  and then I rush to catch a bus plus in order to get me to Kochav Hashachar to teach on time.

In theory, it's possible to just catch the bus on Eshkol Boulevard if it's slightly delayed, though I frequently miss it. Last week as I rushed out of the light-rail (which I caught on Jaffa Street after getting off the 77 bus) at Ammunition Hill, I spotted the bus already standing at the traffic light. So I took a bus (after waiting a bit) to Sha'ar Binyamin and stood there for at least twenty minutes with a sign saying כוכב השחר KOCHAV HASHACHAR in my hands to attract drivers to that community who wouldn't have thought of stopping for me. It did help,and I got a ride and arrived on time.

So, yesterday, I decided to stay on the 77 until Eshkol Boulevard, although I knew I'd have to run a couple a hundred meters to a bus stop. As I caught my breath at that stop, I saw the 949--yes the bus to Kocahv Hashachar-- approaching. I signaled and got on very gratefully, thanking Gd for my great luck. I paid, sat down and relaxed. Everything was fine until about a half a kilometer from the city-line, the Jerusalem-Hisme border. The bus died.

So, I went out with another passenger to try to hail a bus or a ride at least to Sha'ar Binyamin or Hisme. The other buses wouldn't pick us up, because they are Egged Tavura and the 949 is Egged, so since it wasn't a proper bus stop they couldn't stop for us. Finally a young bearded man stopped, opened the door and said:

"Batya, come on in."

It ended up being a guy who had grown up in Shiloh, was my son's madrich, youth movement counselor, and my daughter had been his. He was on his way to visit his mother and was disappointed that he couldn't take me all the way home.

I asked him if I was crazy to get off at the Alon Road turnoff from Road 60, where there's a proper hitchhiking stop, with barriers and all. I've been asking many about it since there are many more possibilities for rides to Kochav Hashachar than Hizme and Sha'ar Binyamin. So that's where I got off.

Finally a young woman picked me up who was going to Kochav Hashachar and told me that it's a fine place to wait for rides. So now I know that I must find a tremp willing to drop me off there when I have to get to work.

And don't think that getting home from Kochav Hashachar didn't cause stress, too. There is no direct way, so I have to speak to other teachers and get a ride somehow.

Kochav Hashachar is just north of Rimonim and southeast of Shiloh. They are on the Alon Road, and Shiloh is on #60.

The best rides are when I'm taken via Kida/Shvut Rachel which at its worst will leave me a mile or kilometer and a half from my house. But recently, after hectic stressful searches for a ride out, which leave me with little patience to teach my difficult students, I end up with a ride that drops me off at Givat Asaf, the Beit El junction. When there I whip out my שילה SHILOH sign to attract drivers going north. That's what happened yesterday. I caught a ride, thanks to the sign of course, to the Shiloh Junction, where I got a ride to the Shvut Rachel-Shiloh Junction, then another ride to the middle of Shiloh where the stores and Kupat Leumit clinic are. And there I got tired of waiting, started walking up when a neighbor stopped to give me a ride to my door, B"H, thank the Good Lord!!

A Traveling Adventure

The other day we had a joyous family occasion in Kfar Saba, which is a medium-size city northwest of Shiloh. We got there very easily, since my daughter, who lives in Ofra, picked us up on the way. But afterwards, she had to hurry to work in Jerusalem, which was convenient for my husband, but I wanted to check out some textbooks in a publishing house in nearby Ranaana. My cousin and her husband dropped me off there, but when I finished, things got more complicated.

"Where can I find a bus to take me in the direction of Yarkon Junction or Ranaana Junction?" I innocently and rather optimistically asked the staff.
"Bus?" I don't know. I've never taken a bus here." Responded one of the women. "Do you know where there's a bus stop?" She asked the other one.
"Maybe you can point me in the right direction, and I can walk to the Ranaana Junction?" I asked.
"No, it's much too far to walk." They replied in unison.
"Maybe --(I didn't catch the name)-- knows." And she went to the back to call another worker.
"Walk down the street to the right. Turn left  and then at the traffic light turn left again. Walk another couple of hundred meters, and then you should find a bus stop. Take the #2." He spoke with the confidence of someone who actually takes buses, thank Gd. 

I surprised myself by actually remembering, more or less, the directions, though I did ask a few people on the way, just to make sure...

When I got to the bus stop, immediately somebody asked me about the buses. Apparently, I wasn't the only stranger trying to get out of Ranaana by public transportation. We both kept asking people for help. And I saw there were charts showing all the stops, which was helpful.

Ironically just across the street from the stop was Rami Levy. I debated going in to shop, but didn't need anything and didn't want to schlep.

Eventually, after a long winding route that must have crisscrossed every neighborhood and street in Ranaana we got the last stop, the Ranaana Junction, which has buses to all over. I looked at the listing for buses going in the direction of Petach Tikva and Tel Aviv, since I knew that most if not all would get to the Yarkon Junction where I could get a bus or ride to Ariel. Within just a couple of minutes, I was on my way.

Once at the Yarkon Junction, I knew my way and confidently crossed to the bus stop.

After a bit, I caught a bus to Ariel. And in Ariel I got off by the university, which is building and expanding.

From there I got a tremp home, B"H! Even though I really didn't know how I was going to travel, which buses and where, for some of the way, I must admit that it was a pretty easy trip and didn't take all that long. It almost took longer to blog it...

Mystery Bus...

Another bus "service" rant. Public transportation here has its good points and bad ones. Of course I'm happy we have buses, and there's a nice percentage of them that go up to my neighborhood. I've even begun to trust them enough to wait for the buses around the corner from my house, rather than leave home much earlier to walk to the main stop.

We also have these screens that are supposed to tell us, which line is arriving, which direction (last stop) and when, meaning in how many minutes it should arrive.

One problem is that only one bus line is ever mentioned, though two come to Shiloh. Davka only one to my neighborhood. At the bus stop in the "center" which services both bus lines, only the 461 shows up.

And now things are worse, because, as you can see, it doesn't give the "destination" information. There's no way to know if the expected bus is going to Jerusalem or Maale Levona.

It's a mystery....

Damaged Screen

I hope this photo is clear enough on your screen to see. The other day when I got a ride to the "gas station" on the way to Tel Zion/Psagot/Kochav Yaakov I looked up to see when a bus was expected. All I needed was to go just over a kilometer to Sha'ar Binyamin, but since there's no sidewalk along the road, it's not very safe to walk. I wouldn't want to tempt a terrorist to run into me or be the victim of a driver paying more attention to his phone or whatever, so I needed a bus or a ride.

The cracked screen looked like it had been hit by some rocks; its pole seemed undamaged. These screens give, or are supposed to give, information about which bus is coming when, but that's in theory.  Not all the buses get listed. In Shiloh we have two bus lines, but only one line is shown on our screens. And frequently the only message is:

Out of Order

Even at stops like the one in Sha'ar Binyamin, which do show lots of bus lines, I've found that not all the buses show up on the screen. Actually, that is sometimes very good news. Quite a few times when waiting for a bus to Jerusalem, I see that none is expected for at least twenty minutes, and then "surprise," there's a bus.

I'm sure you're itching to tell me to download the "bus app" which will let me know what buses are coming when. Yes, I did have it, but as I've written before, Craving a New, Better and Smarter Smartphone my phone doesn't have enough memory, so I'm down to bare minimum when it comes to apps. And since many of the bus stops do have the screen with that information, it was an unnecessary app for me.

I wonder how long it will take for the screen to get fixed....

Davka, Here We Need to Know...

Photo taken in Ma'ale Adumim

Here in Israel, more and more bus stops have these screens which show us which buses are coming and in how much time. Granted there are quirks, like the fact that a bus will show up a couple of minutes early or late. Or like the problem with the Shiloh ones which only show one of the bus routes that come to Shiloh... That means that we must stay on our toes and not trust them 100%. But they are helpful. Last week I left work (in Yafiz, Sha'ar Binyamin) early to catch the bus to my neighborhood, but it didn't come. It wasn't even listed on the screen. Then suddenly it was listed, but the time indicated was about a half an hour late. Yes, the bus was late, so the information there was accurate. We even called the bus company to check, and they confirmed the delay.

There's one Jerusalem stop that really needs one of those screens. It's the "top" of Sderot Eshkol which services all of our Mateh Binyamin and Shomron buses, plus lots of buses to Pisgat Zeev and Neve Yaakov and other destinations.

That stop is usually full of waiting passengers, because it's the bus stop closest to the lightrail Ammunition Hill stop. Many times we need to know if we've missed our bus or not. Should we wait for our bus or take any to the "cityline" or Shaar Binyamin? Not all passengers know the schedule well enough to time travelling, and frequently we can't really time our arrival to perfectly make connecting buses.

Last night when my friend and I were going home from the Women in Green vigil, we were almost glad to see that we had missed our bus, when it escaped the bus stop before we could get to it. At least we knew to take another bus to  the "cityline," aka the Hizme machsom.

Who decides which bus stops get those screens? Please send this to them, thanks.

PHOTO of THE DAY: Gevalt: Public Transportation

OK, I must admit that if you're not familiar with Hebrew writing you won't get this. You won't know why there's a problem.

Here's how the sign should look:

Yes, it's upside down. And PS it says עצור, atzur, STOP. I took the photo on the 463 bus from Shiloh to Sha'ar Binyamin yesterday when I was on my way to work. 

B"H, A Miracle!

In this post is a haiku of thankfulness to Gd.  I had actually written this in a couple of versions on facebook when I got home last night.

Today I didn't really shop much in Rami Levy but had bulky stuff, because we got the holiday gifts (which I'll give to one of my kids.) I was wondering how I'd tremp home, since with all my stuff it wouldn't fit on my lap. And then the friend who usually takes me to Ofra had to shop, so I said:

"I'm going to the bus stop and if I get a ride, I won't be there."

I really didn't know what to do, since the bus gets to Shaar Binyamin about 9:36pm, and it was over ten minutes later. But I trudged and prayed. Just as I was almost there, I saw a bus approaching, and it looked like a bulletproof one. Then I saw it was the 461, my bus (the one to my neighborhood) so I flew and it waited for me and took me home.

A real miracle
bus was late, so I caught it
Gd is truly great!

I think the driver thought I was nuts when I asked:

"You're late especially because of me, so I can get a ride home? Right?"

The driver may not have understood, but I have no doubt that this was a great gift from Gd to me, and he was the tool.

the 461 going up to my neighborhood

Public Transportation Woes

On one hand the bus service here in Israel is improving. There are cell phone applications that will tell you what bus is coming when. And there are computerized signs by some of the bus stops that also indicate which bus, destination and in how much time. In Jerusalem they are trilingual (when working) with Hebrew, Arabic and English. This sign in Ariel was very useful when I went to visit my cousin.

Signs have been put up in Shiloh, too. Yesterday, when I was on my way to work I saw one.

It had just some of the information. It showed only one bus line in one direction. It said that the 461 to Jerusalem would be in 15 minutes. Then the countdown started, and the time got shorter and shorter, but before the bus arrived, suddenly it said:

אין נסיעות בקרוב

Ain nisi'ot bikarov

No trips in the near future.

That was very peculiar and a pretty obvious technical foul-up. Soon after, I got a ride to Ofra, and the sign had the same news. Another waiting passenger used his phone's application to check, and there were buses on the way. I had to delete mine from my phone, since the phone has insufficient memory.

I don't know how accurate the application was, because I got a ride to work before the bus came. I take tremps not to boycott the bus service Gd forbid, but because I don't have time to waste.

Surreal Busride Home

Strange what one notices on the bus, especially when sitting up front...

Ever since I have reached my rather exalted age, I've made a point of sitting in the first seats on the bus, which in Israel are reserved for the "elderly and handicapped" when they aren't occupied.

One of my favorite things is to look out from the large clear front window, especially since in our "protected" buses, the side passengers windows are quite often so scratched up all you see is grey. There are bus drivers who are very friendly, and those who are the opposite. Talking to nearby passengers helps them stay awake.

Last night, the young woman in the seat opposite me was very busy talking to the driver. It was obvious that they knew each other in real life by her using his name and referring to his family. Suddenly I realized that his replies to her weren't verbal. He was "signing." And she was replying to his rapid and expressive hand movements.

"Could the bus driver be deaf?" I wondered.

She barely stopped talking for a second, and he had no way to lip read. He couldn't be deaf I realized. My mind began to imagine possible causes. Had he been somehow injured, shot in the face in a way to prevent easy speech? Or could the cause of this need to sign be from a congenital problem? My mind was racing. But, I remembered, he had answer passengers who had asked about the route and fare. Suddenly, soon before I reached my stop, he began to respond to her verbally.

There's still a mystery, but now it just seems that they both are competent and comfortable with the deaf's signing.

Pikuach Nefesh, Life Saving on a Bus

The other day, when traveling to Jerusalem by bus, I had to transfer from our Shiloh-Pisgat Zeev bus to one that would go all the way to the "Bituach Leumi-Kiryat Memshala" stop near Binyanei Ha'uma, not far from the Central Bus Station. I was on my way to the Israeli Museum, and it's a relatively short walk from there.

It would have taken me much, much longer to via our bus's Pisgat Ze'ev "first-last" stop. Now with the drastic changes in bus routes, our buses have been thrown out of the lovely CBS mall. All of our buses have outdoor, unprotected stops.

Of late, I've been learning entirely new ways of traveling by public transportation. People think I'm nuts when I joke that it's a technique to prevent or delay senility/dementia, because we must learn new things all the time. Of course the bureaucrats who designed these changes aren't dependent on public transportation. They have cars and most don't live in places like Shiloh, if any do at all. So, they really don't care. I doubt if they've ever traveled on a bus in recent years, certainly not the conditions we must live with.

Well, back to the story:
After a few minutes' wait at the Ma'avar Michmas-Psagot Gas Station stop, a bus to "Bituach Le'umi" arrived. It was crowded already, but a young man in the front seat by the door got up for me. It sure is nice to be an obvious alte-koka, old lady. On the other seat was a man, of about my age. Some men refuse to let a women sit next to them, so I was prepared to tell him that if he didn't like it, he could get up. But he said nothing. And so we sat side by side.

I started checking things/mail or reading a book on my smartphone, when suddenly I felt the bus quickly slow down, and the man's arm swung across my shoulders/chest to keep me from flying off my seat into the window.

"I'm sorry if that bothered you." Said the man in English.
"Pikuach nefesh, you saved me." I answered immediately.

Yes, he did. That type of bus does not provide protection for anyone in the seat I was in. The railing in the front just covered the person to my right. Since I had been caught by surprise, and my hands were occupied, I didn't have a chance to grab it. No doubt I would have had flown off my seat and been injured if he hadn't put his arm out to protect me.

Those new buses aren't safe. I remember many years ago, actually about forty when I had to take my second daughter with me to the American Consulate, which was then just across from the old border in East Jerusalem. We took what was then the #12 bus the entire route from Bayit Vegan to Sha'ar Shechem (Gate.) I had a terrible time at the Consulate because of the rude and nasty Arab staff and the unpleasant walk from there back to the bus stop at Sha'ar Shechem. When the bus arrived, the driver saw that I was upset and carried my daughter in her stroller into the bus. Then he told me not to sit in that seat, just over the door, because it wasn't safe.

Beware! Take care!

The Beginning of Something New

I'll be writing more about this as we adjust to it. From today we have a new bus system. We have two new routes. Our buses look different, and they no longer go to and from the Central Bus Station. For those who can read Hebrew you'll see that they are from Pisgat Zeev, across from the mall.

The good news is that more buses will come up to my neighborhood. That's the 461. It will be much better for me.

The bad news is that we'll have to take another bus or the train just to get to the bus, and not enough lines go to the Pisgat Ze'ev Mall. And it's also pretty far, not walking distance from all the other Jerusalem neighborhoods.

Shabbat Shalom

Travel, Tremping and Public Transportation, a "Typical" Day

Just in case you're curious as to how I travel... Yesterday after studying in Matan I visited an elderly friend in the Shalom Hotel, Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem..

sunrise, while waiting
for a ride

But let me start from the beginning. Once a week I study in Matan. That's the day I try to do all sorts of errands in Jerusalem. I get up very, very early. One of the reasons I have to get up early is my morning "elimination" routine. I once read that it's important to clean out old food before putting in new food. So I can't leave home until that is finished with.

I leave the house just after 6am. I've been hitching a ride with a school van driver who goes to Ofra. In Ofra I wait for a ride to Jerusalem. It usually takes a few minutes for someone to come out with empty seats in their car and offer us rides. As we get close to Jerusalem I check to see what their destination is and figure out where to get off. Last week I got a ride to walking distance (and I had enough time) from Matan which was great. The only problem has been that there are terrible traffic jams even so early in the morning. A half hour trip has been taking over an hour and a half. That means that instead of the lovely walks I used to take to Matan, I now have to rush from bus to train to bus, depending on where I'm let off.

Yesterday, I was let off at Givat HaTachmoshet, between Ramat Eshkol and French Hill. I caught the lightrail and took it to "City Hall," used the WC's and then hopped on the train for one stop to Strass and Yaffo Streets. There I caught the 18 which goes closest to Matan. And on the bus I ate my breakfast. I got to Matan just in time for my class.

Going home was less direct, because I had a few errands. A friend dropped my off at a bus stop which had the 18 and 77. I had to go to "Jerusalem Center," downtown, near Ben-Yehuda Street. Unfortunately, I forgot that the 18 takes King David Street in the other direction, and I had a bit of a walk to get to my destination. I had planned on printing pictures, but the picture place no longer takes dvds, so I'll have to do it from home. They told me how. From there I went to the corner of King George and Yaffo to buy my ns10 salad and ate it.

Then still on my 90 minute bus ticket, I was able to take the train two stops to Machane Yehuda to buy some fruit. After that, still within the 90 minutes I caught the train to the Mount Herzl stop so I could walk to my friend. I had plenty of time, so I wandered around, which is something I hadn't done there for over 33 years, even since we had moved to Shiloh.

Nothing stays the same, not even our old building.

Our old home in Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem. We were on the top floor, which today isn't the top floor.

But I'll blog more about that visit at a later time, G-d willing.

After visiting my friend, I took the #21 to the train on Herzl Blvd. From there I caught the #143 to the "city line." The bus, train and bus were all on the same ticket; we get 90 minutes of free transfers. There I waited for either a Shiloh bus or ride. I got a tremp to Ofra and then another tremp to the Shiloh Junction where I saw my friend waiting for a ride in the other direction.

Then I got a ride to the Shiloh-Shvut Rachel Junction, and from there I got a ride to the "downtown" Shiloh parking lot, which is half way up the hill which goes to my house. I started walking up, and someone stopped to give me a ride to near the start of my street. When I got off, I met a friend there and talked. And then I got home, thank G-d.

Just in case you were curious about how I manage to live without a car, and without patience to sit around waiting for buses.

Squiggles... aka Detours

Life's not simple...

It doesn't matter what we plan, it's hard to get places without detours.

Recently, the bus trip to a from Jerusalem for us in Shiloh has been getting longer. We have to go via Ma'ale Levona. It's a place nearby, just south and a bit west of us. The view from the road is gorgeous, as long as it's daytime. They actually have two ins and outs aka roads. One is from the north and the other from the south.

A couple of years ago, the road from the south was repaired, so Ma'ale Levona only had access from the north. And now they are fixing that road, so Egged has determined that when Shiloh and Ma'ale Levona are on the same bus route we always go through Ma'ale Levona. That adds just over fifteen minutes to our travel time. There are people who, before paying, ask the driver if he's going there, and if the answer is "yes," they prefer to tremp, hitchhike or even wait for the next bus if there's no choice.

I try to take it in stride, get a seat with a good view and remind myself, that at least I'm not standing around waiting for a ride or bus. And I'm happy that they have bus service... even though sometimes it's an effort to see the bright-side.

Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach
May you have a peaceful and blessed Shabbat.

PS This park statue in Jerusalem reminds me of that road sign.

Two Flags and The Tzaddik (Holy-Man) in Disguise

Considering that I blog more about tremping (hitchhiking,) you should know that I also take buses. It depends on what comes first. Two days ago, when I made it to the bus stop at the Shmuel Hanavi corner in Jerusalem, I discovered that it would be almost an hour until the next Shiloh bus was due, so I took a #143 to the "city line" and had fantastic tremps home. But yesterday a Shiloh bus #148 arrived at the stop at the "top of" Ramat Eshkol just minutes after I got there, so I took the bus home.

I sat in the front seat behind the driver for a few reasons.

• It was unoccupied.
• I like to look out the front window.
• I had to pay the "second installment*" of the fare mid ride, so the closer to the driver the better.
• Officially, those seats are reserved for the "elderly," and now I'm pension age, so unless a couple of passengers incapable or walking further into the bus would get on, it's set aside for me and my peers.

Sitting in front gave me a front row view to all aspects of the ride home.

Everything had been quiet and routine until we just passed Givat Assaf, the Beit El Junction when suddenly the driver stopped on the road. None of us had seen anything to warrant stopping. And if there had, G-d forbid, been a terror attack, instructions are to drive away as quickly as possible. 

Not only did the driver stop the bus, but he quickly climbed out. No, he didn't find a corner to pee, which has happened over the decades. He bent down and picked up an Israeli Flag which he had noticed had fallen down from the poles near the junction. 

He placed it carefully near the flag he has on display in the bus and told us that the Israeli Flag is holy. He just can't abide the thought of one lying on the ground.

And that wasn't all. As we pulled out of the Ofra bus stop and security gate he noticed some people running from afar to catch the bus. And he waited for them. At the same time a woman in a nurses uniform got out of a tremp just across from the bus. She approached and asked if the bus was going to her destination, which it was. She was so grateful. Not only had the driver waited for those who were running to catch us, but because of that a young nurse was able to make it quickly and safely home.

And, no, in case you were wondering, this driver did not wear any of the signs of outward religiosity, not in his clothes, accent, hairdo or head-covering. It's obvious to me that in terms of Derech Eretz,  the Laws of Behavior between man and man, this man lived a "mehadrin" life.

What a wonderful Jewish people we have here in Israel!

*My Jerusalem ticket's "transfer" was good until the Ma'avar Michmas gas station stop, and only then did I have to pay the lower fare to Shiloh.

Learning New Ways Around Jerusalem

After years of traveling weekly from Shiloh to Matan by public transportation, tremps, walking etc at dawn, schlepping my breakfast and a thermos of delicious perked coffee,  plus books etc I now have a new way. A neighbor is studying once a week, davka the same day, in Malcha and has to be there just before I do.  So instead of waking at 4am and leaving home just after 6am hoping for a ride before the 6:35 bus, I get up at 4:30 with time to eat a warm breakfast at home and leave with him at 7am.

By the time we leave the sun is shining, and I'm not stressed out wondering how and when I'll arrive.  A small disadvantage or a "good news-bad news" is that I don't have the time I used to for a long fitness walk before class. The advantage is that I'm much more awake during class with the extra sleep and relaxing ride.

The only difficulty was figuring out the best bus route from where he drops me off to Matan.  Suddenly I have to travel via the San Martin-Pat area, which I never knew at all before.

At Malcha I catch the #6 bus and take it about three stops to Golomb, if I got that right.  I just know that it's the first stop after some very impressive tunnel.  Last week when I did it for the first time, I  asked absolutely everyone I could find what they recommended from the minute I got to the Malcha bus stop until I got off the #6A.  And from the same place I can catch the #18 which goes pretty close to Matan or the #4 which requires a good five or more minute walk.

The only real quirk about this is that the #18, which I rushed to beat to the stop, first takes a long "ride around the block" before stopping to take me to Matan.

Last week I spotted it after its little detour.  But at least I had time to photograph the view from the bus stop.

After I got off, I decided to walk through the gorgeous alley ways to Matan. They are among the hidden beauties of Jerusalem.

Public Transportation -- Egged

If I didn't travel by public transportation, how would I be able to see images like these?

Yesterday's trip to Jerusalem started out well, since I didn't wait long until the bus arrived. It was smooth sailing until we were just across from the bus station. Suddenly I noticed that we'd been sitting for a long time. Apparently there were too many buses trying to get in and unload passengers, so the driver opened all of the doors and let us out.


Buses, buses every where were all waiting to get into the building. The actual bus station, built rather recently, is great. There's one very minor problem, the surronding neighborhood and access roads. The strange thing is that when I arrived it was after 11am, not near rush hour. Something must be going on, since later in the afternoon, when I left, it also took us a long time.


Baruch Hashem it was a pretty successful day, nice to have a day off from work. I got just about everything on my shopping list.