Sometimes People are So Nice

 

No doubt I'm sometimes guilty of complaining too much, but when there's something really nice to talk/write about it's so important to let the world know.

Last Thursday on my way home from Jerusalem after seeing cousins, I had some wonderful experiences. While walking out of the Old City, I had checked the bus schedule and saw that if I hurried I could catch a bus to the Shiloh Junction. 

With still another couple of minutes' walk to the lightrail I saw a train coming. I had to hurry, since the next train might have gotten me there too late. As I huffed and puffed onto the train a young man slid out of his seat, so I could take it. I paid and then sat down. I guess he heard and saw my arrival.

I got to the bus stop with time to spare, and the bus actually came on time, which is quite rare. 

On the bus I looked up and saw those little "outlets" to plug in the phone for charging, which was needed, since my phone battery was getting dangerously low. The only problem was that no matter how much I tried, they didn't work, so I asked the driver about it. He couldn't fix it from his end, but a young soldier on the other side of the aisle offered me his portable charger. But he got off a few stops later, and I saw that my phone battery was still low. I thanked him and told him it was fine.

To my surprise the driver reached into his pocket and gave me his portable charger. Wow!

 Yes, Sometimes People are So Nice.

Jerusalem Egged Buses Modernizing, Part 2

Jerusalem Egged Buses Modernizing, Part 1, is about the new way of paying for bus rides in order not to waste the driver's time. It's more complicated than the "exact change only" which is required in some places abroad. The complication is that not all bus stops are equipped with paying machines, and you can't pay the driver. Part 2 is about the modernizing of Egged Jerusalem buses:

Charge Your Phone/Tablet/Laptop As You Ride

Yes, in the newest buses, if you're lucky, you'll find yourself next to these chargers. You have to provide your own cord of course, but it's still a very nice little modern convenience.

People who travel in cars generally have chargers easily available, but we bus travelers dependent on public transportation  sometimes find ourselves wandering like gypsies.

I try to remember to have a portable charger with me and a charger you plug into an electric socket. They both have the type of wires you need to use the chargers on the bus.

Enjoy!

PS if have any suggestions for other topics of "improvement" or modernization on the buses, please let me know, thanks.

The Most Necessary Equipment in This Day and Age

my portable charger

Nowadays, when cellphones are more than just phones, a major problem is when the battery begins to run down and we're stuck without an electric outlet for charging the phone. My old cellphones could easily go a couple of days without needing to be recharged. All they did for me was to allow me phone contact with others and were also my alarm clock. But now when a "phone" is more like a laptop (portable) computer and even a library in some cases, the standard battery power is never quite enough.

That's why a portable charger, like this one (which my husband once gave me,) can be a lifesaver. I keep one fully charged with me when traveling or going to work, so that I can charge my phone wherever and whenever. I've even stuck the charging phone into a pocket, wires and all.

Last night I lent it to the people driving us from a wedding to Ariel, since they were following directions on Waze, and their phone was almost empty battery-wise. (They were in a rental and didn't have a phone charger.)

Besides the protective case and screen cover I got my phone immediately after purchase, I consider the charger the most necessary of accessories.