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.

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.

All For NS13.50, Less than $5-

Travelling on public transportation here in Israel is discounted for senior citizens, and if you know how to buy the "all day inclusive" chofshi yomi tickets, even for youngsters prices are very reasonable.

Things have been simplified. The country has been divided into districts. And to make life easier for the drivers and also speed up the trip for the passengers, we have to buy our tickets before boarding the bus. You either buy from special machines or a phone app, which unfortunately isn't compatible to all phones or use a special attachment, which costs only NS5- on your computer.

We have the special attachment. Just plug it into your computer, and register on the Ravkav site. Once you stick your actual Ravkav card into the plastic reader, you'll see how much money is in your card and all sorts of ticket possibilities.

You can choose your type of ticket and the date you need to travel. We generally buy the "all day inclusive" chofshi yomi ticket for the "Jerusalem Metropolitan Area," which not only covers Shiloh to Jerusalem  but as far as Ein Gedi to the southeast, Hebron to the south and includes Gush Etzion, Mevasseret Zion and Maale Adumim.

And the all day travel costs us only NS13.50. It would be double if we weren't senior citizens. That's still not much money at all.

For a bit more money we can buy a Jerusalem-Dan District all day ticket which would take us to Tel Aviv and beyond. There are more options. All can be found on the site.

Happy traveling!

Friday's Travels, Tremps & Buses, Life in The Slow Lane

Friday morning when I left home to catch a ride at the Yarkon Junction, I was very optimistic that I'd be on time. Usually I am. I got to Ariel, near the university with time to spare, so I decided to go to the nearby mall and use the loo. Blog post on that, Gd willing, in a few days.

I was disappointed to discover that the Ariel Municipality still hasn't made a safe sidewalk for pedestrians entering the new mall from the university, bus stops etc.

 As you can see from the above photo, there's still a dangerous "under construction" sidewalk of sorts along the main road to the mall. Whenever I've found myself walking in the dangerous mess over there, I think that Ariel Founder and Mayor, the late Ron Nachman, Z"L, would have made sure the sidewalk was safely completed before the stores had opened.

Not wanting to walk on the rocks and along the road in the direction of traffic, I crossed back to the bus stop I needed far from the "crosswalk."

Unexpectedly I discovered that it would be at least fifteen minutes to a bus, which meant that I'd be cutting it close at best. Davka, I didn't check in advance and chose the time of the morning with the least buses.

Of course, the bus was late, and a dozen or more people got on. Some of them with travel bags, which the driver insisted should be put under the bus. When one of the passengers with a bag on wheels sat in the front and looked totally blank and uncomprehending at the driver's request to sit in the back, I spoke to the man in English. Thank Gd, I guessed correctly, and he took himself and his bag further back.

There are signs available for those looking for rides that can show where you need to go.

Of course I updated my ride that I'd be late.

I'm glad to have discovered that bus routes in Ariel have changed. I don't know if it's all the buses, or just the ones I went on, 186 and 86, if I remember correctly. They now take the new bypass road at the Rami Levi Mall. This makes it easier to get to those stores. That means there's less bus service to the old industrial zone.

Luckily it didn't really matter that we were "later than planned" to the event we were going to, because there was no formal program.

Going home, I was dropped off at the Yarkon Junction and got a ride to the Gittit (Revava) Junction. There after a short wait, I caught a bus which took me to the Ariel University. I got off a stop early, so I could walk a bit. Then I got a ride with a neighbor.

And I managed to finish everything necessary at home before Shabbat. That's pretty good, since it was one of the "shortest Fridays" of the year.

Yes, this is how I survive without a car.

Israel's Great Public Transport Deals, Especially for "Seniors"

Israeli Public Transportation is getting better and better in most ways. There are special discount tickets which give unlimited transportation within various districts at amazingly low prices, especially for senior citizens like myself. Today I met some friends in Gedera, which isn't near Shiloh at all. It's on the way to Ashdod, southeast of Tel Aviv.

Before leaving home I studied the map of travel discounts carefully, as did a friend who was joining me. We had already traveled cheaply to Beit Shemesh. The one day unlimited ticket to Beit Shemesh was the same as the one I use traveling to Jerusalem. The only thing I needed to tell the driver was to make sure it said Jerusalem Metropolitan West. The cost for the day was NS13.50. That's about $3.50. For someone too young for the senior discount, the price is about double.

Gedera is further than Beit Shemesh. The code name for us to get the discount fare to Gedera is Jerusalem-Gush Day. The fare was a bit more, just NS16, about $4.50. Unlike my Shiloh buses, these intercity buses are pretty reliable. The buses also had outlets to charge your phone. OK you need a long cord, too.

This district is humongous. It covers from Netanya in the north until Ashdod in the south, Jerusalem, of course, and all of Samaria and everything in between, Kfar Saba, Petach Tikva, Tel Aviv, Rechovot, Modiin and more.

The buses were clean; drivers and passengers polite.

It was a long day, and I am exhausted, but I just had to tell you about these great travel bargains. Frugal Israel is getting better.