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!

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.

Frugal Adventure to Beit Shemesh, Plus: Pishers' Guide to Beit Shemesh #1

The other day I met with some friends in Beit Shemesh, or to be more exact, we met at a Beit Shemesh mall. To be honest I've been in Beit Shemesh for a wedding, Shabbat Bar Mitzvah and maybe something else, but even after this little adventure, I still don't think that I know Beit Shemesh.

Over twenty years ago, when some real estate developers began marketing Beit Shemesh, they kept insisting that it's right near Jerusalem. I think they claimed it was something like seventeen minutes away. The truth is that it may be that from the border of Jerusalem, on the highway until the turnoff to Beit Shemesh, when driving in the middle of the night without traffic it may be '"seventeen minutes." But at 11am, in a fast bus on the highway, no traffic, to the first stop at the Beit Shemesh Junction, which has three malls but no residential buildings I could find, it took about thirty-three minutes from Jerusalem Central Bus Station.

Our plan was to meet for lunch in the Bleecker Street Bakery. My friends and I came from all over the country, Kedumim, Shiloh, Netivot, Beersheva and quite a few points in between.

I was happy to discover that I could buy a one day unlimited bus pass, Metropolitan Jerusalem West, senior citizen rate NS13.50 (just over $3-) when I got on my bus in Shiloh, and it would include Beit Shemesh. As I had written, I'm not familiar with Beit Shemesh. To be honest I began to panic when I got off the bus, even though it was the correct stop. I didn't expect to see three malls nearby. Nobody had warned me.

Since I was early, I decided to case out mall #1, and thank Gd I found Bleecker Street Bakery. My friends and I chose Bleecker Street Bakery, because it had a breakfast special which could be ordered all day. The food was delicious. Everyone was happy with their selections.

Pishers' Guide to Beit Shemesh #1

I couldn't resist the opportunity to check out the WC, 00, Restroom or just call it the Public Toilets of Beit Shemesh. One shouldn't need WAZE to find a WC. I'm from the "old world" of reading signs. Well, in this Rami Levy Mall, trying to follow the signs was like getting lost in a maze. So, I used the old standby, the closest supermarket. Yes, I walked into the Rami Levy Supermarket.  

Just a few steps into the store I spotted the easy to recognize icons for the Public Toilets and followed the signs. My experiences with Rami Levy's WCs have been pretty good, and these didn't disappoint.

The public toilets were clean and stocked with paper and soap. My friends who had found the mall's WC admitted that it was "lacking."

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I had a lovely time with my friends, who requested "no pictures" on the blog.

A Visit f2f to Beersheva

photo by Yocheved Golani,
https://itsmycrisisandillcryifineedto.blogspot.com/

Over the past few years, I've blogged about a group of friends I have who communicate on Facebook, secret group, and get together f2f periodically in all sorts of locations. This time we decided to visit Beersheva, since quite a few of our members live there or nearby.

At this Beersheva f2f, besides a couple of locals, we came from Netivot, Netanya, Maale Adumim and Shiloh. Yes, that shows you how spread out we are over the country. I traveled from Jerusalem by bus with my friend from Maale Adumim after spending the previous night in Jerusalem to enjoy some of my progeny.

photo by Yocheved Golani,
https://itsmycrisisandillcryifineedto.blogspot.com/

BTW, about the public toilets in the Beersheva Central Bus Station, the "pay a shekel" entrance didn't work well, and many, including yours truly, squeezed through with a friend, not to cheat, but because it only opened every two sh'kallim. 

The 470 express, which had a bare minimum of stops, was a great way to travel from Jerusalem to Beersheva and back. As a "senior" it only cost me a total of ns20 for a day's trip including buses in Beersheva.

We met in the older part of Beersheva in the Allenby Park, near the old "mosque," municipality building and British Commonwealth ANZAC Cemetery. One of our friends gave us a fascinating overview of the history of Beersheva and the two old buildings we faced. Then we entered the nearby British ANZAC Cemetery and placed stones on the one Jewish grave there.

Then we squeezed into a car and drove to the "Grand Kenyon" Shopping Mall and had a very pleasant late lunch together. A few of us then shared a cab to the bus and train stations, which are conveniently side by side. Following are a few photos taken in Beersheva.

photo by Yocheved Golani,
https://itsmycrisisandillcryifineedto.blogspot.com/

Thankful that there has been rain so far this winter, but we were also very happy that it was dry during our visit to Beersheva. Except for the fact that some of us looked like crazy old bag-ladies, schlepping our coats, pocketbooks and additional bags, it really was perfect weather for a walking tour.

On the bus back to Jerusalem, my friend and I succeeded in charging our phones via the overhead outlets. It's one of those modern conveniences one needs nowadays. We are so dependent on electrical communication devices. The outlets didn't work on the bus going to Beersheva, so we were very relieved to discover that these did work. She had an extra long cord, but mine was just minimally the right length. It wasn't all that comfortable to use it and keep my phone safe. If I find myself traveling a lot on such buses, I'll have to buy a longer cord.

Photos included here were taken by me, except for those identified as by https://itsmycrisisandillcryifineedto.blogspot.com/.

End of School Year Celebration

Yesterday afternoon, even the Ulpanat Ofra Girls High School hosted a festive end of year party for the participants of the senior citizens program I attend and our families. Most of us had some of our children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren in attendance, too. My daughter and grandchildren in Ofra came, too.

In the formal ceremony I was one of the speakers. I told everyone how much fun it is to be old. We get discounts, people give us seats in buses, we get paid not to work and we can attend the wonderful program in Ofra.

It was through that program that my "story" was put on the multiple history program of the Diaspora Museum.

I've made some new friends and really enjoy the classes. Gd willing I'll sign up again next year.

Public Bus Travel Update, Easier Than I Thought

For the first time in ages, last Friday I traveled via the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. The last time I had taken a bus from there, I just had to say "senior" when I bought my ticket from the driver. I remember being "insulted" that he didn't claim I looked too young or at least ask for identification.

Now since I heard that I'd have to put money into my RavKav bus/train card and use it to pay, like a prepaid credit card, I was nervous. I had never done that before. Friends told me that it was the only way I could get the senior discount.

I'm lucky that I know Hebrew, because so many of the signs were Hebrew only, but the machine does have an English option. I went to a clerk; I prefer people. I asked him to put ns100 into my card, which he did. Of course I paid. I used a credit card.

The RavKav is personal. It has my Identity number and a photo of me. You only get a discount if you have a personal one, and you're old enough, or handicapped, of course.

Tourists pay full-fare. Actually a few years ago when I was in the states and took the train from New York to Philadelphia, I was told that my US passport didn't qualify me for senior discount. I needed a special American card. Later on in the visit my friend and I went to the special office to get one, and they still wouldn't give me. They said that I needed something other than a passport. And I'm an American citizen...

Apparently, here in Israel, if you're qualified for a discount, the sum you deposit in your card is doubled automatically. When you pay a fare, the "full fare" is subtracted from the card. But it's really the half fare, because as in my case the ns100 became ns200.

Not only was I able to use my RavKav to pay for the bus to Ashdod, but in Ashdod the local bus driver accepted it for payment to the hotel.

The only English signs I found in the bus station told people about the special bus to Ben-Gurion Airport and the bus to Tel Aviv. Information about depositing money in your RavKav was only in Hebrew. The powers there figure that anyone who's Israeli enough to have a RavKav must know Hebrew.

And if you need English explanations, I hope this blog post helped you.