On my most recent trip to the Jewish homeland, I ventured out and about in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with little problem; mostly getting around on buses, sheruts – a sort of mini-van that follows a scheduled route – and the occasional cab.
It’s worth
noting that much of what you’ll want to visit as a tourist is in the heart of
both these cities and is well within walking distance if you’re reasonably
healthy and fit. An added bonus of hoofing it when walking is an option is that
you’ll get to see parts of the country up close and personal that would be
nothing more than a passing blur from a bus or cab.
Most cities
in Israel have a central bus station. In Tel Aviv and Jerusalem the stations
are mini-cities; expansive developments that include retail shops and banks, cafes,
restaurants and fast-food kiosks, ticket offices and information centers. The
stations are almost always busy; crowded, noisy and filled with locals and
tourists on their way from here to there. It’ll probably take a little effort
to orient yourself on your first visit. But it’s an experience that’s worth the
effort.
I was lucky
earlier this month; I needed only to follow in the wake of Sar-El friends Irwin
and Gigi when off to visit Jerusalem. They are experts on getting around the
country and helped me find my way through the labyrinth of hallways and
passages that fill the central bus station in Tel Aviv.
Buses run
between the two cities about every 15 minutes. So the process was made even
simpler when we dashed aboard a waiting bus and bought our tickets from the driver
instead of stopping at a nearby ticket window.
The trip
costs 18 shekels – a little shy of $5 – but I was advised to hand over 9
shekels and simply say “pensioner”! Retirees and seniors in Israel are offered
half-price fares on all public transport. And that’s how I ended up making the
trip for just a bit over $2. BTW, just for the sake of comparison, a can of
cola will cost you 7 shekels in Israel and a really good cup of gelato will set
you back 19 shekels.
Trains are
another decent option, especially when traveling along the coast. They are
quick, efficient and affordable. When heading back to the states after visiting
friends in Zichron Yaakov, a small resort community just south of Haifa, I took
a train. It whisked me through a half-dozen cities and villages that dot the
Mediterranean, then on through Tel Aviv before I reached my final destination, Ben
Gurion International Airport. The 50 minute trip was a bargain at 37 shekels.
Remember that Israeli retirees would have paid half that price!
Cabs are all
together another story. They are relatively expensive and the experience, at
least for me, is almost always cosmically irritating. Cabbies fall into that group
of Israelis who love tourists for only one reason – our money. They look on us
all as suckers and know that, for the most part, we hate to haggle and argue
and that we’ll pay whatever we’re told.
The very
first cab ride I took in Israel several years ago was a horrible experience
that featured a cabbie nagging me about payment from the moment we were off and
going. I didn’t understand the system and hadn’t told the cabbie to turn on his
meter. Instead, he continually asked me how much I was going to pay him.
Unfortunately,
that nasty introduction to cabs and cabbies has proven to be the norm. On my
most recent trip, this same scam played out twice. The first time I told the
cabbie to turn on his meter; the second time I had a good idea of what the cost
should be and handed the cabbie that amount when I reached my destination and
made a hasty exit.
Of course
there are exceptions. I had a mini-emergency a few trips back and needed to get
to a pharmacy in Jerusalem. A helpful cabbie got me to a nearby mall,
volunteered to wait, then returned me to my hotel. Another cabbie, dropping me
off at the airport, zipped away, then quickly backed up and waved me down. It
turns out I had left a small bag on the front seat and he had spotted it after
dropping me off – a major crisis averted!
Travel,
especially in strange and foreign places, is always an adventure; and getting
around is a big part of the experience. If you’re on a group tour with a
professional guide, the good news is most of the hassle of getting from place
to place comes with your ticket.
Truth to
tell, I like the ease and sense of calm that comes when traveling with family
and friends. But I also like the adrenalin rush that’s part of the solo
experience; the unexpected happening just around the corner and me, yet again, stumbling my
way through another grand experience. And so it goes!
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