Where is Roberg?

The last post I wrote, I was looking out over the Mediterranean from the coast of Tel Aviv. Luckily, I’ll be back in Tel Aviv for a few days before my flight home, and I’m hoping that the weather is good so that I can visit the beach and swim in the Mediterranean.

My trip to Haifa was a bit shakier than planned. Before I left my hotel, I asked for the best way to get to the bus station. Unsurprisingly, she said to take a bus. After boarding, I was unsure what to look for, but figured that the bus station would stand out, or be a main stop. I used my rented cell phone’s GPS (global positioning system) to try to keep track of our route along the way. I waited patiently and enjoyed the ride.

A city bus in Tel Aviv

Lesson #1

After 15 minutes, I started to wonder how long the ride would be. We had stopped at one or two stops that had looked busy, but I had not seen any busses anywhere. I was really torn when we came to the train station, but I decided to stick with it. After a few more minutes, I noticed that we seemed to be moving out toward the suburbs – it looked like I had missed my stop. Now I had a decision to make. Should I get off and try to get another bus going the other way, pay 10 times as much to have a taxi take me there, or wait and see what happened?

Because it was early, and the trip to Haifa was only 1 ½ hours, I decided to wait it out. Not only would it be cheaper, one never knows what type of adventure lies down the wrong path.

Unfortunately for me, this wrong path didn’t lead to much adventure. Instead, it led to the end of the line, where I simply had to change to another bus that was heading exactly the way we had come. This time, though, I asked the bus driver to point out the bus station and sat right behind him for this ride. After 10 minutes, we came to a bus stop that looked a shopping mall, and he said we had arrived.

Lesson 1: Don’t be afraid to ASK for directions, even if there’s a language barrier – you’ll save time in the long run.

At the entrance, a guard was checking bags. Here I am with a 40 pound hiking pack and a 20 pound backpack for my laptop and other valuables (Flat Kat makes fun of me for packing like Paris Hilton, Bill Gates, and Donald Trump rolled into one with none of the money). After a brief check, I entered the shopping mall and found my way up to the sixth floor. Yeah, the bus station was on the sixth floor!!

the bus terminal in Tel Aviv
Having learned lesson #1 for the 100^th time in my traveling career, I asked at information and found the correct terminal for the bus. After a short wait, I boarded the coach bus – a far cry from the bus I rode in India. Like every coach bus, it had big windows, comfortable seats, and air conditioning (though we didn’t need it).

Interior of the bus from Tel Aviv to Haifa

View out of the bus window
The 1 ½ hour ride took us north along the coast on a beautiful, sunny day. The highway was like an interstate in the United States and traffic moved briskly. I saw beautiful views of the Mediterranean, farmland, small towns, and office complexes. As we pulled into the bus station at Haifa, I saw an office complex for Google and other tech giants. According to my reading, Haifa has remade itself into a bit of a tech city. In fact, during the 37 day war with Lebanon in the summer of 2006, IBM workers continued to upload their work as they protected themselves in the basement offices while rockets fell on the city above.
Lesson #2

According to Lonely Planet (my travel book), I had to catch yet another bus into downtown toward Haifa Merkaz, 5 km away. I settled in to another bus to enjoy the scenery. Suddenly, I noticed a large building with a wheat symbol at the top. Remembering from my book that there was a grain silo downtown near my hotel, I asked the gentleman behind me when Haifa Merkaz would be coming up, and he said at the end of the line.

Comforted, I settled back and relaxed. At the end of the line, I disembarked with everyone else, and looked around at the bus station which was in the middle of nowhere. According to the Lonely Planet, it was only a short walk to downtown. Unfortunately, I had no idea which way to walk, and everyone I asked didn’t seem to know. After walking around aimlessly for 20 minutes, I decided to get a taxi and pay the “ignorance fee”. For an inflated price, you can always have a taxi deliver you where you want to go.
Lesson #2 – Trust your instincts, and don’t always go “by the book”.
Eventually, I made it to Haifa. It took longer than it “should” have, but that’s sometimes how travelers get their interesting stories.
It’s also how they learn their lessons… sometimes for the 100^th time!

Filed under: Israel, Travel