Mother of all Taxi Rides

For over a week, snow has been forecast for Jerusalem. On Monday, whilst visiting Tel Aviv, I was told it would fall on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. After a very stormy night, the blizzard and the several inches of snow arrived as predicted.

I had a shared taxi (Sheroot) ordered for 4.45am. At 5.15am the company called me to ask me to walk to the Jaffa Gate, as the police were not letting any vehicles into the Old City. So the night watchman from the guest house where I was staying dragged my 21kg suitcase through the snow for me.

At first the taxi driver wouldn't let me pay him, and mumbled something incoherent about the roads in Jerusalem being impassable. I thought he was going to drive me to the train station, or give me another alternative. But one and a half hours later, we were still skidding up and down the hills of the city, trying to find the other passengers. During this period, the driver conducted a fierce argument with his dispatcher over the radio and mobile phone, whilst waving his arms around, swearing and smoking. The van only hit something once, whilst he was trying to do a three point turn in foot deep slush on a hill.

When we arrived at the airport an hour late (me white as a sheet I'm sure), the said driver tried to charge us more than the usual fare for this exciting trip - no doubt trying to make up for the four passengers he failed to find on the streets.

I don't think I have ever been so grateful to see an airport before.