Timberlandko, not the hitchhikers abducted people in Israel. Just the opposite things often happened. The terrorists dressed as observant Jews of Oriental origin (these do not look like Kissinger or Spielberg, they rather resemble Arabs in appearance), forged Israeli number plates for vehicles (the Israeli number plates are yellow, while Palestinians from their authority have white or green plates) and proposed lift for soldiers and young civilians. But instead of bringing them to the place they needed getting to, they brought them to Gaza and killed. In the compact space of the car soldiers failed to use their weapons to protect themselves (soldier's weapon is an assault rifle and not a pistol).
hitch hiking is rare to see here now edgar, very rar. a lost way of life it seems in this country. besides, it's against the 'LAW' in most places.
shame on me......and us
Hitchiking classification & chances (from the 70's hiker's point of view):
One man: Cat , fast enough
One woman: Roadrunner, very fast, but you can find a coyote.
Two men: Squirrel, not as fast as the cat, but OK.
One man and one woman: Hare, fast & safe, the best
Two women: Zebra, a little faster than the hare, but there might be hunters.
Three people: Elephant, very slow
Four or more people: Garden snail.
My best hitchhiking day: from Seville to Salamanca, Spain; eight hours, 4 different hikes, as a cat.
My worst hitchhiking day: from Perugia to Chianciano, Italy; around ten hours (with a meal stop at Siena), 2 different hikes, garden snail (2 boys, 2 girls).
It seems hitchhikers are now like pandas. Very slow and almost extinct.
Very clever.
Did you go to school in Salamanca? Next time I'm in Spain, that's where I'm heading.
No Piffka, I didn't studied in that famous University. At the time, I was a student in Italy. The trip was on a summer vacation.
The University of Salamanca was, for Spaniards, The University, until their Civil War.
There is a saying in Old Spanish that is really clever:
Lo que natura non da, Salamanca non presta.
What nature does not give, Salamanca does not lend.
fbaezer, Althouh my visit to Salamanca was many, many, years ago, I can still picture in my minds eye the Plaza Major. We stayed at the Gran Hotel, and we visited Catedral Nueva and Universidad Pontifica. Very interesting place. I wouldn't mind another visit. c.i.
I wonder what would be the best time to go?
Almost any time of year is good for Salamanca, because it's not a big tourist stop. c.i.
I think it is cold now... probably OK in the summer since it is in the mountains, I think.
It is cold now, but added clothing will take care of that. If you want to see an enormous fortress, also go visit Avila, not that far from Salamanca.
c.i.
I hitchhiked a fair amount but the strangest experience was when I agreed to drive two unrelated people from LA to New York in exchange for gas money. The girl was trying to get back to Holland and had one friend in New York City. She was hoping the address was still current.
We came across the GW bridge, down the West Side Highway. I got off about 96th street and turned down Broadway. The girl looked out the window, saw her friend walking on the street, and got out and met her friend.
There was also an experience when I was on Block Island, Rhode Island and looking for a boat to Montauk point. When I asked if there was such a boat people just pointed to a boat so I got on. No one asked for any fare. The group was strangely quiet but before we arrrived I picked up their story. It seems they all left Montauk that morning for a fishing trip and their boat had been rammed and sunk off of Block Island. They were taken aboard the other boat and put ashore. The boat I was on was their return trip home.
On another note "Into the Wild" is a good read about hitchhiking.
One time I was picked up on the highway between L.A. and San Diego by a Mexican in a very fine, very large auto. I climbed in the back, as he already had a passenger in front. The other rider was also Mexican. He and the driver were arguing and actually shouting at one another, all in Spanish. Abruptly, the car halted and the front seat passenger got out. I ended up on the front seat. The driver was friendly and I thought probably a nice guy. He said, "You are wondering how a Mexican can have a fine car like this." The thought had not occurred to me at all. He went on: "I play guitar with Trini Lopez. He pays me lots of money." Well, the ride went on like this until we got as far as the San Diego city line. Then I found out why he and the other fellow had been arguing. They had set out for L.A. but went in the wrong direction. I got out right there and the angry cursing musician turned around and sped off toward L.A.
i can play them all edgar, dylan, but you have to do the singing.....got me?
i'll get the axe out, you sing.....give me a minute or two to tune it.
(cough cough) Well, here goes:
Itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout
Along came the farmer and chopped the spider up
Down came the rain and washed the gore away
And the itsy bitsy spider was never seen again
I thought of another sort-of hitching experience. When my S.O. and I were on our way to Europe once we decided to take the train across country and fly on the cheap NYC flights to London. Our train dropped us off in a very scary section of Newark, NJ, with groups of guys hanging outside of small bars who acted like they couldn't understand us, broken up windows, barred doors and derelict cars.
We were on foot, there were no cabs, his arm was in a cast and we were carrying heavy packs. As I wondered if we could get out of there unscathed... an dusty old blue car pulled up out of nowhere.
There were two older ladies <schoolteachers they said> in the front seat who peered at us. Then they asked where we were going. I hesitated, having sort of vowed not to hitch any more rides... but got in. The ride took about an hour. They didn't accept any gas money and waved goodbye as we walked up the door to my sister's house.
Hitchhikers are a rare sight today. When I was an enlisted man in the US Air Force, I used to hitchhike all the time, because I was too poor to buy a car. One time, I hitchhiked from Travis AFB in Fairfield to San Mateo where my girlfriend lived. I had two guys driving a Cadillac give me a ride. One guy was a airline pilot, and I forget what the other guy did. Some years later, when I drove from Chicago to Sacramento, I picked up a Marine, and he helped me drive most of the way. c.i.
On the road one day, as I approached Las Cruces, a carload of high school girls picked me up. They told me that some guys from Las Cruces were making a habit of picking up hickers and beating them half to death. They were getting me out of harm's way. I wish I knew where there angels live today so that I could thank them all over again.
