Ugly black mark inflicted by hoodlums on the highway to Maale Adumim.
Shabbat, and highway hoodlums.
I came in to Superstudio to do some work today, even though it's the weekend here. Several other people from my team were there. I worked until 6PM, then offered to drive Zeev home. We decided to get something to eat first, so we dropped the car off at the hotel and walked to the city center. There was almost no traffic, by the way, because of Shabbat.
Zeev needed to get money, so we walked to an ATM and then over to a restaurant, where I ordered Chicken Kashmir. Over dinner, Zeev told me all about Shabbat and what is and isn't allowed. Some of the things you are not allowed to do on Shabbat are:
In the hotel, for example there is a special "Shabbat elevator" which automatically stops at every floor, so you don't have to push any buttons. Zeev said he had a friend whose credit card was stolen during Shabbat, but he couldn't call to report it until the next day because of he wasn't allowed to use the phone.
I must admit though, it's nice and peaceful in the city during the Shabbat.
A debate is currently taking place because some people would like to close some of the streets in the city during the Shabbat, but others oppose the idea.
After dinner, I drove Zeev out to his house at a settlement in Maale Adumim. We passed several roads were he said, "Make sure you don't turn here", because they led to some Arab settlements where it was dangerous to go. Apparently the Arabs are mad because the Israelis build houses in areas that the Arabs claim as their own, and thus gradually expand into the territory.
On the way, I got into the passing lane to go around another car that was going a little slow up a hill. Then another car approached from behind and got right up on my bumper. As I passed the slower car and drifted back into the right lane, the car behind me grazed the back bumper, pushing us forward a bit, and leaving a black rubber mark on the white rental car.
Now I have to figure how to get it off before I return the car. I don't think just soap and water will do. Anybody got any ideas? At the moment, I'm considering preparing the surface with the small patch of sandpaper from my satchel (see packing list from The Night Before), and painting over the area with white gloss spray paint.