Have you missed me?

I cannot believe it has been nearly an entire month since I wrote last. I do have a couple of excuses but now it is time to rectify that situation.

One thing I have found fascinating that I keep forgetting to mention is public transit here. There are many people that ride the bus each and every day. And there are just as many that ride the ferries from one part of the island to another. We were told when we first got here that seniors get a major discount to use mass transit. Only problem is we are too young!  You have to be 65 but then there is a great discount if you take advantage of it.

The thing that I think is great is that at each motorway (freeway) exit there is a big bus station. They all have huge parking areas. The terminal, if you call it that, is covered so you don't get wet waiting outside. There is a covered bridge that goes across the motorway because the station is only on one side of the road but buses go both directions from the one station.  The neat thing is, when the bus leaves that one terminal it has its own road to travel to the next station. They do not even get on the motorway.  They are never in traffic jams!

I know it is a bit different when you cross the harbor bridge but it is still so much faster than driving a car here. And they really don't want you to use your own personal car. The environment is sacred to them in a totally different way than it is in the states. That is a topic for another post I think though. At the office we have very limited parking. There are maybe 22 spaces under ground. We are one of three senior couples that has a space. There are less than 20 spaces above ground. There is always discussion on who gets a space and who gets to use your space if you are not there. The one sure fired way to have a space is to carpool. If there are four in a car they will have a space for sure.