Dear Dorians, Welcome to the Tel Dor Excavation Project!! Below You Can Find Some General Information That Will Help You Prepare
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May 2011 Information Page Dear Dorians, Welcome to the Tel Dor excavation project!! Below you can find some general information that will help you prepare your trip to Tel Dor. At all times (before and during the season) remember that the Israeli/American staff will be happy to assist you with any problems or questions you might have. Arrival at Ben-Gurion Airport: At passport control you will be asked for the purpose of your trip to Israel. The answer is "tourism". You will be staying at Kfar Galim during your stay, a boarding school just south of Haifa. After you have collected your luggage and entered the arrivals hall you will have the opportunity to change your money and/or traveler's checks into shekels. The exchange rate is around 3.4 Israeli shekels (NIS) to US dollar, the rates at the airport do not necessarily represent the best exchange rate and it changes daily. Alternatively there are ATM machines that accept MasterCard and Visa. (The nearest banks to Kfar Galim are in Haifa, just a few km away). Travelling from the Airport to Dor 1) We have contacted several taxi companies that can wait in the airport and drive participants to the boarding school. Please book ahead of time and specify how many will travel and confirm the price again. The list of taxis and their price-list is below. ** Recommended to go to the Tel Dor Facebook page to meet new friends& organize to travel together (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tel- Dor/190529644268 ) 2) Regular airport taxis are also available on level G of terminal 3 (Arrivals/Departures Terminal). Prices range depending on time and day of the week (weekends and nights are pricier). If you take a regular taxi make sure you agree upon the rate beforehand. You can find a map below with directions to the boarding school from the airport. 3) The Ben-Gurion Airport Line of the Israel Railway Company has a line that runs from the airport (ticket- booth is located next to the arrivals-hall of terminal 3) to Haifa Hof Ha-Karmel (Razi'el) Station (about 3 km from Kfar Galim). This line costs 38.5 NIS (about $11) and the timetable for June 28th is located at the end of this document. Alternatively you can download the railway company schedule from the web site: http://www.rail.co.il/EN/Pages/HomePage.aspx. This is a very convenient and fast way to get to Haifa (journey takes approximately 1hr 15 min). From the train station you can take a taxi that can be found outside the train station and should cost $5-10, depending on time of the day. If you arrive at night, make sure you have trains running at the time you arrive (but basically they run all night, though not frequently). Do remember that trains do not run from Friday early afternoon until Saturday evening because of Shabbat. 4) If you drive to Kfar Galim with a rented car, you should proceed from the airport in the general direction of Haifa (see map below). Follow the signs from the airport to Highway number 1, to Haifa and Tel Aviv. After driving through Tel Aviv on the Highway you should turn off to Highway number 2 (follow the blue signs to Haifa). Keep on Highway 2 northwards for about 60 km. and take the exit to 'Atlit. At the first intersection turn left to Route 4. Continue north about 8 km. Turn left at Kfar Galim Junction, the gate is just off Route 4. Taxi Companies & Price-List Mr Zvika Keidar, Kibbutz Nahsholim Contact: +972 (0)522414700 or +972 (0) 523505157 Email: [email protected] From the airport to Kfar Galim, 4 places = 500 NIS From the airport to Kfar Galim, 10 places = 700 NIS From Kfar Galim to Tel Aviv, 4 places = 400 NIS From Kfar Galim to Jerusalem, 10 places = 800 NIS Day Trip for 10 people = 1,200 NIS Day Trip for 14 people = 1,500 NIS Day Trip for 20 people = 1,900 NIS Ha-Nadiv taxi Contact: Tel +972-(0)52-2419-350 & Fax +972-(0)4-6271-496 From the airport to Kfar Galim, 4 places = 500 NIS From the airport to Kfar Galim, 10 places = 700 NIS Local Taxi Company by Kfar Galim "Hehalutz Atid" Contact: +972 (0)4 8570570 From Kfar Galim to Haifa Mall (very close by): Small taxi (4 ppl) = 40 NIS; large taxi (10 ppl) = 50 NIS Kfar Galim to the Central Bus Station: Small taxi = 45 NIS; large taxi = 55 NIS Kfar Galim to Kibbutz Nahshloim (Tel Dor): Small taxi = 110NIS; large taxi =130 NIS (these prices do not include the 16% VAT) Check in: You should contact the Tel Dor staff office in Kfar Galim to receive your room key. The Office is centrally located and easily accessible. With a car/taxi you enter Kfar Galim and travel straight along the main road until it comes up to a Fence, at this point the road curves to the left and turns into a gravel road, continue along and take the second turning on the left- you will enter a gravel parking area- the Office is visible on the left with tables & chairs outside. Alternatively if you are coming by foot, follow the main road until you see on the right a large white building with a basketball court adjacent, at this point you will see to your left a nice wide footpath- take this until you come to the Office (on the right). If you arrive during night time (after 23:00-00:00) or during Tell working hours (June 29th onwards 04:00-13:30), please call our Emergency Number in advance and inform our staff member so that we can arrange to leave your key for you at Kfar Galim. Also please send your flight number and the time it is scheduled to land in Israel to the Tel Dor office in Jerusalem [email protected]. ** During orientation day (June 29th) we will travel to Tel Dor sometime in the early afternoon. Please note that if you arrive after we leave you will need to arrange your own transportation from Kfar Galim to Dor! Local transportation: Kfar Galim is located a few km. south of one of Haifa's shopping mall areas. There you can find restaurants, shops, ATMs and cinemas. The ride to this area is about five minutes. Busses run during the day every 5-10 minutes on route 4, going north to Haifa for about 7 NIS . Bus stops are close to the school entrance on Route 4. Additional destinations to the south, such as Tel Aviv, Hadera and Zhichron Ya'akov are also accessible with Route 4 busses. You can check schedules at the 'Egged lines' site: http://mslworld.egged.co.il/EggedTimeTable/WebForms/wfrmMain.aspx?width=1024&la nguage=en&company=1&state ** Remember that local busses and trains stop service on Friday afternoon till Saturday evening because of Shabbat. During nights and weekends there are private cabs running on main routs called 'sherut' cabs. These cabs leave Tel Aviv/Haifa only when they are in full occupancy, with no pre-planned schedules. You can wait for a ride for a very long time and even then the cab stops only if it has a vacancy. It is thus better to take regular, private, cabs during weekends and nights. If you share the ride with other people – this is not expensive. Laundry: Laundry service (washing and drying) will be available for extra charge. Each participant should have his/her own mesh laundry bag. The laundry will be washed inside the bag and will be returned after 2 to 3 days. Shopping: There are plenty of shops in Haifa and a mall located not far from Kfar Galim. Communications: The excavation will keep an emergency mobile phone. The number will be provided shortly before the field season and it will be manned from June 27th to August 5th , 24 hours a day, including weekends. PLEASE contact us at this number for ANY problem or question concerning safety issues or any other problem that may need immediate intervention by a staff member during the season. We highly recommend that each volunteer rent his/her personal mobile phone. They are moderately priced and can be useful if you get lost or if the folks back home want to get in touch with you in a hurry. You can register on-line at the company web-site www.talknsave.net/groups/tld.asp . Do note that no phone calls are allowed during work in the field, except on designated breaks, and, of course, in case of emergency. The cell phone company is willing to make two free deliveries to Kfar Galim during the season. After all reservations have been made we will inform you where and when you will receive your phone. As noted in the web site, special delivery is also available for an extra charge. Phones may be dropped off at the airport before you leave. There are no landline phones in the rooms. Internet connection: There is a Computer room with internet for the use of the Dor volunteers at Kfar Galim. There is also a wireless connection in the Tel Dor Office and it is possible to connect your personal laptop to the internet while sitting outside by the tables & chairs. Accommodation: Volunteers will stay in a dorm facility with bathroom for males/females on every floor. The bathrooms will be cleaned daily, and the rooms – once a week.