Israel is Closed

A-Minus: 2 Weeks

Last night I disassembled my bike. Today I brought it to the box store and the clerk helped me select and modify some boxes. I used to have an ebay business, but it never really took off, and all I have left is the bubble wrap. So I took the last of the bubble wrap and stuffed it in to protect the bike, and shipped it off. Cost me $100 total to ship with UPS, but it's a $300 bike. I shipped it to my parents' house figuring I can reassemble it there and then I'll have some fun mountain biking. Hard to believe it costs more to ship a bike as it does to actually fly up there myself.

Then I went to the post office, mailed some other things on long-term loan back to their owners. The Philipino clerk remembered me from all fo my previous visits.
"You're still here? I thought you were going to Israel."
"Two weeks."
"Is your family there safe?"
"Seem to be. Most of them don't live up north."

I've been putting together another shipment of books for an M-Bag and was curious how expensive it is to ship 60 pounds, so the clerk punched it up on her computer.

She pointed to the screen.

Weight: 60 lb.
Airmail: $0.00
Parcel Post: $0.00
Surface Mail: $0.00

"You can't ship mail to Israel. It's closed."
Like, the whole country is closed.
"Mabye you can send it to one of the neighboring countries and then go and pick it up," she advised.
"The neighboring countries are the reason the mail has stopped going to Israel in the first place. I don't think they would be too happy to see me."

I'm thinking maybe I can leave the mail with friends here, and then have them ship it when the situation calms down. Whenever that might be.