Firstly, I've noticed I've had my first few visitors. Welcome. Send me an email if you think I need to make my life (or my postings) more entertaining.

I am currently travelling through the Golan and Galil areas of Israel (the North) and have stopped off in Tiberias on the Kineret. It is hot and humid here making for lots of sweat and short tempers.

On Friday morning I was at the Banyas springs (one of the Jordan river's contributors). It was beautiful but the serenity was interrupted by gun fire. Really loud gunfire. It was so loud, I thought artillery may be landing near the park. I don't often get scared, but I was at that point. Later in the day the BBC World news (the only English news feed I could get) reported that Israel had shelled Hezbolah positions after they attacked a border outpost near Sheeba farms area in the Golan. Some of the artillery must have been within a kilometer of Banyas. I had no idea it was so loud - and that was the firing end.