The Golan Heights

The Golan Heights was our 4th stop. As we drove along the roadside between the borders of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, we saw land- mines, guard towers, barbed-wire fences and bunkers. On the road we saw active soldiers with their tanks. They appeared to be just "hanging out" but I am sure they were ready for anything. We saw soldiers everywhere on this trip. Needless to say, we always felt safe.

We continued our drive until we got to a deserted bunker site which I do not remember the name of. We were able to climb down into the bunker. It was dark and cold. I cannot imagine living there. It was like walking into a metal ribcage. In the picture you can see light glowing from the end of one of the passageways.

We saw bunks and tables where they ate. Basically, it was a muddy mess. On top were places were they set up to fire guns. Not very technical language, but I don't know what they call those posts. Did you know that every house built in Israel has to have a bunker? We saw bunkers along roadsides and caves nestled into the hillsides where the "bad guys" would hide and fire down on the road below. Depending on who was in control of the area at the time, the names of the enemy changed. This was a fascinating place.

At the end of the day we stopped at a playground park that featured old army tanks to play on! Needless to say, we all piled off the bus and ran for the equipment. We climbed inside the tanks and hung from the long gun thingy. It was a lighter side to the very seriousness of survival for the Israeli citizens. I emailed this picture to my Y trainer so he would have proof that I did "some" exercise while on the trip :)