A rude awakening - at 5 am a road train comes roaring into life.
Many others follow, through what I thought was a quiet side street.
We're on our way to a National Park. It's one-and-a-half days drive from the coast.
Imagine sitting in a conflicted land, surrounded by war - and finding inner peace.
It's possible.
A reader of these emails has done just that - in Israel.
1 km from the border of Syria and 100 m to the border of Lebanon he is experiencing the most peaceful days.
He writes:
Caught up with an old friend.
Had a bit of a rocky start. Our personalities clashed.
Some things I did - did not work for her. Her response - did not work for me.
Discipline is not one of my strengths. Never was.
But in my late 50s I'm actually getting to value it.
No doubt my life has been pretty 'free' so far. I had 'freedom of choice' as well as the freedom to 'go with the flow' - and fully intend to continue that way.