I know, I have been very lax at updating the site lately.  After getting out of Lebanon, I spent 6 days in Syria, mostly around Damascus, and also made a very interesting trip to the remote Syrian village of Salkhad in the Jebel Druze volcanic region.  Then I flew to Larnaca, Cyprus, to visit my former college roommate Ron Schlicher, the U.S. ambassador in Nicosia.  My friend Linda Simpson came down from London and we explored the beautiful Karpas penninsula in Northern Cyprus, and while staying at the U.S. Embassy met many interesting people.  Also hiked in the Troodos mountains and visited some beautiful homes belonging to a Cypriot friend, George.

Nows its time for OL Doinyo Lengai! I am now back in London and will go to Heathrow airport in a couple of hours for my flight to Nairobi, and then catch a shuttle service to Arusha, Tanzania.  Latest news from Lengai indicates low activity, although several reports and photos in May indicated that small ash puffs were still coming from the new cone.  The most recent photos made from the air make it appear that the interior crater walls are more undercut than before, making me wonder if some of the ash puffs might actually be the result of some collapse events within the cone.  If this is the case then the cone is becoming unstable and could be at risk for a major collapse.  Climbing the cone is probably unsafe.