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FRI. 10/06/2000

Traveling to Van

Today was a travel day.  We spent the better part of 5 hours driving through beautiful, mostly empty terrain. There was one historical site to see along the way - this bridge, called Malabadi Bridge.   We were told the center portion dates from Roman times.

This is Lake Van, the largest lake in Turkey.

While driving along the lake we came upon some workers using a tractor to load an ox-drawn cart.  Notice the rope underneath the cart; it's attached to a weight that drags along the ground, using friction to slow the cart down as it goes down hill.

When we made it to Van, just before sunset, we were greeted by this giant gold-colored cat outside our hotel.  Van is famous for its white cats, with one blue eye and one green eye.  There's now a shortage of the cats, and the local university is breeding them to help strengthen the cat population.

But we have to admit that after all, long drives make us all a bit goofy...