#13: [05-Oct-18]

#11: [24-Oct-13]

#10: [31-Mar-13]

#9: [13-May-11]

#8: [08-Feb-09]

#7: [04-Nov-08]

#6: [03-Jul-07]

#5: [24-Jun-07]

#4: [01-Sep-06]

#3: [28-May-06]

#2: [11-Dec-02]

28-Apr-1999 -- Since I first visited this web site, I've loved the concept of visiting confluence points. Indeed, I like to imagine myself, years in the future, as the Marlin Perkins of Confluence Points - traveling to exotic lands and harsh terrain simply to stand on integer intersections of latitude and longitude. My dream came one step closer to reality when I was invited to speak at a conference being held on the island nation of Cyprus.

Cyprus is in the Mediterranean Sea just south of Turkey and west of Syria. When I discovered that Cyprus has a confluence point close to a reasonably large city, Agia Napa, I knew that I had to go there.

There were some challenges to overcome, however. First of all, the conference was in Limassol, one hundred kilometers to the west. That meant renting a car and driving it by myself, British-style. The steering wheel is on the right (photo #2) and the car is driven on the left side of the road. Although I had never done this before, I resolved to try in the name of all things confluent!

The second challenge was political. Cyprus has been a divided country since 1974, when the Turks invaded the northern part of the island. The Greek Cypriots live in the south, the Turks occupy the north, and a U.N. controlled buffer zone goes through the middle. While the confluence point was five miles south of the buffer zone, I did have to pass through a British base (no photos allowed), complete with razor wire lining the roadway and security checkpoints.

The drive turned out to be relatively easy. My biggest problem was that whenever I wanted to signal a turn, I ended up turning on the windshield wipers (the controls were reversed). According to my internet-provided maps, the confluence point itself was very close to the intersection of the road to Agia Napa with the road to Xylofagu.

I turned on the GPS receiver (marveling at the technology enabling the determination of one's position anywhere in the whole world) and realized that the point would be just off the road. I got out of the car and started doing the "confluence dance," attempting to locate the point where the GPS receiver indicated the exact spot to within a hundredth of a minute. Some Cypriot workers began eyeing me suspiciously. There is a war on, after all. I could be a Turkish spy! Trying to maintain a low profile, I was so excited to visit the first confluence point outside the U.S. (and the first in the Eastern hemisphere as well!), my hands were shaking as I photographed the GPS evidence (photo #3).

As it turns out, the confluence is on an empty lot in the middle of a brand new housing development (photo #1). For the second time, I had discovered a confluence point which was for sale (see also 42N, 72W)! I asked a Cypriot co-worker of mine to translate the sign on the lot (photo #4). It says "For Sale. Two Story Homes." along with the name of the builder. I pondered buying the property (a good investment, I'm told -- wealthy Europeans and Russians are snatching up land there like crazy). If I did, I would erect a huge sculpture inside the house at the exact confluence position. With a view like this (photo #5) from my backyard, maybe it's not such a wacky idea!

There is another confluence point on Cyprus, also south of the buffer zone, but it is in the mountains and it was getting late, so I returned to Limassol to prepare for my talk the next day.