#2: [14-May-09]

#1: [31-Aug-02]

21-Nov-2014 -- This is the 6^th out of 8 reports, describing confluence visits in South Africa, Swaziland, and Lesotho. The previous report is 27°S 31°E. The story starts at 26°S 29°E.

We started in the late morning in the Ts’ehlanyane National Park, which is about 80 km north-east of the confluence point. On our way, we saw the famous dinosaur footprints in the village Tsikoane near the town of Leribe. The three-toed dinosaur footprints must have filled with a weather-resistant material, which we still can see now, while the original ground where the dinosaur was walking in, is already weathered.

At the town Maputsoe, we left the main road and turned into a 20 km long side road. Half way, we came into a police control. The officer asked us where we want to go. This was a difficult question. I hesitated to explain him the Degree Confluence Project. Suddenly the police officer got serious – ‘if you can’t tell me the place name where you want to go, I won’t let you go’. Were we about losing this confluence point? But then I remembered that the village at the Confluence had a strange name – yes – it was ‘corn exchange’. When I told the police officer this village name, he became happy again and let us continue.

Our navigation device seemed to be based on old maps. The voice told us to turn where there was no road. When this happened repeatedly, we turned it off and found our own route to the Confluence.

We found the Confluence in a scattered housing area right at the foothills of a table mountain. A track comes as close at 35 m to the point. The Confluence is located a couple meters into a little field – now growing young grass-like plants. There is a row of peach trees nearby. To the North, a new house is being constructed (ca. 40 m from the Confluence). The roofers let us document the Confluence without taking too much notice of us.

On our way to Maseru, we visited a wavering house, were beautiful carpets are wavered manually.

CP Visit Details:

• Distance to a road: 1500 m
• Distance to a track: 35 m
• Distance of car parking: 35 m
• Time to reach the CP from the car: 1 minute
• Time at the CP: 1:12 PM
• Measured height: 1671 m
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
• Position accuracy: 5 m
• Topography: hilly, on the foot of a table mountain
• Vegetation: young seeds, a row of peach trees
• Weather: sunny, 27° C (felt temperature)
• Given Name: The Corn Exchange Confluence

More pictures about our trip can be found here. The story continues at 29°S 27°E.