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the Degree Confluence Project
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Malaysia

1.9 km (1.2 miles) N of Kampong Gual Batu, Kelantan, Malaysia
Approx. altitude: 10 m (32 ft)
([?] maps: Google MapQuest OpenStreetMap ConfluenceNavigator)
Antipode: 6°S 78°W

Accuracy: 7 m (22 ft)
Quality: good

Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

#2: View to the South #3: View to the West #4: View to the North #5: View to the East #6: GPS Reading #7: Ground Zero #8: The Confluence Hunter #9: Swamp and Rubbish #10: Sapodilla Fruit near Confluence

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  6°N 102°E (visit #3)  

#1: The Confluence from 15 m

(visited by Rainer Mautz)

09-Feb-2013 -- This confluence visit is the fifth out of a series of 15 visits in Malaysia and Thailand. The previous confluence is 5°N 103°E. It is in turn part of a 4-month bicycle trip starting in Tasmania at 43°S 146°E.

The Thai Provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani had a travel warning due to bomb attacks and were running under emergency legislation. So I originally planned to circumnavigate these provinces by crossing over to the west coast. When I asked locals about the safety conditions in those areas, I got diverse answers. In this conflict, tourists were not a target and when I read that no tourists had been involved yet, I decided to go. In this case, I not only got an additional adventure but I also shorted the route by 200 km and, last but not least found this confluence point to be located just 350 m from my route.

In the morning of confluence day, I started in the town Jerteh (70 km from CP) at 7:15 AM and reached the minimal distance of 350 m to the confluence from national road no.3 at 11:30 AM. From there, an asphalt street directly leads to the confluence point through the Kampong Tasek Kedotak. This street is quite busy with people and shops, but gets a little quiet at the confluence point. The street misses the confluence by only 7 meters. It looked like that the confluence would be in a banana plantation, but there is only one row of banana trees. The confluence is behind those banana trees down in a swamp. I was able to climb down and get within 1 meter to the exact location. In order to get all-zeros-reading I would have needed rubber boots. The swamp is used as a rubbish dump and the water has become a hypoxic dead zone. The colorful water surface suggests that oil was among the dumped waste. Already ten years ago, this confluence has been a place for dumping stuff, as can be concluded from previous visits. On the other side of the street, there are residential areas. The only - very little - highlight was the sapodilla fruit.

After the documentation I cycled the remaining 5 km to the border and crossed into Thailand.

CP Visit Details:

  • Distance to an asphalt road: 7 m
  • Distance to a track: 7 m
  • Distance of bicycle parking: 15 m
  • Time to reach CP from bicycle parking: 1 minute
  • Time at CP: 11:30 AM
  • Measured height: 18 m
  • Minimal distance according to GPS: 1 m
  • Position accuracy: 6 m
  • Topography: flat
  • Vegetation: swamp with dense undergrowth, nearby banana trees
  • Weather: partly cloudy, 34° C (felt temperature)
  • Given Name: The Dumpy Swamp Confluence

More pictures of the trip can found at mautz.net.

The story continues is at 8°N 100°E.


 All pictures
#1: The Confluence from 15 m
#2: View to the South
#3: View to the West
#4: View to the North
#5: View to the East
#6: GPS Reading
#7: Ground Zero
#8: The Confluence Hunter
#9: Swamp and Rubbish
#10: Sapodilla Fruit near Confluence
ALL: All pictures on one page