#2: [07-Mar-21]

02-Sep-2002 -- Continued from 30S 29E.

After our unplanned overnight stay in Kokstad, we decide to save time and visit the Confluence at 31S 29E on the way to our final destination at Mkambati. This took us through Mount Frere and onto the dirt road to Thabankulu and Flagstaff. The Confluence is about 400 meters off this road and easily reached down a grass slope. The Transkei roads are infamous for bad drivers and animals and pedestrians on the road. The hill side above the Confluence is littered with old car and bus wrecks.

While we were down at the Confluence, a Mr Templeton, a Xhosa, arrived and wanted to know what we were doing, as it was his cattle grazing in the area. He had worked in the mines as a young man and was now retired. He at first thought we might be planning to steal his cattle. After explaining that we were looking for a crossing of latitude and longitude lines, he wanted to know what then? "We take photos" we replied. Then he wanted to know what we were going to do with the photos. We explained that the photos would be published on the Internet. "What then?" was his next question. "People all over the world can look at them" we replied. "What then?" he persisted. "Nothing" was all we could come up with.

After visiting the point, we travelled through probably one of the most beautiful parts of the Transkei, crossing the Mzimvubu and Mzimhlava rivers through spectacular gorges and indigenous forest.

Continued at 31S 30E.