#2: [11-Jun-04]

08-Dec-2003 -- This confluence point is situated in the Kipengere range of mountains, east of Mbeya, close to the settlement of Matamba. Matamba lies on the plateau over 2000 m above sea level, and is accessed by a steep winding pass, which climbs over a 1000 m from the Usangu plains below. The plains were hot, dry and dusty in contrast to the cooler climate on top of the plateau.

From Matamba we found a road leading to a mission station we had spotted from higher in the mountains. We wanted to go to the mission to refill our water containers - running water in even the major towns is not easy to find, and mostly it's not potable in any case. However, usually the mission stations have good water. After filling the containers we found another small track towards the confluence point, and managed to park within 250 m of it. However, it was down a steep slope, across a stream, in a cultivated field. Most of the area is cultivated in some way: cassava, maize, beans or ground nuts.

The only people I encountered on the walk towards the confluence point were a woman and two young girls, all of them carrying bundles of wood on their head back up the hill. They must have been quite perplexed to see a Msungu (the local term for Caucasian) with an electronic device in his hand clambering around their fields.