Koukou, Chad

Mata Rangi

A fascinating and somewhat surreal event. The explorer Kitin Muñoz and a group of Aimara Indians have set up camp on the beach at the base of the luxurious Hotel Arts in the Olympic Port. They have begun work there on the 'Mata Rangi', a 20-metre boat made entirely out of bamboo and rushes. The plan is to finish the craft by October 15 and then set sail for the Americas, following Columbus' route. The project is sponsored in part by National Geographic and the work site includes a detailed exhibition of other voyages made in similar craft, most notably by the explorer Thor Heyerdahl.

Angkor

Sounds expensive No, not really. The revenue from the admission fees is crucial to the conservation of Angkor and the up-keep of the sites. The site only seems expensive when compared to everything else, but if you consider how poor Cambodians are then it seems unreasonable to complain. And what does it all mean? The temples can only be appreciated when one realizes that these temples are architectural representations of a particularly Khmer cosmology. Angkor Wat, for example, was consecrated to Vishnu. The walls signify the earth, while the moats, canals and reservoirs convey the oceans. The reliefs depict scenes from Hindu epics. And did the gods appreciate all this? They're not on record but we know that the complex emptied the imperial coffers and that the empire was eventually consumed by the Thais. Any final words? Be warned that you should take government claims about the area being de-mined with a large grain of salt. Stay on well-trodden paths, and do not remover any stone fragments from the temples-that really will make you one of the bad guys. Angkor moment: Sunlight spilling over the majestic stone towers as you realize that you are witnessing something awesome, noble, and humbling.