He recruited four Norwegian and one Swedish crew and built the raft. But he was determined to prove the theory himself.
His thesis wasn’t accepted by any universities. So, what was the Kon-Tiki expedition?Ĭombining his experience in Fatu Hiva in Polynesia and the legend of Kon-Tiki (a sun god in Peru), Heyerdahl believed that people from South America could have settled Polynesia in the Pre-Columbian period, a contrast to the belief that Polynesia was largely settled from west to east from the Asian mainland. The real life story is even more dramatic than something from movies. This fragile-looking wood raft sailed 6,900 kilometers (4,300 miles) over 101 days in the Pacific Ocean. It was almost surreal to see the actual raft in front of me after imagining the expedition while reading the book.
The main exhibition of the museum is the Kon-Tiki raft. The Kon-Tiki Museum houses the original Kon-Tiki, the raft made with only the materials and technologies available to those people at the time, such as balsa wood, hemp ropes, and bamboo. After getting inspired by their adventurous spirit, it’s time to go see the real thing. If you are not familiar with the Kon-Tiki expedition and Thor Heyerdahl, I recommend starting by watching the 10-min film in the cinema room downstairs.
The Kon-Tiki Museum is rather small, but every corner of the museum contains the history that changed the way we understand our world. You never know which dream will come true the next day. Halfway around the world, I found myself in the mothership of Thor Heyerdahl’s life work. One year later in Oslo, I stood in front of a small building that said ‘The Kon-Tiki Museum’. After reading Aku-Aku and Easter Island: the Mystery Solved, I moved on to The Kon-Tiki Expedition to understand the beginning of his expedition history. His pure curiosity, determination, and gentle nature to the native people should be the inspiration of modern day exploration. After visiting Easter Island, I experienced the climax of Thor Heyerdahl’s expedition first hand, listening stories from the local people, seeing his photographs, and participating local traditions like he did. My mild obsession that started one year ago burst into flames again. When I found out my flight route was going to Oslo, the first thing I thought was “Kon-Tiki!”. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Email The Kon-Tiki Museum was full of adventure and inspiration
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