A RAMSHACKLE bridge stretched above a tiny lake with clear water. A middle-aged woman wearing a red sarong squatted by the small quay. She scooped up some water from the lake to wash her face. Occasionally tomang and gabus fish would splash out of the water.

People call it the Jambi River, all that is left of the ancient canals surrounding the Muara Jambi site. Its bed was overrun by wet vegetation, though in several deep spots, the local people