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HISTORY OF BIG SUR COAST

  A new dawn:              Locals had long called for a road along the coast to aid shipwreck victims and improve access to isolated communities.  Construction started in 1919, and 18 years, 32 tonnes of dynamite and 33 bridges later, the Big Sur stretch of California Highway One was complete.               The implausible route, with its myriad twists and turns and dramatic drop-offs, became an instant classic.  The author and painter Henry Miller fled to Big Sur in 1944 and stayed for nearly two decades.  Photographer Edward Weston and Beat Generation bard Jack Kerouac fell under its spell.  By the late 1960’s San Francisco’s counterculture revolution had swept down to Big Sur, and the likes of Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell performed on the cliff tops.              ...
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ANGKOR WAT

 The pride of Angkor Wat:

Angkor Wat


                         Striking bas-reliefs embellish almost every surface within the main temple – walls, columns, lintels, roofs and, most stunning of all, the inner wall of the second enclosure, where a bas-relief frieze stretchers for half a mile (0.8 km) around the perimeter.

                          Most of the bas-reliefs date back to the 12th century, with some later additions.  Intended to be instructional, they depict heroic scenes from the great Hindu epics of the Ramayana and Mahabharata.  Here, mighty battles rage between demons and gods; Vishnu rides a great mythical bird, the garuda, and slays demon enemies as they approach him on all sides; and the legendary Battle of Lanka is told in a series of beautifully carved scenes, complete with monkeys, monsters and giants.

                          Elsewhere in this remarkable gallery, rewards and punishments are dealt out in the 37 heavens and 32 hells of Indian traditions.  In the southwest section are historical scenes from the reign of Suryavarman II, including one of him on an elephant, leading his army in a triumphal battle march, fanned by his faithful servants and shaded by 15 umbrellas. 

                          Most striking of all is a large frieze illustrating the legend of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, in which gods and devils battle for possession of the elixir of eternal life.  In the middle of the frieze, a snake is coiled around Mount Mandara.  On one side of the mountain, a team of 88 devils tugs at the snake’s head, and on the other side a team of 92 gods pulls at its tail, with Vishnu urging them on.  According to the legend, the two teams took it in turns to pull on the snake.  This action rotated the mountain back and forth, churning up the ocean so that it eventually releases the precious elixir, which the gods drank, securing their immorality.

                            The gods may have been charmed by the beautiful apsaras singing and dancing all around them.  These graceful, heavenly nymphs are among the most endearing characters adorning the walls and pillars of Angkor Wat, alongside female temple guardians, or devatas, which are always shown motionless.  Conservative estimates mention 2,000 such exquisite characters, displaying a range of hairstyles, garments, jewellery and flowers, all attractive, sensuous and often associated with fertility rites.
Location: Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia

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