Leshan

Giant Buddha statue carved from the cliff.

The city of Leshan, south of Chengdu, host the world largest Buddha stone statue in the world. Carved in the cliffs of the Minjiang river, the Buddha sits peacefully. It's size is awe inspiring and the fact that it was constructed more than 1200 years ago makes it even more impressive.
To go there, I took the first bullet train from Chengdu to Leshan (booked the day before). It was too early for the subway and I had to take a taxi to the train station. After taking a bus from the Leshan train station, I arrived at the Buddha just for the opening. It wasn't too crowded and the air was still cool. I had plenty of time to admire the statue. After that, I walked in the park, where they have tombs and temples. To go back to Chengdu, I took a bus from the terminal next to the train station. It was a perfect day trip from Chengdu.

Stairs leading to an old abandoned house.


A dying caterpillar dangling from its thread. Mold was growing on its back.


The Chinese giant salamander. It's an endangered species protected by Chinese law, but it wasn't stopping the local restaurant from offering them as meal. I saw four of them kept in those small buckets in front of eateries in Leshan.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Finish

Image
My itinerary. Starting from Bali, I stopped using airplanes. After nine month of travel I am finally home in Switzerland. I left February 9th 2018 and came back November 2nd 2018 . I found my apartment like I left it. A thin layer of dust had settled down on the floor. A few shops had changed in my city of Bienne, but like every winter the mist was already here. I was happy to see my family and friends again. Now is time for me to put away my backpack and search for a new job. Before I leave this blog, here are some numbers that might be interesting if somebody wants to do a similar trip. While I wanted to go from New Zealand to Switzerland without airplanes, in the end I decided to use airplanes between New Zealand - Australia - Indonesia. There was 3 boat options: 1. taking a cruise, but it was out of my budget, 2. boarding a cargo ship, but it was also expensive and would have taken a few more months to cross Oceania, 3. find a private ship owner that let you work for t...
Read more

Hanoi

Image
View from the Lotte center. Last stop in Vietnam : Hanoi ! I stayed in the old quarter where the streets are always busy. Scooters, eateries, shops, everything happens on the street. You never get bored, but you also need to stay wary. The traffic is hectic. In comparison to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi feel more "communist". Grand avenue, bulky concrete buildings, statues to the glory of past leaders. Two of the place I found very interesting were the Hỏa Lò prison and the Ho Chi Minh museum. They were heavy on propaganda, because they would tell only one side of the story. The prison was built by the French, but then used by the Vietnamese to hold the captured american pilots. It is now a museum. During the French era you can see the horrible conditions in which the prisoners had to live. Strangely only the french guards are blamed, but most of the pictures show Vietnamese guards that were working with the colonial government. During the Vietnamese era, only good thing...
Read more

Byron Bay, the hippie town

Image
Surfers From Sydney I took the night bus to Byron Bay. This part of the east coast has only one bus option and it's the night one. Prepare some warm clothes because the air conditioning can be quite strong. After 12:45 hours I arrived in this small town near the sea. It has amazing beaches and a hippie vibe. The main activities are swimming, surfing and strolling along the beach. One good walk is to go all the way up to the lighthouse. I stayed in a hostel called Arts Factory Lodge . It's a bite outside of town and looks like a small hippie village (even more than Byron Bay itself). Don't expect a nice and quiet place. It's raucous, dirty and crowded, but it's a worthwhile experience. Tip: avoid the kitchen. It's more a battlefield than a cooking place. View from the lighthouse. Water pool at low tide. Cormorant
Read more