1st November: Chengdu, China
For the first time in what seems like weeks, I had an even temperature night! No fever, sweating, shivering. I was just comfortable. We headed off early again to the train station as we’re keen to get our major sightseeing done here in Chengdu before the weekend. It was very hazy again, which is synonymous with much of China at this time of year.
On the 45 minutes train journey south to Leshan, it really hit me. This is the south! It feels like the hinterlands of southeast Asia rather than those of Mongolia as it did just a couple of hundred kilometres to the north. I was stuck on the aisle seat of three, so no photos unfortunately but there were incredible hazy early morning views over a flat but florally energetic landscape. Entangled foliage sprung up between dwellings, industrial skyline, and agriculture. This is now a landscape of rice rather than corn. Soon, tea plantations! I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen them, or maybe once in the cloud forests of Iran? I think this was my favourite set of train views so far.
Arriving at Leshan, I expected a moderately sized town but really should know better by now! Wide boulevards and tower blocks were visible in all directions. A quick search suggests it has a population of 3.1 million or around 24 Exeters! We couldn’t figure out the buses, so got a cheap taxi the 25 minutes or so across the river instead. After walking another couple of kilometres down river, we paid and entered the Leshan Giant Buddha complex. I’d assumed we’d come in from the top, but in fact we had plenty of stairs to negotiate. Suddenly, when we thought we were only a quarter of the way up, the head of the Buddha appeared right in front of us! The largest stone Buddha in the world at 71 metres in height sat cut into the cliff face, as it has done for more than 1,200 years old. It was carved to protect sailors in the turbulent waters at the confluence of two rivers. The strong and dangerous currents were very much still apparent as tourist boats fought their way very slowly up stream and water rushed against the base of the cliffs.
We set off on the walk down to the base of the Buddha. Unfortunately, the path right beside the statue was closed but our alternative was still precipitous down the cliff! In busy times, this can apparently take 3 hours, but it was about 20 minutes for us. The foliage on the way down again took us by surprise as lush chines of towering ferns and palms were entirely covered at ground level by trailing shrubbery and mosses. A moth the size of a small bird flew by! Neither of us have been to the tropics, so this little taster was incredibly exciting. From the base, the true scale of the sitting Maitreya Buddha was apparent. Each toe is far larger than a person! You can feel the calming aesthetic aimed at balancing the erratic waters.
Being a site of Buddhist worship, there were vegetarian cafes, and we had a simple buffet.
Before carrying on, we took another look at the Buddha from above. At this point, things took a surreal turn as I was accosted by a group of Tibetan Monks for photos! Seven different monks posed for photos with me, one after another, before I had really realised what was going on. Eventually, I was able to have a chat with one called Kenji who explained that they were on a trip from Tibet, although the exact place name escapes me. I’m still not entirely sure why they all wanted to pose with me, although it made me chuckle and smile! Next, we came across hundreds of kids on school trips who all, without fail, first shouted bái rén (white people) and then a second later waved and shouted hello, wanting us to respond and bursting into giggles when we did. I love saying hello back, but it’s impossible to individually do so to everyone in such a big group! We needed to find a quiet area, but luckily, this site has plenty. First, we climbed up to a gorgeous temple. The decoration on the building and the various buddhas was sublime and peaceful. A local monk in bright yellow dress greeted us in the final hall containing a large golden seated Gautama Buddha. A separate but attached attraction are a further set of Buddhist carvings and we realised we had time for this before our train back. This was much quieter but utterly extraordinary! The site is much more modern, and the commercial nature has attracted mixed reactions from traditional Buddhist scholars. However, there is no doubt that such sculptures looming inside giant caves are a moving sight.
