Right today was amazing. I have travelled by bus, coach, three wheeled powered electric taxi , and normal taxi and lots and lots of hill climbing up steps. I have been to see the Leshan Buddha and it was fabulous. Think about how great seeing the biggest Buddha could be...and it was just that!
I feel like I have been on a Buddhist Pilgramage with all the different kinds of transport I have been on today. I wish I could upload some photos , but I will try again with Dropbox tomorrow. ( I have found out that Dropbox isn't blocked here and works well for photos.). Katy sorry the guys are too busy to upload my photos to their emails tonight.
My transport was successful because I had everything written down in characters. Even though Chengdu is a city of 15 million it runs extremely efficiently and I have found out that Chengdu is known for its queuing. so waiting for a ticket at the bus station today was busy but easy and efficient. in fact almost stress free.
The journey was two hours long and after my coughing last night I slept most of the way. Then a short taxi ride and i was at the site. The state translates the park as a ' theme park' but no way! This is a serious Buddhist attraction. A Buddha of over 70 metres who was carved into the rock over 1200 years ago is a source of great awe and worship, and monks and devotees were in evidence everywhere. By luck I met up with a student of psychology from South Africa and she was able to help me navigate the incredibly vertiginous pathways up and down the sides of the great Buddha. Without her I couldn't have done it. I always meet the right people when I have to!
She was lovely but she was on a tighter schedule than me, so we parted and I headed off to the temple of 1000 Buddhas. My god, What a beautiful walk. I saw amazing tree ferns and mountains and bridges and gates and a lovely river where local fishermen were out working. But the walk was arduous and I was extremely knackered and thinking about the buses back. I was contemplating the trek to the temple when a guy came up to me and said that there was no exit this way and I would have to walk all the way back. This would have been impossible and was probably the reason why there were no other tourists around! anyway he agreed to take me back round by road on his three wheel taxi for £1.50. he was a lovely guy and again I couldn't have met him at a better time. he even stopped on the road side so I could take photos of the 300 m reclining Buddha. ( these photos were better than the ones inside the park.) today I have been extremely lucky. Without the people I met I wouldn't have had such a successful day alone.
I got the bus back and again slept in true Chinese style. Everyone just snoozes at any time. I can't believe I have been on a bus for 4 hours, sleeping has it's advantages.
I then went to a busy noodle shop near the bus station. it was full of young women and I felt it was safe. Again I ate like a queen. True bliss. A magic bowl of noodles for a quid. ( I found out today that Chengdu has UNESCO status for its food.)
I then got back by crammed public bus to the hostel and got chatting to Tom and Aaron. They work at the Oxford School of English here. Funny. It was extremely informative chatting to them both, seeing what teaching here is really like. they were both really positive and Aaron was a passionate physics teacher.
Now I am so tired but I feel good and know I will sleep well, especially because I have asked the staff for more pillows so I can keep my head up. I have to admit that hot water has helped me a lot. sad, but true.
Right time to sleep, the Chinese guys around me are chatting and occasionally they pepper their conversation with ' what the fuck'. And 'Fucking mental'. All I can say is , yes, it is!
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