On the way from Chongqing to Chengdu we made a detour of barely half an hour to stand next to the largest stone Buddha in the world. It meant a 5 a.m. alarm, a lot of steps and heavy humidity, and it was completely worth it.
We put Leshan into the itinerary because every video we had watched gave off a particular energy. We found that same energy in several places in China, and Leshan was probably the third. We aren't religious and don't belong to any religion, but all of us, me, Paola and the kids, felt something flowing through us. It kept us going, because the climb is tough in that heat.
Arriving in Leshan
We arrived from Chongqing after a very short night. At the station, a lovely lady in a supermarket offered to keep our luggage until we came back. Rather than the tourist bus, we took a taxi straight to the entrance for about 25 RMB, the same as a Didi in Chongqing.
The climb and the Buddha
The route isn't easy to work out. There are few signs in English, even though it's a tourist area. My heart was pounding halfway up, and my son Lorenzo's too. Then you reach the top of the Buddha's head and look down. I was probably the happiest person on earth at that moment. I had been dreaming of this place from my couch, watching videos and building my itinerary, and now I was there. Paola summed it up in one word: magic.
The Leshan Giant Buddha is 71 metres tall. It was carved into the cliff over about 90 years during the Tang dynasty, where three rivers meet. According to tradition, the monk Haitong started it to calm the dangerous waters for passing boats.
Seeing it from the river
After the walk we took a bus to the pier and boarded the cruise, which shows the Buddha from the water. From there you really understand how big it is. Then we took a taxi back to the station, and Chengdu was only 45 minutes away by train.
The family side of the trip
I'll be honest: my schedule was tiring for my family. We had got back at 2 a.m. the night before, and the kids didn't want to wake up. I'm trying to slow down and do as much as possible without stressing them. On the bright side, my Apple Watch tells me my fitness is improving. Travelling with the kids at this age is wonderful, and they even help me make the videos.