We couldn't possibly pass up a 2 hour bus ride from Chengdu to see what may be the world's largest Buddha in the world. It is at least the largest sitting Buddha in the world. The Grand Buddha measures at 71m (~230ft) high. The ears are 7m (~22ft) long and the big toe is 8.5m (~27ft) long. Yeah, that's right, the big toe is longer than the ears!
After a bit of confusion trying to find the ticket booth and a crazy taxi drive through Leshan (and a ride in a rickshaw), we walked the path up to the top of the Buddha. From here there were beautiful views across the Min River. Mountains could be made out in the humid air. One of them was Mt Emai, which we would be climbing in a week. The path made its way through a very lush forest. Once on top the enormity of the Grand Buddha was evident. His head was massive. It looked as if I couldn't stand from the bottom of his eye to his top.
We then made our way down. It was an amazing site. The Grand Buddha was carved out of the mountain. This was done over a thousand years ago. I would love to have known how they did it. It was started in the early 8th century and completed over one hundred years later.
Good stuff. The story of the fat monk is funny.
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