Travel Stories - China

"leshan"

introduction

It is a battle for asphalt during the morning-rush in "Chongqing" while I'm in the bus towards "Leshan". Our driver rages when people walk between and along the many cars to get to the other side of the street despite zebra crossings being ignored and underground tunnels are lacking. First we have to go through the center of this old capital and it's more like Manhattan than what I expected from a city in the middle of China. I soon realize that what I have read about the travel time is not correct and I look out the windows while the landscape is changing. Beautiful panoramas with rice fields and hard working people with straw hats that encourage buffalo in the fields are my part. In small villages Asian scenes and I see the well-known concrete driveways until shops start with two-storey houses above them. Stray dogs, rickshaws and vendors hiding under canopies of carts and market stalls. Manufacturers of bamboo mats made, black exhaust fumes from buses and a variety of animals on the road, consisting of chickens, pigs, dogs, goats and cows. Workers with blue "Mao" hats or cap on torso with heavy baskets on their backs. I smile at my loud snoring Chinese neighbor in the bus and am glad that the "old" China still exists!

long toes

When we drive into "Leshan", 5 hours later than planned, my neighbor’s mobile phone rings and I would not be surprised if people outside heard this too. But my neighbor is sleeping peacefully and doesn’t hear anything. I squeeze past him to step out and see immediately the bus that can take me to the biggest "Buddha" image of the world. Ten minutes I’m on my way to Leshan’s tourist-attaction.

After some insistence I can put my big bag somewhere at a desk by the entrance for an hour and I start my climb over the stairs that led me along different sculptures and inscriptions. On top of the hill you have a beautiful view of the river, the city behind and you can not miss the gigantic stone head of the "Buddha" that looks over the river in a gloomy way. Built to protect those on the river from the dangerous undercurrent, it now seems to be undergoing erosion. The statue is 70 meters high and I climb down the steep stairs next to the statue which gives a good impression of how big the picture is. The toe alone is 8.5 meters long. When I stand here and look up I remember that the largest Buddha statue in the world was standing in Afghanistan. Well till 2001 when the guys from the Taliban blow it up. The little altar below reminds me of Tibet for the first time before I go back upstairs and take the bus back to the center.

Sichuan food

The boy behind the desk of a post office writes two names down of hostels. I found some places to stay but there’ll all pretty expensive. I ask a rickshaw driver to take me to one of the hostels the guy from the postoffice wrote down. Both seem to be pretty pricey, but he knows a cheaper one that really saves a lot – well that’s what he tries to tell me. When I think about it, I notice that I have not seen one other (Western) tourist, no white people at all. Anyway I take the hostel the rickshaw-driver suggested me and I give him something extra. On the other side is a restaurant with a number of low tables and tiny stools outside. The food on the neighbor's plate looks fine and I ask the man to write down what it is and how much it costs. Of course this leads to further communication but more importantly I get the tastiest (but very spicy) meal on my plate that I have received in the country so far. After my diner I walk down the busy shopping street. It looks kinda modern and people are dressed in Western clothing even though I also see some bicycle rickshaws too. I walk through what the "dumpling" street should be and then I decide to walk back tot he hostel before I get lost and it’s getting dark.

tips & advice (2009)

There are three bus stations in Leshan; two are too far outside the center which are too far too walk, unfortunately. One of the westside and the other north of the citycenter. The third is "handy" situated near the ports located in the center.

Leshan - Chengdu: from the central bus station a bus departs to Chengdu almost every hour. This takes about 2 hours and costs 30 to 35 Y.

Name: Hostel "Jihuayuan"

Address: No 60 East Avenue (Shizhong District)

Price: 80 Yuan (single room)

Content:

Located in the center of the city, this hotel looks like a five star hotel on the outside. It was a gamble and the price was very good so maybe I was just lucky. You have a maybe some clinical room but everything is clean and looks kinda proffesional. Outside in the hallway is a toilet and shower and breakfast is not included. I had a great quite night here without many (local) people who kept me awake.