Leshan Gaint Buddha (A day trip from Chengdu, China)

With a claim of being the world’s biggest Stone Buddha, sitting tall at 71mts, how can one miss seeing this wonder just a few miserly hours away?

Roughly about 2.5 hrs away (100 KM) from the Chengdu City center, the Leshan Buddha makes for an easy day trip.

Build by the river banks by a monk, to calm the water “monsters” it is definitely a sight. Amongst the oldest statues in the world, this Buddha is craved onto a cliff in sitting position (perhaps to give it more support?).

There are 2 ways to seeing the Leshan Buddha,  (a) via boat, from the River (where apparently you see the most picturistic views) (b) A trek down the steep staircase, starting somewhere near the head of the Buddha to the very feet of the Giant.

We choose to trek down and were soon engulfed in the huge mass of tourists.. mostly local Chinese people, coming to see this ancient statue… As we stood in the snail paced lines, I had locals coming and asking to take pictures of me. Perhaps, they had never really seen a brown Indian Woman…. Nevertheless it was a great way to pass time: Taking pictures with dozens of Chinese locals, none of who spoke English.. posing and smiling with each of them, trying to interact using signs …

And as we walked along the queue, we realized, that perhaps, just perhaps, China does not understand the concept of queue and waiting to take your turn very well.. we had some pushing, shoving, trying to get ahead sort of people.. and eventually, we decided to form a human wall of 3 , which could not be crossed .. and that worked really well..!!

I had a woman behind me, probably angry, trying to shove her way through… almost shouting .. . but since I do not not understand Chinese, and she could not speak English…and frankly since there was no emergency… we learned to ignore her and she us …

And soon as we reached the bottom, near the foot of the Buddha.. she rushed past us and looked as us with a total look of victory!! Sweet! No words were needed to translate that to us !

From the foot of the Buddha as you gaze up.. u realize just how tiny you really are and how perhaps insignificant you stand in this world …. Was I awed? No.. but I was impressed, by the sheer size of it, by the sheer age of it and by the sheer effort it must have taken to build at that age and that time (803AD) ….

The long trek down to the Buddha

At the foot of the Buddha.. a then we Gaze up.. behold the biggest Buddha of them all !!

At 90 RMB, the tickets were not exactly cheap, and for those with small kids, consider taking the river boat rather than the trek down to the Buddha foot.. However, it is definitely a sight to see near Chengdu and well worth a day trip…

A first: Venturing into China as a tourist for the weekend

I will start with this disclaimer “I do not know a word of Chinese” and traveling in China without a Chinese speaking native seemed like a huge challenge.

However, with a weekend in between the meetings, it seemed like a waste of time in a country of such depth and culture like China, to not explore. So here I was with a few of my colleagues (who I had managed to convince) all set to sightseeing.

Now there were two main issues to be resolved, where should we go and how? The where part was easy.. Leshan Buddha, Panda Park and Local Market, seemed the right amount of things to do at the right pace…why would I miss out on seeing the world's biggest Buddha and the world's cutest living slobs! Yay! the agenda seemed right.. 

Now the biggest question for non native, non-chinese speaking folks is "how to see the sights at your pace, all by yourself". Well, turns out when you work with China team, it can be resolved rather simply (I call it cheating.. but hey! whatever it takes)... I simply asked one of our Chinese colleagues to help book a air conditioned taxi for us.. and one lesson I learned while she was booking our Taxi was “always haggle in China” . It was pretty amazing how well that worked… the price started from 1200RMB and ended at 340RMB … So, if in China, haggle away!!

Armed with a few English to Chinese translations (thanks to our Hotel concierge, I was all set with most important things like “Toilet”, “How Much”, “What Time” etc.. you get the flow… ) I was ready to see the sights..

The driver was amazing.. did not speak much, spoke no english, did not play Chinese music.. just drove at an even pace (probably slow for China) and the whole trip was a breeze.

We spend 9 hours with him and he waited for us patiently at each spot and took us from one place to another, all our communication was done via sign language and at the end of the day the total cost of the taxi, gas, driver’s food was just 650RMB.. Not bad for a private tour, done at your own pace.. with the cost being shared equally amongst the 3 people.. it was barely a burp..I would do it again in a heartbeat..

The bottom line, traveling in China can be reasonably cheap, provided you have haggled the right way and have some good references..

For timebeing, after my first taste of China as a tourist... I am dying to explore China at leisure with my other half and the baby….. it should be fun…

A day with Panda’s (@ Chengdu China Giant Panda Breeding Base)

A weekend in Chengdu, thanks to some extended client meetings now allows me to vouch for the fact that “Panda’s are really the most adorable, cutest slobs you can ever see”. Their black and white fur, tinted with brown dust makes them definitely one of the most photogenic bears around the world. Albeit, note that the  word “bear” can be held debatable, they apparently  also classify as belonging to Raccoon family. However, I think bear sounds much more huggable that raccoons, so I choose to use the bear classification.

At 60RMB (approx $10) the entrance tickets are rather affordable. We choose to just walk around the park, rather than take the trams provided. Armed with the panda park map, available the ticket center, we set out gaping and looking at these near extinct animals. A true bamboo lover, these panda’s do actually survive on the nutrient deficient bamboo alone, with a capacity to gain up to 350 pounds.

These Panda’s are not really “wild” per say.. but I cannot imagine them being very quick in wilderness either.. the calmness which surrounds them and the zest with which they eat those bamboo sticks can be defined in one single word : “ZEN”… truly asian..

Apparently, all the white Panda’s worldwide are Chinese property.. I like to call them “Chinese Citizens” (Ahem!!) , sounds much more dignified don’t ya think?. …and boy! Are these citizens treated well.. 200 acres devoted to their preservation effort, huge open enclosures, devoted cleaners, unlimited bamboo supply.. these Panda’s seem to be doing well. Yes, definitely much better than that in zoo!

And Whilst I forget, you can actually hold the Panda’s, but of course, as is with everything, it comes with a nice sizable price tag attached to it. At about 1000RMB, holding the Panda is not exactly cheap and I decided to savor the cuteness from afar with no regrets.

Towards the end of our visit, we bought a few “gifts” from the official store at the entrance of the park and as we walked outside saw a whole bunch of stalls with “panda” items selling for much cheaper prices right outside.. well, since China does not really have a “return goods” policy, we had to make do with what we bought… but perhaps next time I will be smarter..

At the end of it all, I have to admit the white ones are the ones who evoked a lot of “ohh !! ahhhs” from. me. The red, while cute in their own rights, nevertheless paled in the “cuteness meter” next to the white Panda’s. Well, who can deny “Po” is much more adorable than “Shifu”  in Ku Fu Panda.. now I know why!!

Kindle : A travel Companion

I get to catch up on my reading while traveling and it is one of the few pleasures of a business travel I have come to enjoy. By far, kindle is my favorite electronic gadget and I find myself immersed in the world of words.

Ipad lovers would beg to differ and of course their claims that Ipad can do so much more is so true.. however, the beauty of Kindle is simply that.. you can read without distractions !!! Immerse yourself in the kaleidoscope of words… build your own world, where letters rule and make your own kingdom, let the words take hold of your imagination and let the magic work. …. Kindle is a definite hand baggage must have for me!

9/5: A note , Venice

I had some of my best Italian food today in Venice.. Ah! That Pizza with fresh tomatoes and onions was something truly to experience.

With my "extra retarded" knife and fork skills, I had my gallant husband come to my rescue. With that custom cut Pizza I could finally savor each bite.

The pesto Spaghetti dinner with a ultra YUM Tiramisu gelato.... makes me want some more...

I think I am going to like Italy.......

9/5: Our First Day in Italy: Venice

Being seated in the center seat in the airplane has some disadvantages, the chief amongst them being unable to get a clear glimpse of Italy from air. However, being an Indian, a race with a reputation of making things work, I was able to, by craning my neck a lil' get my first glimpse of Italian mountains (Dolomite perhaps?), which I have to admit did not awe me! Blame it on the Peruvian Andes which I saw last year. However, given the fact that my view was not really the best, I decided to let the first impressions rest.. atleast a lil' while longer!!

Armed with a bus and water taxi tickets, we were all set to begin our Italian adventure in the fabled “lovers paradise: Venice”

And lo! Venice, with wide canals (which BTW were much larger than I had imagined), throngs of people, water taxis jutting by, this place had certainly earned itz reputation of being unique. Sitting on the front row in the water taxi, I could not complain about the view. I was all set to fall for Venice, even a much colder Venice than I expected!

After depositing out bags in Hotel Bernadi we wandered, hand in hand, onto the narrow streets and up to the Rialto Bridge. From atop the Bridge, you get what some may call “A picture Perfect Venice”. The blue gondola's sailing along makes you sigh and as you seek that comfortable shoulder next to you.. you just know that you will love Italy....

couples, culebra island and more !

Now a days I find this incredible urge to see snaps of couples… as a result I seem to be seeing snaps of people I don’t even know. Hmmm…..wonder if itz gotto do with the fact that I myself am hitched ? Somehow seeing a happy couple snap makes me feel better!!! Perhaps getting married is equivalent to getting a lil’ weird………..

Anywaz seeing these snaps keeps reminding me of my honeymoon in Culebra island (Puerto Rico). It was definitely one of the best times I have ever had in my life so far. This 7 mile long island captured my heart with it amazing beaches. 20 miles east of Puerto Rico, it lies in middle of nowhere and has the most amazing snorkeling reefs.

Thankfully, the place which we choose to say gave us best possible privacy. It was like all your fantasies coming true… a glass cottage on top of a hill, a private swimming pool…. Oh yeah! It was loads of fun. The white beaches with itz transparent blue water and amazing fauna swimming alongside you just made the place all the more enchanted.

We did crazy things… went snorkeling, kayaking, sang aloud on the beaches, made sand structures (we choose to make Indian God- Ganesh)….simply chilled out. I even drove a jeep….fulfilling one of my closely held dreams.

I got to wear a real cool swimwear, a sarong and an incredibly huge hat. When I saw the hat lying on one of the racks in the island shop, I knew I had to have it. It seemed so “beachy” and so “out-there” like the island itself. Buying and wearing something so impractical seemed just one of those “impossible” things possible in the island. The islanders were friendly lot and food is supposed to be real great as well (Veggie’s like me have choices rather limited, but my hubby enjoyed his food).

Even while we were out in Culebra town, somehow it seemed to us like we were alone. We walked alongside in harmony, arms twined, enjoying nature and the fact that finally we were “officially” together. Each time I looked at my hubby my heart literally sang. Just realizing how much joy you can gather staying with this one person makes possibilities seem infinite. Any doubts I am in love and reveling in it??? SIGH………

Next post will be up when I am done mooning over my darl’ and stop smiling like a fool by myself!!