We had a pretty uneventful train trip to Chengdu. We arrived at around 5:40pm and got to our hotel by 6:30 (and that was with no directions on how to get there from the metro station). We threw our bags down and then went down to ask about changing our train tickets. We had booked a day trip to Leshan the next day but our train was leaving at 7am. We were both pretty tired and didn't have it in us to get up that early. We found the ticket office the hotel recommended but when we got there they said it had to be done at the train station. We didn't want to go all the way back there so we figured we'd just "miss" our train and catch the 9:05 one. We started looking for something to eat. We went to many places and thought we'd found the perfect one but it turns out they were out of noodles and only had one dish left; Sarah and I both wanted it. We kept looking. We found another place, ate some noodles and veggies and fried bread.
When we asked for the bill we were shocked! It was only 33 yeun which is about $6! I think I actually said "woah" and the waiter looked at me funny. Ha! We grabbed some water and headed back to our room. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express, which was very nice. This time, when I asked for ice, they delivered it in a fancy silver bucket. We were both pretty tired and the beds were comfy so we headed to bed early.
The next morning we got up at about 6:30 so we could eat breakfast before we went. The hotel had a pretty decent spread and we ate quickly before heading out to catch the train. The stop we needed was a bit further than anticipated but we still arrived with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately, because it was a different station than where our original tickets were leaving from, they wouldn't switch them for us. But the sleep in was well worth the $10 ticket we had to buy. I'm into a really good book right now and was looking forward to listening to it on the hour and 15 minute ride to Leshan. For the first time since riding the bullet trains, we were seated in the 3 seat section (not the 2 seat section) and almost right away a kid came and sat down next to us. I was just pulling out my headphones when he started talking to me. Asking where we were from, how long we were staying. Sarah put her ear phones in and I was stuck chatting with him by myself. Actually, he was really nice, and I didn't mind. I realized that it wasn't actually his seat when another guy came over and he gestured to the back, where he'd left his friend to sit alone. They do this sometimes and the person doesn't usually mind switching seats. When we arrived in Leshan, this guy, whose name I never did get, helped us find the free bus to the large Buddha (Da Fo) and rode with us. He then helped make sure we got off at the right stop and walked with us to the Buddha.
Because of our sleep in time, we only had 2 hours there, which was going to make it pretty tight. We walked around the head of Buddha, totally in awe of this beautiful statue carved in the rock.
When we looked at the staircase to get to his feet however, we were shocked to see that it was totally full of people and not moving.
We only had 1 hour left. Instead of chancing the stairs and not being able to get back up in time, we left the two friends and headed out to catch a boat to see the whole Buddha.
The first boat people were selling tickets for a 2 hour boat trip, which we didn't have time for. They told us to walk 850 metres down the river. We did and found a fast boat ticket seller who didn't even look up when we got there. They basically wouldn't sell us tickets and sent us to the ferry ticket seller who told us that the ferry takes 30 minutes. It would be tight but we just had to see the whole Buddha. Thankfully, even though they told us they were leaving in 20 minutes, they left right away. We drove quickly past the huge statue and barely had time to snap a shot. Thankfully, they boat turned around and stopped long enough for us to all grab as many pictures as we wanted.
They then drove away from shore to show us the mountains in the background, laid out like Buddha. I didn't really see it, but snapped away anyways.
I had read about it online, otherwise I would have no idea why everyone was so excited. We got off the boat at 1pm which was exactly the time we had to head back to be at the train with a nice cushion. The nice guy from the train earlier had told us to take the K1, and we also knew the 3 and 13 would take us to the train, though they were slightly longer. As we stood waiting at the bus stop, a car pulled up and asked where we were going. We told him and he offered us a ride. This is the point where my dad anxiously skims ahead and thinks, how could she get in a car with a stranger. But don't worry dad, I didn't. We said no and thanked him. He offered to drive us for only 20 yeun but since the bus is 1 yeun, and we had enough time, we said no again and he drove off with the bus coming towards us down the road. The #3 ended up only being 40 minutes, not the hour that the guy had claimed, which gave us lots of time. We got some snacks and drinks (I was starving) and waited to get on the train. We had planned on getting some yummy dumplings at the entrance of the buddha when we left but we didn't exit the same area so missed them. We went back to the hotel when we got back to rest for a bit. We got some directions to the wide and narrow alleys and headed off for them. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived and found a really cool area with eats and shops, statues, and photos on the walls. It actually kept getting better as the evening went on.
Weird ear cleaning place:
We stopped in a pub and ordered dumplings and these pork skewers.
It was delicious but half way through my second skewer the spicy hit me and I couldn't go on. My mouth was on fire. I couldn't even finish eating it. We found a road at the back full of cool art coming out of the walls.
And at the end, we checked out the third alley which has pictures and pieces of original wall showing what the neighbourhood used to look like. It was so cool!
Found a knight in shining armour!
We walked down the middle alley to get to the subway station. The alley was full of food and after a long wait and wanted to try them for the whole trip, I finally got some pork buns. They were delicious.
When we asked for the bill we were shocked! It was only 33 yeun which is about $6! I think I actually said "woah" and the waiter looked at me funny. Ha! We grabbed some water and headed back to our room. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express, which was very nice. This time, when I asked for ice, they delivered it in a fancy silver bucket. We were both pretty tired and the beds were comfy so we headed to bed early.
The next morning we got up at about 6:30 so we could eat breakfast before we went. The hotel had a pretty decent spread and we ate quickly before heading out to catch the train. The stop we needed was a bit further than anticipated but we still arrived with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately, because it was a different station than where our original tickets were leaving from, they wouldn't switch them for us. But the sleep in was well worth the $10 ticket we had to buy. I'm into a really good book right now and was looking forward to listening to it on the hour and 15 minute ride to Leshan. For the first time since riding the bullet trains, we were seated in the 3 seat section (not the 2 seat section) and almost right away a kid came and sat down next to us. I was just pulling out my headphones when he started talking to me. Asking where we were from, how long we were staying. Sarah put her ear phones in and I was stuck chatting with him by myself. Actually, he was really nice, and I didn't mind. I realized that it wasn't actually his seat when another guy came over and he gestured to the back, where he'd left his friend to sit alone. They do this sometimes and the person doesn't usually mind switching seats. When we arrived in Leshan, this guy, whose name I never did get, helped us find the free bus to the large Buddha (Da Fo) and rode with us. He then helped make sure we got off at the right stop and walked with us to the Buddha.
Because of our sleep in time, we only had 2 hours there, which was going to make it pretty tight. We walked around the head of Buddha, totally in awe of this beautiful statue carved in the rock.
When we looked at the staircase to get to his feet however, we were shocked to see that it was totally full of people and not moving.
We only had 1 hour left. Instead of chancing the stairs and not being able to get back up in time, we left the two friends and headed out to catch a boat to see the whole Buddha.
They then drove away from shore to show us the mountains in the background, laid out like Buddha. I didn't really see it, but snapped away anyways.
I had read about it online, otherwise I would have no idea why everyone was so excited. We got off the boat at 1pm which was exactly the time we had to head back to be at the train with a nice cushion. The nice guy from the train earlier had told us to take the K1, and we also knew the 3 and 13 would take us to the train, though they were slightly longer. As we stood waiting at the bus stop, a car pulled up and asked where we were going. We told him and he offered us a ride. This is the point where my dad anxiously skims ahead and thinks, how could she get in a car with a stranger. But don't worry dad, I didn't. We said no and thanked him. He offered to drive us for only 20 yeun but since the bus is 1 yeun, and we had enough time, we said no again and he drove off with the bus coming towards us down the road. The #3 ended up only being 40 minutes, not the hour that the guy had claimed, which gave us lots of time. We got some snacks and drinks (I was starving) and waited to get on the train. We had planned on getting some yummy dumplings at the entrance of the buddha when we left but we didn't exit the same area so missed them. We went back to the hotel when we got back to rest for a bit. We got some directions to the wide and narrow alleys and headed off for them. We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived and found a really cool area with eats and shops, statues, and photos on the walls. It actually kept getting better as the evening went on.
It was delicious but half way through my second skewer the spicy hit me and I couldn't go on. My mouth was on fire. I couldn't even finish eating it. We found a road at the back full of cool art coming out of the walls.
And at the end, we checked out the third alley which has pictures and pieces of original wall showing what the neighbourhood used to look like. It was so cool!
We walked down the middle alley to get to the subway station. The alley was full of food and after a long wait and wanted to try them for the whole trip, I finally got some pork buns. They were delicious.
When we got back to the area near our hotel, we stopped at the pharmacy. Sarah wanted to get some cream and I was hoping they could recommend something for my swollen ankle. Did I mention it was swollen? They gave me some spray and some bandages but I decided on only the spray. We got back to the room and I sprayed it on and iced it before going to bed. The next day we had to head to the airport at about 10:30 so we decided to just take it easy that morning. Off to Shanghai, our last stop!
Wow! Those photos! Glad you take a ride with a stranger...
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