ChinaTeacher

THOUSAND BUDDHA CLIFFS   (Photos – Look for My Links on the right side of this screen and click on Photos!) 

I was told not to bother visiting the Thousand Buddha Cliffs – they said it’s not a big enough attraction.  But I am so glad I did!  However, it was not a direct or easy trip to make.  First of all, I had to take the long-distance bus to Jiajiang Bus Station from Leshan City.  Then, in the middle of the highway, they transferred me to a local bus heading to Jiajiang.  The people were so kind!  On the local bus, the lady ticket-taker was amazing.  Jiajiang appears to have a very high ‘seniors’ population, as most of the bus passengers were quite old.  At every stop, she would give them a ‘hand up’ onto the bus and then make sure they were settled before letting the driver move on.  When they saw me, I greeted them in Chinese which brought huge smiles to their faces!  We enjoyed some ‘simple’ conversations, with everyone saying gracious goodbyes to me as they left the bus.  Finally we got to my stop, and 3 of the old ladies joined me during the walk through a small village leading to the cliffs.  They told me they visit this place every day because of its numerous hillside temples.  Unfortunately I didn’t have time to also check out the hillside temples with them so we soon parted ways as I spotted the ticket booth for the Thousand Buddha Cliffs. 

The toll for this ‘small’ attraction was a mere 7 RMB ($1).  I asked if they could store my bags for a small charge (I was enroute to the holy mountain of Emei Shan that day), and the man agreed, but refused to take any money for this extra service.  I love visiting small villages! 

My first view of the cliff carvings practically blew me away!   I don’t know if there are actually a thousand Buddha carvings, but there were certainly a large number of incredible carvings of Buddhas, and other religious deities.  For the many locals who pass these cliffs each day on their way to work, the carvings present a wonderful diversion for those who have to lug their bicycles up the steep steps to the village.

Walking back through the village, I was quite taken with the activities going on there.  A large group of musicians had gotten together and seemed to be having a great old time.  They beckoned me to join them, but I knew they would probably ask me to sing, so I refused and continued on, hoping to catch the next local bus to get to Emei Shan by lunch time.  The ticket taker on the second bus wasn’t half as nice as the first one I met.  But, I did make friends with many of the old ladies on board.

I got a little worried at the bus station when the staff there told me “miao” (No) when I asked for the bus to Emei Shan – I was shocked!  If there was no bus, then how was I going to get there??  But the lady told me to wait a minute and sure enough, after about 10 minutes she pointed down the street to where a blue bus was stopped.  Apparently I was to get on that bus.  It was indeed headed to Emei Shan!  My side trip to the Thousand Buddhas Cliffs was a most satisfying one.

EMEI SHAN

Mount Emei is the highest of the four sacred Buddhist mountains in China, reaching a height of 10,337 ft.  Temples and monasteries are scattered over the mountain and pilgrims spend days climbing to the top of Mt. Emei to offer prayers to the Buddha.

I stayed at the Teddy Bear Hostel at Emei Shan (next to Baoguo Temple bus station) and couldn’t have been happier.  I got the most beautiful and luxurious private room (with bath!) for just 150 RMB.  I was told the price would be going up to 300 RMB the next day because of the National Holiday.  But, wow, hostels have certainly come a long way.  You can pay 30-40 RMB for a bunkbed in a dorm with shared facilities, right up to a luxurious private room with bath like mine.

My time was short, so I immediately took the easy way up the mountain.  I jumped on a bus which takes you to Jieyin Dian Hall, close to the top of the mountain (2 hrs each way).  From there it is a 5-minute Cable Car to the summit, or so I’m told.  But, after arriving at Jieyin Dian Hall, it was so foggy that I couldn’t believe the Cable Car to the Peak, just a 20-minute walk away, would be any better.  So, I got back on the bus and came down the mountain.  Big Mistake!  I found out later that ‘all was clear’ at the Peak – damn!  I wouldn’t have time to do it again before I left Emei Shan for Chengdu. 

I did meet two wonderful girls on the bus coming down on the bus.  Both are from Shanghai, near where I live, but one of them attends university in Chengdu.  I do hope to visit Emei Shan again, but it will be much better if I come with a small group, so we can do some hiking and stay overnight in some monasteries, and also see some of the wild monkeys living on the mountain.  I’m coming back!
 

Tags: Travel

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 9th, 2007 at 12:23 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.