That’s One Big Buddha!
With my schedule tweaked to perfection I took off Thursday afternoon to Chengdu to hang with Evan. We were going to Leshan the next day and planning to return in time to go to Lisa’s 30th birthday party. Just play along, you’ll figure out who everyone is.
I made my way to Evan’s where we decided the head-to-Leshan-tonight plan was too late to be acted on and that if we waited until the morning then Jon could join us. We instead headed over to Dave’s Oasis for pizza and beer. Imagine my joy when Dave said he had some Newcastle Brown Ale that wasn’t on the menu. I guess you don’t have to imagine, I just told you. Yum. He also makes a great spicy chicken pizza. We hung out on the sofas while Daft Punk played and really just had a nice relaxed evening. With Jon a no show we decided that the next day would be a long one and wisely decided to call it a night.
Evan is quite a breakfast eater. I’ve never stayed with him without a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, beans and toast. I actually gain wait during even a few days spent in Chengdu. He made breakfast and we both enjoyed it. Jon met up with us and we grabbed a cab to the bus station while Big Jon grumbled about hunger. Dave had told us that a bus would depart for Leshan every 30 minutes beginning at 7:30 and Evan was optimistic about the 8:00 but I figured 8:30. We were going to be on the 9:00. Tickets in hand we decided that we would have to find Jon something to eat. I knew that Dico’s was very near and suggested it. Jon thought a fried chicken sandwich with french fries sounded like an awesome breakfast. They were a bit slow in processing his order and it was rapidly approaching 9:00. We anxiously watched for a bus to drive by when at 9:00 they turned on the lights inside the restaurant as they opened for business. Heh. Jon protectively clutched his meal in one hand and his Trans-former meal toy in the other as we trotted over to the bus station where we were quickly whisked to our waiting bus. Hooray.
A bit over two hours later we were in beautiful Leshan with both Evan and Jon talking about food. Really. I kind of recall being like that when I was so much younger. I mentioned to Evan that I weigh more now than I have in my entire life to which he snappily reminded me that I am also older than I have ever been in my entire life. It is great to have friends. We got off the bus being encouraged to eat at the restaurant the bus had parked in front of. I was suspicious, (and not terribly hungry), but the tribe had spoken and it was decided we would grab a quick bite there. Despite being a highly lau wei trafficked location the menu was not in English so Jon, exercising his two months in China adept food ordering skills, ordered Gong Pao Ji or Kung Pao Chicken which is usually the dish that every lau wei can order and stomach. Not surprisingly, it was the most expensive dish on the menu. I added another dish simply by knowing the character for ‘meat’. If they weren’t full they at least weren’t hungry so we bought our tickets and headed into the park.
The same approach we employed at Xi’an was decided on here. Leshan is home to the largest Buddha in the world, (thanks to the Taliban), at 71 meters or 233 feet and we decided to check out the park and then the Buddha. Also featured in this large park is a Sleeping Buddha and numerous caves with wall carvings. The park was pretty empty with it being a Friday and we ventured our way to a dead end before deciding to take the closed trail rather than turn back. It led us up the side of the mountain, through a series of closed caves. At one point we approached a wall that appeared to be covered in sticky bun shaped objects only to realize that we had climbed to the head of the Sleeping Buddha. We made our way down and rejoined the rest of the park but all agreed that our ‘off the path’ detour added immensely to the experience. So much so, we did it again at the next opportunity and wound up exploring an unfinished temple.
Eventually we made our way to the Buddha stopping along the way for pictures with a Chinese basketball team. Evan is about 6’4″ and nearly all of them were taller than him. The Buddha itself was pretty amazing. When you first approach it you are above the head as it is set into a mountain. After a treacherous climb down some steps that I can only imagine how they were made we were at the feet. The different views and angles on the way down made for a great way to see it. We marveled for a while and then took some photos before beginning our climb out.
On our way out we spotted a trail we hadn’t taken, (probably because it was open), and decided to make the climb. After a quick trip near the edge of the cliff it turned to take us to an abandoned temple where Evan declared it was time to rest. I walked into the temple and found a maintenance worker in the corner sleeping. She awoke and spotted me as I backed out. I went around to the corner where she was sleeping and reached my camera in the window to get a picture of her that showed her making a good attempt to get back to sleep. Apparently the flash ended that and she came out after me. We were having a great laugh about it and I even showed her the picture of her with her rattling off at me in Chinese the entire time. She seemed to want me to delete it. After a couple of minutes of this we decided to move along. She was very not keen on this idea even going so far as to grab and pull on my shirt to keep me from leaving. I tried to sidestep and dodge her but she was intent on holding me back. I deleted the picture so we could be on her way but she was still not happy. Finally, I decided it wasn’t that funny anymore and went running down the hill to escape. Crazy.
Having had enough of the mountain and having seen what we came for, we headed for the exit. Like many cultural attractions in China this means a walk through a market area. Think really aggressive flea market. We even made it most of the way. Near the exit someone decided we should drink some bai jiu. Then someone else decided we should drink more. We did this in a restaurant that oddly enough had no kitchen while I corrected the English menu. A couple of drinks later Jon was trashed and Evan was tiring. Apparently I can drink a little more than these guys. Or it takes longer to hit me. As we hit the exit of the park we saw more than six rickshaws but no rickshaw drivers. This didn’t really quell our need for a rickshaw and with me as the wheel man we were quickly on our way. For a minute. Did I mention that these guys are big? Yeah. So Evan took his turn while Jon tried to give him a wedgie before he tired and it was Jon’s turn. Evan returned the favor and I assisted until Jon’s underwear broke and Evan put the piece down Jon’s shirt. Good times. A glance behind us showed that we were being tailed, (chased?), which of course made us go faster. Once around a corner with our destination in sight we got moving. We found a bus and ditched the rickshaw leaving a 10rmb note or about five times what it would have cost on the seat.
The bus ride home was our time to relax and recover. Evan passed out. Jon played with his Trans-former and then passed out. I listened to music with the Chinese guy across the aisle from me and ended up sing Take Me To Your Heart no less than three times. It is this love song that all of my Chinese students love by the ironically named Michael Learns to Rock. The bus back was a bit of a different than the bus there and we were delivered to Chengdu but with a 50 minute bus ride ahead to get back to Evan’s. We were late for the dinner and it was a rush to get changed and ready for Lisa’s party. So we said goodbye to Jon and Sergio, (from Spain but an English teacher), met up with us. Evan is very cool about staying at his place and his roommate Richard is as well. We changed and took a cab to the Kempinski Hotel where we were too late to eat but just in time for cake.
Next stop, The Shamrock. This is where I hung with Evan and Roberto on St. Patrick’s Day and when we first met Lisa and Sandi. It is a very cool bar and nearly completely filled with lau wei. You can hardly believe you are in China. We had a good time drinking, dancing and talking. It was typically crowded but we got Lisa to the bar for something called a Sex On The Bar that did look a little obscene. Happy birthday! The night turned to morning and the warm spring rain began to fall with people disappearing into it. Sergio and I lost Evan and it seemed that the fetching birthday girl was also absent. With no idea what to do or where to stay, (we weren’t going to call his cell and screw it up for him), we split up. Sergio was taken in by Sandi after promising to behave and I left to find Chinese friends of mine who were in town. I ended up at a tea house where you can apparently stay all night or at least the four hours until morning. It was that or a massage parlor and one certainly sounds a bit less creepy.
Let me know what you think of the redesign. It might get bigger and cooler. Also, check out the latest drunkenass.com community site, Evan’s blog at whereintheworldisevan.com.