We left Tibet for Chengdu and saw the Leshan Grand Buddha which stands on a rock face looking over the river. It stands 71 meters high and was carved by a monk who gave 10 years of his life to trying to complete it. It is quite overwhelming to behold. It is of course revered by the Buddhists and it was a popular attraction the day we were there.
We travelled on to Emeishan (Mount Emei) where we climbed the Sacred mountain to see the Golden Summit sitting above the clouds. We were not sure about this activity but were so glad that we did it as the Shrine to the 10 headed Buddha at the top is a glorious sight. It is a beautiful gold and sits at the top of the mountain in a huge concourse with stone elephants and stupas and long flights of stairs taking you up to the top. Once there the sun glints from it and the clouds float around it. I am sure that if I were a Buddhist I would feel inspired by this monument. Impressive............as well as the climb.
Onto Chengdu and the Giant Panda Research Station and the floppy bears and the statistics of their survival. they were intersting but I had seen the Giant Pandas in Winnipeg in the 90s. I was not, however, aware of the Red Panda which although a bear has a great resemblence, at first glance, to a racoon though its colour is a gorgeous russet brown edged with cream on the ears and with a black underbelly and legs. They are smaller than the Giant Pandas and really snuffly and cute.
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