A TRIP TO LESHAN

Where are we heading off to today?

Well, I'm glad you've asked today we heading south of china on a crazy, but soulful journey.

Leshan Giant Buddha is a 71- meter tall stone statue, that lies along the Min River and Dadu River in the southern parts of Sichuan province in China. This beautifully carved Buddha is the largest and tallest stone statue in the world. Which is absolutely breathtaking and so beyond soulful, as the journey to the Buddha isn't just some stroll in the park, its a walk into history, nature, and patients.

My friend Bobbi and I have been trying to go to this world-renowned attraction since the day we a

arrived in china, and unfortunately, something constantly kept going wrong until one day that perfect day arrived.

Of course, it was an early start to our journey as Leshan wasn't just around the corner, We first ran into the nearest convenient store to get a couple of snacks and beverages for the crazy adventurous day ahead of us, next, we had our exiting and defiantly most beautiful sunrise tuk-tuk ride to the metro where we ended up with a full-on photography session in a metro, please keep in mind it's 6:30 in the morning we are in the middle of china on a metro filled with Chinese citizens and here you have these two weird tourists from Britain and one from South Africa taking selfies... awkward.

Anyways we finally arrived at China's high-speed railway stations where we then met up with a couple more South African friends, shortly after all the hugs and greetings our boarding call was being announced, and 1 hour later hello Leshan, we finally arrived. Yes it really is that easy, and it just kept getting easier, after arriving it was pretty simple when finding the bus station as it was right across the road, we immediately jetted off to the ticket office which was ridiculously cheap, and best part yet there is a bus that comes around every 15 minutes.

And there you have it Bobbi and I zooming around Leshan city in this old school retro bus on the way to the mountain, when arriving the only thing I could think about was 'where's the restroom!" which wasn't much of a search as there are signs everywhere and just our luck the restrooms were right next to the ticket office where we needed to get tickets to get access into the mountains.

Don't just think this hike is as easy as I make it to be, it really is a full energetic day trip, but beyond worth it, as you make your incline you'll start noticing that it's not just any normal hike there are billions and billions of stairs but with beautiful views of the city and an amazing walk through the history of Leshan and China overall so keep your eyes open for those little gems, as it includes ancient Chinese writings and storytellings on the walls of the mountain, including mini buddhas hidden all over.

It's absolutely overwhelming once arriving at the top of the mountain, as it's like walking into the streets of new york, constantly bombarded with hundreds and hundreds of people, but once finding your bearings you'll be able to see the head of the buddha from the top, and if you ask me its the biggest head I've ever seen.

so before I continue on about our descent down I should most probably mention that you can expect to stand in a queue for at least1/2 hours and trust me I've done my research come rain or shine there is always a line and massive amounts of people every day as this is a very popular attraction in china even for the Chinese citizens.

The descent down to the buddha isn't any normal decent, it is a very narrow, steep zigzag like staircase that has been carved from the mountain itself, with just under 300 stairs. As terrified of heights as I am, we made it down with a couple of stops here and there for some selfies and of course, a little breather as I was absolutely taken by breath from this incredible view, and that's when we realized, that there are two options on seeing this buddha one of course by stairs and another by boat, but looking back I don't regret taking the stairs as that's what adventure is all about.

And there you have it the world-known buddha right in front of my eyes from the head to the feet of the buddha I just looked up and completely fell silent to the world, it was as if my past had just flashed before me, I felt so peaceful and content with life, it was this absolutely magical moment, it's true what they say the soul of a buddha is refreshing and very much peaceful.

The walk back, was something I wasn't very excited for at that moment as all I was expecting was this incredibly steep climb, but surprisingly it was just as amazing as the buddha as it was in and out, around and about the mountain which was pretty fantastic if you ask me, let me guess you're thinking the buddha is all there is? NO there is so much more than just a buddha, you have temples, the nine bends plank road, beautifully hidden bridges, and many many more interesting things like the Giant sleeping buddha. It really is an endless adventure, and one I highly recommend,

And as always stay strong and keep smiling much love Eve.