He likes the river water
This is printed on the mountainside of the Giant Buddha
Sandstone mountainside
The Giant Buddha, largest Buddhist carving in the world
One of his guardians
Denser rock in the core
Showing erosions over the centuries
Tourists come down steep stairs to get here
Weaving their way back to the top slowly
Susan said it gets far more crowded in March and April
Have to wait hours to walk down here
Temples on the top
Trail carved out of rock
Zigzag up
Ancient bridge
Duck in flight
Many carvings
You can see the descent down the stairs on the left
A patio spans the Buddha
Protector warrior
Niches in the stone
Slow-going
Opposite warrior
They are taking photos of us
We are filming them
The Buddha's face is solemn
His hands have many details
Susan, our guide, and Mary Ann
He has curly hair
Carved in the 8th century
He is very old
His feet are huge
Each ear is 21 feet long
The entire carving
Weathered over the centuries
The hair channels water down the ears
One heck of a long hike downhill
People are good in the photo to understand the size of the Buddha
Detailed large hands
He watches the river
Full view
Blackened colors due to weather
Hidden protector
He has eroded a lot
So glad we did not attempt this
Probably takes all morning to complete the walk
When it rains here, it pours
All tourists need to use life vests
Cormorant flying
Mallard duck (male)
Cormorant in flight
Converging rivers
Good place for him to fish
Might be a female mallard
Banks of the low-flowing river
Little kids watching the Buddha
Birds in the shallows
Sand banks between the rivers
Birds hunting fish
The old boat landing
Egrets
Egrets and gulls
They eat fish as well
Gull landing
Only seen this time of year
Bridge is modern
Main river street
Entering the restaurant
Table for two
Tea
Back rooms for families
Snow Flake beer was draft in a bottle
Here comes the rice
Sichuan beef dish
Served on a heated slate in foil
Peanut chicken and cooked canola plant
Everything goes well with beer
The restaurant was the nicest there
Confucius is happy
The hills resemble a laying Buddha
More birds
Chinese decoration
The kids loved these umbrellas
Tall trees in Le Shan
High rent area
