Big Buddha and Hot Pots

At Leshan city, 140 km outside Chengdu, overlooking the confluence of Min and Dadu Rivers stood the 8th century 71 metre high Buddha carved out of the side of a cliff. We viewed the imposing statue from one of the many flimsy riverboats, reassured by the loosely fitted life-vests issued to each of us. We were told not to overload the top deck when viewing the Buddha.



No visit to Sichuan is complete without a sampling of its Hot Pot. Chilly is the backbone of Sichuanese cuisine so the "hot" refers not just to the temperature of the dish. Our guide Ling took us on a tortuous journey to her specially selected restaurant to sample the dish. Even our resident Peranakan Jessie thought the spice was somewhat overdosed, but it was a fitting finale to our journey.