Giant Buddha by Maya


Grandma is here!  Trying out some Chinese noodles at a restaurant near our hostel.
On March 11 we went to the airport to meet Grandma!  She will be with us for about 3 1/2 weeks travelling through China and Nepal!
We waited quite awhile at the airport for her and finally she came around the corner with a big smile, she was glad that we were there to meet her after the long journey she had by herself.   That night there was a dumpling party at our hostel where we got to sit with a bunch of other travellers and learn how to make Chinese dumplings, then eat them - it was fun.



On March 12th we went to see the largest carved stone Buddha in the world, called the Leshan Buddha!

The Buddha is all stone, carved into a mountain just over where 3 rivers (Minjiang River, Dadu River, Quingyi River) meet. It was built to protect and watch over the boats where the 3 rivers joined because that area was dangerous and they thought the Buddha could keep it safer.  They used the stone from carving to fill in the river which also probably made it more safe.   It was a monk who decided to build it, his name was Monk Haitong. He died before it was finished so he didn't get to see the finished master piece! It took 90 years to build starting in 713 to 803! The Buddha is 71m tall! There are 28m between the knees and insteps, and 100 people could fit in between the two insteps! The big toe nail is even big enough to have a picnic on!  The head was the most detailed part, with 1051 buns carved on his head.  The rest of him was really simple with less details and no colour.  I was impressed by how huge he was!  We walked down ancient stairs built into the cliff beside him which let us go from his head to his feet and see a lot of different perspectives of him.


There were also other things to see, like a nice temple complex and a water garden.  Not too long ago some tourists also spotted a Sleeping Buddha carved in a cliff near by the Giant Buddha but we didn't go see it.  I think the Buddha was really neat! I think it's so interesting how they think so differently where as people now a days would build a machine made cement wall to make the river safer.


MAYA

view from stair case of right foot
statue of Monk Haitong

view from bottom of stairs

view from on the stairs

view from right side plattform
Lots of people on the stairs


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Now We're Cooking!

Image
Learning to Make Thai Food Thai cuisine is a big part of the Thailand experience, and, for the most part, we were really enjoying the food, so we decided to take a cooking course.  It was a pretty great experience.  We got picked up and taken to a Thai market where we were shown the various herbs, vegetables, and other ingredients that we would be using.  We didn't buy any because our class was on an organic farm where they grow everything themselves.  When we got to the farm we walked through the garden with our guide, smelling, tasting, and collecting all kinds of ingredients like Thai ginger, 3 types of basil, peppers, cilantro, Thai eggplant, lemongrass, kaffir limes, and more. Walking through the organic garden at our cooking school We then went into the outdoor kitchen and chose the dishes we would make.  We all got to make spring rolls, then a main course, then a curry paste to be used in a curry and finally a soup.  We each got our own sta...
Read more

Island Time Jan 12-20

Image
After spending a couple of weeks in beautiful northern Thailand we were ready to warm up and relax with some time on the beaches in the south. There are so many islands to choose from, and we only had time for a few - tough decision time!  We narrowed it down to the Andaman Sea side since the Gulf of Thailand was rainy and apparently flooding in some areas.   We  eventually decided on Koh Lanta since it was described as beautiful, laid back, and fairly authentic. We flew from Bangkok to Krabi on January 11, spent one night in Krabi Town, and then caught a ferry to Koh Lanta to begin our Island Time.  We stayed at a hotel just off Long Beach, originally booking in for 2 nights, but then starting the next 2 days with "Should we stay another night"?  "Yes!", so we stayed for 4 nights.  We enjoyed the pool, the beach, the sunsets, the air conditioning, and the clean hotel room with a fridge!   Maya finding ways ...
Read more

Lucas' question for Chiangmai: who is/was Buddha

Image
Answer:                         Before I did any research on the Buddha, I thought he was the god that Buddhists praised and believed in. Sort of like Jesus Christ when you're a Christian, but I was way off. Buddha was a man named Gautama Buddha, his parents were the king and queen of India. He was born in 563 BCE and died in 483 BCE. He was a normal man who lived in a magical world full of gods. Gods controlled everything from weather to wealth, shelter to trees. The gods could not end Buddha's suffering so he stopped praying to them. He went into the woods and took of all his clothes and jewels and covered himself in rags. He wanted to feel what it was like to suffer so he would no longer have to watch others suffer. Buddha meditated for 7 days without moving, eating or drinking. Finally, he had found happiness. Buddha them went on to go all over India and teach wha...
Read more