Le Shan

As we enter the place, we notice that some Buddhas like this one have been carved inside small caves

Others are carved directly on the mountain rocky sides

Dragon's fountain. Remember ? The dragon is a water god. That's why they also put some near buildings: to prevent fire.

View over the Yangtse river

And here is the local star: 71m meter high Buddha, carved in the mountain !

... and here is part of the queue to go down his feet (to better appreciate His size)

I couldn't count how many people wanted to take pictures of us here. For many of them, coming from countryside, foreigners are part of the attraction of touristic places.

Another part of the queue

... and some more

Just next to it, is an old but restored temple

When it gets hot enough, Chinese guys like to lift their T-shirts up. It makes them look a bit silly, and when they have a big tummy like this guy, they look like walking Buddhas, that's why Chris wanted a picture. But he suddenly put his T-shirt back in place right before the shot ...

These were important monks. One of them seem to have been cleaning ears often ...

The one in the middle is famous, I remember seeing him in the "Mission Impossible" series :)

Back to the giant statue

View down, over the people who queued so long

Locals are fun

Alright, the place seem to extend way further, so let's get going

Small break. Wait, what did it say there ?

This one is fun too

Break your legs softly

On the other side of the National Park, there is more to see ...

Crossing a fishermen village

These are tombs, but I don't remember who is burried there.

I like this bridge very much :)

Let's cross it

At the top of this hill are a temple and a monastery

On the way back

... and back to the Dragon's fountain

Another view of the Yangtse river. Note the different colour of the confluent river

We then took a boat, to hopefully get a better picture of the place

Now, that's more like it !

No ticket ?

Bye bye giant Buddha !