This morning we were up early and made our way down to the river front and took a short boat ride to the Leshan Grand Buddha. This Buddha was built in the 9th Century under the direction of Haitong, a monk who felt the presence of Buddha would help calm the waters below so that shipping vessels could make their journey safely.

At 71 metres tall, the statue depicts a seated Maitreya Buddha with his hands resting on his knees. His shoulders are 28 metres wide and his smallest toenail is large enough to easily accommodate a seated person. There is a local saying: "The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain". The mountain range in which the Leshan Giant Buddha is located is thought to be shaped like a slumbering Buddha when seen from the river, with the Leshan Giant Buddha as its heart.

Our boat stopped right in front of the Buddha and we had excellent views. Back to the pier we disembarked and walked around a local market before having lunch at a local restuarant. Then we began to make our way to Mt. Emei.

On arrival to Mt. Emei we checked into our hotel, the Emeishan Grand Hotel. The rooms were terrible, they had a wet musty smell about them and were repainting the door jams with enamel paint which had a real strong odour. A few of us had to change rooms because of the odour.

Before dinner we went for a walk to Yingbin Square which was about 700 metres from our hotel. At the back of the square was a giant bell tower. Behind the bell were walls carved with a story of how buddhism was born. The Square also had an articial waterfall. Very impressive area. Then we walked up to the free museum. There was also a strip of souvenir shops and a supermarket that sold alcohol.

We stocked up for our nightcaps with alcohol and snacks before going to dinner at the hotel restaurant. This was one of the best banquet meals on our tour.