In early September I stayed for three days in the Emei/Leshan area. Those days were easy to fill because there's a lot to see and do here. The iconic sight of the Giant Buddha for example. I arrived at 8.45 in the morning and had the place virtually to myself. The bus had dropped me at Dafo's head, and from there you can climb down his body until you arrive at his feet. The way he sits and looks out over the river makes him look like a gentle giant watching over the world.

The first two days I spent around Mount Emei. I started by visiting Fuhu Si (Crouching Tiger Temple), today a nunnery. It dates from the 12th century. Its major assets are its location (up against the mountain in dense vegetation) and its great garden complex that is very well taken care of.

And oh yes, I did use the cable cars. One of them to be exact - there are two on this mountain!. At the inscription of this site, the Advisory Bodies to Unesco were very worried about the cable car "which leads to the Golden Summit of the mountain and brings some 300,000 people a year to the sensitive montane forest zone." I took the lower cable car to Wannian Temple, a lively and colourful one with the statue of Puxian and his six-tusked elephant. From there I hiked down to the foot of the mountain at Baoguo Si in about 5 hours. I passed the Qingyin Pavilion (nicknamed The Mountain Garden for its greenery) and some minor temples. I walked and walked the stone steps, up and down and up again. I met the occasional monk, looked at the fungi and medicinal herbs that were for sale by old women, almost took a wrong turn or two but safely made it back. Emei Shan and its surroundings are surely worth a couple of days of anyone's itinerary.