Largest Buddha, a nunnery and 500 Arhats

Day 3 -  To Leshan to view the largest Buddha in the world (thanks to the Taliban who destroyed the previous largest Buddha in the world) and then to Emei for an overnight stay so that we could start bright and early to climb Mt. Emei, with the help of a cable car.  

Below, our room at the Teddy Bear Hotel which was one of our favorite accommodations because of the casual vibe and the staff's willingness to speak English. 

Outside our hotel, there were some tourist attractions but somehow, they felt a little unauthentic.

Manmade waterfall....

And then we found a path that took us up a  mountain and it was surprisingly quiet, serene, and beautiful.  Surprisingly because we had left crowds of people who didn't venture beyond these uninteresting sites.  As we walked up the mountain,  we would encounter a new view or surprise building - it was a magical walk.
We arrived at Mt Emei Fuhu Nunnery which also housed 500 arhats.  An arhat is a "perfected" person,  one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved nirvana.   The arhat, having freed himself from the bonds of desire, will not be reborn.
There were 500 distinct faces and I found myself from then on, looking at  the faces of Chinese males and thinking, did I see that face in Arhat Hall? Or would that face make a good arhat?

No photos were allowed inside the buildings.  That goes for all temples.

That was a wonderful walk and strangely, it was deserted. So far, everywhere we have gone, there were crowds and lines which is understandable when the population is over 1.4 billion.  Fuhu Nunnery was extremely pleasant.