My National Holiday Trip with Local Friends

We were able to have a rest thanks to Chinese National Day, which is celebrated on October 1 to commemorate the founding of the People’s Republic of China. On that day, lots of large-scale activities are held nationwide. Obviously, we were not going to miss the opportunity to travel, so we visited two well-known places in Sichuan: Bipenggou Mountain and the Leshan Giant Buddha.

I'm going to tell you a little about our trip to the mountains. We got up super early, 04:30 in the morning (I had never got up so early in my life). We had the company of three Chinese friends and they helped us throughout the trip.

Bipenggou is beautiful and giant. It has a waterfall with very clear water at the first stop and you can find a small restaurant where you can buy coffee. Let me tell you, it was really cold. At the top of the mountain where we arrived almost frozen but happy, it was even snowing. Yes, you read me well SNOWING!! Am I in New Jersey again? The funniest thing is that none of us wore warm clothes so we were more frozen than a snowman. Despite the cold, we had a lot of fun. We ran through the mountains, we played the snowball war, Max my friend made a mini snowman.

Our second trip was on the weekend. We headed towards Leshan, a city in southern Sichuan which is very famous because of the giant Buddha. In December 1996, the location of the Buddha was included by the UNESCO on the list of the World Heritage sites. Beginning in the year 713 in the Tang Dynasty, and finishing in the year 803, the statue took people more than 90 years to carve. Pretty impressive if you think about it!

Upon arrival, we met our friend Cindy, who lives in Leshan and guided us on our trip. We went to visit the park where the giant Buddha is located. In the place you can not only have the opportunity to see the Buddha, but many other attractions such as monasteries, small parks and caves. Additionally, you have to be prepared to make a line for about two hours to go down to see the whole Buddha, but sincerely, it is worth it because it is a piece of art and the mere fact of appreciating something built by hand many years ago is a great privilege.

About the author

Arianna Lara, 24, was born and grew up in Ecuador, where she earned a certificate in accounting, and moved with her family to the United States when she was 20. Now a permanent resident of the US, she is pursuing a Bachelor in Liberal Arts at FDU with a Minor in Business Administration. She is in her Senior year studying the last semester in Chengdu, China.

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