After arriving in Chengdu for a mere one night I woke up early the next day for a tour to Leshan and Emeishan. The biggest attraction at Leshan is of course the giant Buddha carved into the side of the mountain. As I sat anxiously on my tour bus as it made its way through the country side of Sichuan I got a taste of the farmer's way of life. China like many countries still demonstrates a stark contrast between urban and rural condition, which is easily forgotten these days with the mega cities. However as my bus drove by acres after acres of fabric protected crops surrounding structures barely passable as houses I couldn't help but feel a mixture of guilt and appreciation. Once at Leshan, the 24 story tall Buddha was quite a sight. Standing on the platform you barely came up to its ear. However in order to truly appreciate its size you needed to make the long and crowded decent to the base where you were equal to the size of an ant in comparison. 
From there we proceeded to the back of the temple which houses many other Buddha and received an extremely thorough lesson on Buddhism. Our guide was not only informative but also seemed very passionate about the topic which added a level of interest. Dinner was at a local restaurant who specialized in a chicken dish unique in both flavor and preparation. The large wok sat in the middle of the table heated from underneath. In addition to the spicy chicken stew inside, what can only be described as corn biscuits were stuck along the side of the wok to cook. 
Though the dish was meant to be the star of the meal, it was the blanched chicken with chilly sauce and spicy chicken innards that was the highlight for me. Overall it was an extremely satisfying meal and not as spicy as I'd imagine given the area. The end of the night was concluded with a traditional Sichuan Show, including face changing and Emei Kungfu. In all honestly I really wasn't expecting much, as the whole thing sounded quite gimmicky. As the show started the first few minutes did not prove me wrong. They brought out some supposedly famous calligrapher and proceeded to auction off his work. They did such a good job creating a false sense of scarcity that in the end people were fighting to pay 500 yuan each for a piece. The act was despicable, yet who's really to blame, the unmoral seller, or the gullible buyers looking for a easy bargain? Aside from that, the show wasn't half bad, the face changing was interesting to see and the various performance were engaging enough to keep my attention despite being exhausted. 
The next morning again started at the crack of dawn. By 6am we were boarding the bus towards Emeishan, one of the four most important Buddhist mountains in China. By 8am we began our ascend up the 16km staircase towards, the highest point in these mountain ranges. At the top of the Golden Summit, the prominent 48m-tall golden statue of Samantabhadr was under construction so the only visible structure was the temple.
Though it wasn't necessarily the biggest attraction in the park, it was still disappointing to miss. The biggest draw to Emei is Wannian Temple. Inside I went around following the rituals of Buddhism. By the time I came back out I had a monk's blessing and my talismans to face the world.
Rating:
Atmosphere: The city of Emei is a small little town completely tailored towards tourism. Though it looks and feel like any other town in China with my its pavilions and red lanterns, the overall feel of it seems a little fake and overbuilt.
Beauty: The landscape of Leshan and Emeishan is covered with vegetation. Even without the temples as their main attractions, their beauty can stand on its own. Some of mine favorite areas were off the beaten path. On the little roads the locals use everyday you pass through fields of tea leaves being harvested and wooden bridges that that can only be found in books. 
Cleanliness: To this day China is still unable to figure out how to provide adequate bathrooms in tourist sights. The concept of squatting toilets should be eliminated. Not only are they difficult to use for Westerners but also adds to the hygienic issue. After all who wants to see actual crap being flushed down form other stalls.
Food: Almost everything I ate there was really good. Given how much I love spicy food, flavoring was right on par for my taste. In addition, I can finally appreciate just how good chicken and fish in China is. In addition it was interesting to try their local alcohol which consisted of various herbs. 
People: Hard to judge given most of my interactions were with my tour guides. Overall I felt indifferent one way or another as nothing stuck out.
Last Comment: I'm glad to have added a visited to Emeishan last minute as it would have been ashamed to have miss. As for the famous monkeys that inhabit the area, the closest I got to seeing them was in the bus as they climbed up the roof of a near by house, which is perfectly fine with me.
Scale 1-10 = 7.5
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