Leshan is a city located near Chengdu (the provincial capital of Sichuan). To be honest we weren't very impressed by Chengdu itself where we saw lots of police officers and exiled Russian students with no money trying to find their way back to their country. Not to worry though, we quickly got out of there and made our way to see the Leshan Giant Buddha!
The Buddha itself is very large, and cannot be seen entirely from land. This is due to the fact that it is right up against a river. Because of that, the best views are offered from a boat.
Yes, the Buddha is large and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. But we went there, saw the Buddha, and that was pretty much it. Not much else to see, plus there were TONS of tourists. So in the end, it was more like a 'been there done that' kind of thing. Did you notice in the picture my friend Yeonchang standing next to the head? This gives you an idea of just how giant the Buddha is. AND the history of this Buddha spans over 1000 years! I am surprised it is still standing, or sitting to be more accurate. Of course restoration projects on it have begun, but still it is quite impressive.
To avoid spending lots of money don't eat in the park. Either bring your own food in or wait until you leave. I would recommend bringing your own food as the whole affair will take at least half of your day. To find out more about the Buddha itself read the Wikipedia or Wikitravel article, those links will take you to see more info.
All the information I found about how to get there and what not was provided by the Lonely Planet guide on China which I highly recommend.
Lonely Planet: China
Below is the Lonely Planet Guidebook for China. I would highly recommend this as I often used this as a reference for a wide range of things from finding places to sleep to transportation to eating, and more. The important thing about traveling in China and most of Asia in general if you are on a budget is to get to know the prices of things. Guidebooks like Lonely Planet do a pretty good job at telling you approximately what price things should be so that you don't get ripped off. Click on the image and it will take you to amazon.com where you can purchase your own copy of the book.
