Today we visit the Big Buddha, via cable car ride. I was startled by how high it rode off the ground, over both water and mountains!
To heighten the experience, we paid extra and took a glass-bottomed car, "The Crystal Cabin!"
Once there, we found the Big Buddha, which required climbing several steps:
The large bronze Buddha was surrounded by 6 smaller statues praying and giving offerings, as well as real-life Buddhists bowing three times (not unlike Catholics genuflecting). 
The descent back down the stairs afforded something you completely miss on the ascent--a fabulous view of the whole area.
At the bottom of the hill and the oldest thing in this region, the Nong Ping Monastery was vividly colored and filled with gold Buddhas and burning of incense.
People worshiped by buying large sticks of incense, lighting it, and bowing with it three times, three times, three times, waving the smoke, etc. It smelled nice, like a busy campgrounds.
We returned to town via bus (on a harrowingly windy road -- I can see whence the cable car!) and had dinner at a delightful place called Little Italy for family style (though with an Asian lightness) Italian dinner.
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