And when they say 10,000, they mean it.

When I was in college, I studied abroad in Hong Kong. I stayed there for five months, and it was a really wonderful time in my life. When my brother said that he could get me a layover in the city on my way to Beijing, I jumped at the chance.

One of the things I wanted to do was go to the 10,000 Buddha's monastery, because even though I had gone when I studied abroad there, I didn't take any pictures, and I remembered it being a very interesting place.

I remembered right! In the West, I think we are pretty used to seeing Buddha look something like this.

But, when you've got 10,000 of them, it pays to diversify.

The monastery was full of statues like this. Near life-size and painted in gold.

There was Buddha holding stuff.

Buddha after you barged into his dressing room.

Buddha crossing a river without getting his pants wet.

Buddha who can reach stuff on the top shelf.

Buddha who, um, well...

They weren't all life size statues though. They crammed a lot into a main hall.

There is actually something like 12,000 Buddhas in the whole compound, and I'd believe it. It was totally worth the 400 steps there, and the dozens of mosquito bites I got.