Kyaiktiyo, Myanmar / Burma

Google maps: Kyaiktiyo, Myanmar / Burma

Another change of plans. Some parts of Myanmar / Burma are still off limits to tourists, some used to be open but are now shut again, like Western cities of Sittwe and pagodas-filled Mrauk U.

It would be however too easy to give up on Burma and head for the comfort of Thai beaches so I decided to hit the less visited Southeastern Myanmar / Burma.

But Kyaiktiyo pagoda or Golden Rock is certainly not a back street site though as it is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in whole of the country. Only problem is that it is up on a hill 5-hour trek from a base camp. Luckily enough Burmese dislike hiking in 35 degrees as much as I do so there is an alternative. How many people can squeeze into the back of medium Nissan truck? Apparently 50 (if not for me it would be 51) plus the driver. And what a ride it was... It was as if a packed city bus was put on a rollercoaster, only there was no seatbelts and airbags, just a Buddha image on a windscreen. I was dead scared but other people were just sipping tea, eating crisps and chewing betel leaves and looked like no pilgrims rather as shoppers heading for the market.

But once we got to the top, it seemed like it was just more of a market than a holy place. Any Burmese religious site looks like a combination of sacred place and small town bazaar. And vendors sell not only food, drinks and Buddha statues, but everything from toys, clothing to Chinese electronics.

But all second thoughts disappear when you finally see the Golden Rock. It is a very small pagoda built on a granite boulder all covered in golden leaves. The boulder seems to defy gravity as it appears just about to roll down the hill. But as legend says it stands on the strand of the Buddha's hair so human laws no longer apply here. Early morning filled with candlesticks' scent, monks' chanting and pilgrims silence makes it all encapsulating. But them again walking around Kyaiktiyo pagoda you can also see people picnicking, young monks playing with remote-controlled cars, kids running with fake wooden guns in between praying adults. In Burma sacrum mixes with ordinary every day life as if one could not be separated from the other. Coming to Kyaiktiyo is worthwhile not only for the Golden Rock but also for a first-hand insight into Burmese Buddhism. And two rides on a rollercoaster...