The Golden Rock (Mt Kyaiktiyo)

I was a bit worried that the Golden Rock (Mt Kyaiktiyo) would be a bit like the Plain of Jars: an excruciatingly long journey to the middle of nowhere, for an altogether underwhelming sight.

Fortunately, the journey – although long – was not so excruciating and the sight was quite impressive.

We left our hotel in a taxi at 6am and drove to an office on the edge of town. Here we were transferred into a pick up truck along with 20 others and were ferried even further out of town. Finally arriving at the bus station, we settled in for the three hour journey to Kinpun. After lunch in Kipun we climbed onto the back of a huge lorry, sitting on narrow wooden planks that served as benches. We thought the lorry was fully when 30 of us sat waiting, shoulder to shoulder, but more passengers kept on arriving and somehow the Burmese people on the benches seemed to get smaller and smaller, creating space for the new arrivals. For forty minutes we bounced up and down on the back of the lorry, higher and higher up the mountain side, knees wedged firmly together, hanging on for dear life. 

Trucking.

The Golden Rock is a large gilded boulder that balances on the top of a mountain, seemingly defying gravity. According to legend, the boulder balances in its precarious position thanks to a precisely placed hair of the Buddha.

On arriving at the top of the mountain I first noticed the foul smell of rubbish. It was like standing on a landfill. A quick look over the edge of the railings revealed the source; the entire mountainside was a sea of plastic food containers, bottles and carrier bags. A depressing find in such an otherwise beautiful spot.

Kyaiktiyo is one of the most popular religious pilgrimage sites in all of Myanmar and thousands of Buddhists flock here to watch the sunset over the magic rock. We visited during peak pilgrimage season (November to April, the cool months) and the plaza surrounding the shrine was packed with worshippers, whole families, camped out under blankets and bed sheets like kids in pretend fortresses. The pilgrims alone were an unusual enough sight to maintain my attention, especially the children who followed us around giggling and saying hello.

Annoyingly, women aren’t allowed close to the rock, or in certain areas with the better views. As a tourist and a feminist I was mildly disgruntled by this, I can’t imagine how outraged I’d feel if I’d travelled hundreds of miles on a pilgrimage to be told I could only worship this holiest of rocks from within a 50m radius from behind a tree! Gender segregation is not common of Buddhism, I haven’t seen it anywhere else, it’s something the government has imposed.

Kyaiktiyo itself is indeed impressive, glistening in the sun, threatening to fall at any time. The views over the surrounding valleys are also stunning; it’s just a shame about the litter.

Men apply gold leaf to the rock for good luck while women stay behind the railings.

We Stayed At…

Emerald Villa Hotel: Not a villa, just a shabby room full of ants. Convenient location for the bus, terrible attached restaurant. £12/$20 for a double with shared bathroom.