MOUNT KYAIKTIYO

From Yangon we took a bus to a place called Kinpun which is the jumping off point for Mount K. All buses going north or east go from the Aung Mingalar bus station which is conveniently situated about 10 miles from the city centre. It’s a frantic sort of place with touts and hawkers of all sorts plying their trades. We found the right bus and enjoyed the ride – our first look at the Myanmar countryside.  The interesting bit started at Kinpun, whose sole reason for being there seems to be to act as a “base camp” for Mt Kyaitkiyo which is a major Buddhist “must visit” place. The road up from Kinpun is about 7 miles and very steep and the only public transport is open trucks – these have 7 rows of narrow bench seats on the back with just about enough legroom in between for a stunted hobbit. They squeeze 5 or even 6 on each bench with bags, or more people, in a cage at the back.

We understood that from the point where the bus stopped we would have to walk a short distance to the hotel, but either the system had changed or we had got it wrong because when we arrived we found that we would have to walk back down about 20 minutes almost to the previous stop. Happily there were a number of young guys around who were only too happy to put our baggage in straw baskets on their backs and lead us down.

Of course the corollary to this was than in order to get back to the shrine we had to walk back up – very, very steep and it was hot. For people unwilling or unable to walk up, there are groups of porters who will carry you in a sort of sedan chair. 

The shrine itself is extraordinary – basically an enormous boulder precariously balanced on top of another rock. The thing is that they have put a stupa on top of the boulder and painted the whole lot gold. Visitors are encouraged to buy small squares of gold leaf and place them onto the boulder as part of their devotion (only men – women are not permitted to get close to the boulder).

This next one shows just how precariously the rock sits.....................

Around all this has built up a big area of marble tile walkways, contemplation areas, subsidiary shrines etc. – and all this is at the top of a mountain with spectacular views in all directions.