Page 150 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

148 SoutheaStern MyanMar KyaiKtiyo (Golden RocK)
Shwe Li 194 Strand Rd T052 222 2213. In a quiet spot mosquito repellent. No English spoken. Daily 10am–10pm.
facing the river just off the main road, this Chinese Three Five 10 Main Rd T052 22223. Cavernous and
restaurant serves authentic food (mains K2000–4000) to a popular Chinese restaurant with a long menu that includes
primarily local clientele, who come for dishes such as fried interesting dishes such as chicken with crab (mains K3500–
pork with bamboo shoots. Just remember to bring your 6000). Daily 8am–9pm.
DIreCtory
Banks CB Bank, on the main road between Three Five Post office Bago’s post office is tucked away in an
restaurant and the Emperor hotel, has an ATM and currency unassuming bungalow south of Shwemawdaw – be
exchange, as does the KBZ Bank inside the Icon Shopping prepared to ask for directions.
Center near the clocktower.

Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock)
3
One of the holiest places in the country, Kyaiktiyo is a major draw for Buddhist
pilgrims, with thousands visiting every day during the November to March
pilgrimage season. The site also pulls in substantial numbers of non-believers, who
come to marvel at the huge gold-covered boulder – the Golden Rock – that is perched
rakishly on a granite slab high up in the Eastern Yoma Mountains. On busy evenings,
when the sinking sun tinges the sky a fiery orange, the rock glitters and glows and a
thousand awed pilgrims whisper prayers to the breeze – it’s truly one of the most
magical places in Myanmar.
A Mon name, Kyaiktiyo means “pagoda on a hermit’s head” – a reference to its
legendary backstory. Burmese Buddhists believe that Buddha gave a strand of his hair
to a hermit, who tucked it into his own topknot for safekeeping. The hermit later
presented the hair to the king of Thaton on the condition that it be enshrined in
a rock shaped like the hermit’s own head. After a long search, the king managed to
find a suitable rock at the bottom of the ocean and, with some supernatural help,
transported it to its current location, where the hair has been holding it in place ever
since. It’s rumoured to be possible to pass a thread between the rock and its base by
rocking the boulder gently back and forth, and yet the Golden Rock has managed to
withstand several large earthquakes in its long history. Whether you believe the legend
or not, it’s easy to imagine that something more powerful than just geology is keeping
the rock up there.

Ascending Kyaiktiyo
Trucks run from Kinpun to the mountaintop plaza (K2000 back of truck/K3000 front cabin) and Yathetaun truck stop (K1500 back of truck/
K2000 front cabin) from 6am–6pm, departing when full and less frequently as the afternoon wears on; sedan chairs cost K20,000/person
The stony trail to the Golden Rock starts from the small town of KINPUN, from where
a well-marked path leads 11km to the mountaintop. While the hike starts relatively
gently, it turns into a long and sweaty climb – the rock sits at 1100m, 1000m above
Kinpun itself – and takes at least four hours. The trail is well shaded by day but is
poorly lit after dark, and it is not advisable to climb overnight. Villagers have set up
bamboo stalls along the track, and water and snacks are widely available on the walk
up – as are small children shouting “mingalaba” (“hello”).
The huge majority of visitors to Kyaiktiyo settle for taking an open truck up the
mountain from Kinpun, either to the mountaintop plaza or to Yathetaun truck stop
– the fares explicitly include life insurance, which may give a sense of how exciting the
drive can be. From Yathetaun truck stop, it’s a 45-minute walk up a steeply
switchbacked path to the Golden Rock. This is perhaps the best way of approaching
the rock, as it gives a sense of how it would be to walk the entire pilgrim trail without

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