Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Internet
If you get fed up waiting for your hotel wi-fi, head to KMD Internet Bar (daily
9am-9pm; K400/hr) or Star King (daily 9am-9pm; K500/hr for a computer, wi-fi free with
a purchase), which are on opposite sides of the main road just west of the river.
Post office
Bago's post office is tucked away in an unassuming bungalow south of Sh-
wemawdaw - be prepared to ask for directions.
Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock)
One of the holiest places in the country,
Kyaiktiyo
is a major draw for Buddhist pilgrims,
withthousandsvisitingeverydayduringtheNovembertoMarchpilgrimageseason.Thesite
also pulls substantial numbers of non-believers, attracted by the pagoda's spectacular loca-
tion, rising out of a huge gold-covered boulder - the
Golden Rock
- which is itself perched
rakishly on a granite slab high up in the Eastern Yoma Mountains.
A Mon name, Kyaiktiyo means “pagoda on a hermit's head”, a reference to its legendary
back story.Burmese Buddhists believe that Buddha gave astrand ofhishair toahermit, who
tucked it into his owntopknot forsafekeeping. 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 man-
aged to withstand several large earthquakes in its long history. Whether you believe the le-
gend or not, it's clear that something unusual is keeping the rock up there…
Ascending Kyaiktiyo
TrucksrunfromKinpuntothemountaintopplaza(K2500uphill/K1500down)andYathetauntruckstop(K1500
uphill/K1000 down) 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's
alongandsweatyclimb-Kyaiktiyositsat1100m,1000maboveKinpunitself-andtakesat
least four hours. The trail is well shaded by day, but poorly lit after dark, and it is not advis-
able 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!
”.
Most visitors to Kyaiktiyo, however, settle for taking an open
truck
up the mountain from
Kinpun, either to the mountaintop plaza or to
Yathetaun truck stop
- the fares explicitly
includelifeinsurance,whichmaygiveasenseofhowexcitingthedrivecanbe.FromYathet-
aun truck stop it'sa 45-minute walk upa steeply switch-backed path to the Golden Rock, but
