An early start to see the Golden Rock
I loved my day-trip to Myanmar’s Golden Rock, but it almost never happened.
After a restless night of tossing and turning, I desperately wanted to cancel my plans to visit the Golden Rock (also known as Mount Kyaiktiyo), one of the most famous Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Myanmar.
I was suffering from jet lag and had tried everything imaginable to get to sleep but nothing worked. I even downloaded one of those apps in the middle of night that mimics the sound of the ocean and is supposed to encourage you to fall asleep, but it didn’t work. Every time I looked at the time, it made me silently scream into my pillow.
By the time it reached 5 am, it was time to get up. I could only think of sleeping. I wanted to spend the whole day locked in my hotel room with the curtains drawn. I pleaded with Ruchi to go without me, “I’ll be a useless companion, just look at me. I’m a mess, I can’t even keep my eyes open. I’m miserable here!”
But no amount of moaning worked. We booked it together, so we had to go together, she said. She was right, and I didn’t want to let her down, so I begrudgingly crawled out of bed, washed my bedraggled face, and tried to mask the bags under my eyes with a smattering of highlighter.
Getting the bus to Golden Rock
From our hotel we walked over to the little tour agency where the bus was picking us up, and where we’d bought our tickets a day earlier.
It was startling to see the city devoid of people. A thin veil of morning mist cloaked the streets, adding a touch of eeriness to the atmosphere. The quietness was such a contrast to the chaos of people and traffic we had encountered on our arrival into Yangon only a day before.
From Yangon, the journey takes approximately 5 hours to get to the Golden Rock. I was hoping to catch some sleep on the bus, but the bus driver had a very annoying habit of beeping at everyone they passed walking along the roadside.
This way of driving brought back memories of living in China. Presumably they do it to prevent hazards, but I don’t see the logic. If I heard a loud beep as a pedestrian, I’d probably jump up in shock and cause some kind of accident. Anyway, I’m rambling.
The views from the window provided snippets of daily life and slowly I began to feel appreciative about dragging my sorry ass out of bed.
It felt so different to Europe and I found myself glued to the window. We drove past lots of small towns. The roads filled with more and more vehicles and the streets filled with more and more people starting about their day.
Some of whom were a queue of buddhists walking barefoot along the dusty road carrying bowls and utensils for breakfast. It was fascinating to see this part of the world waking up for a new day.
Arrival at Kinpun - the adventure begins!
We arrived in Kinpun and that’s where the real adventure began. Kinpun is a small village where the bus terminates. After such a long journey, I was feeling like I’d drunk two pints of Vodka and was recovering from the mother of all hangovers. But I was about to find a cure…
On arrival we transferred onto a dump truck refurbished with seats for a 25-minute journey up to Mount Kyaiktiyo. Sitting in a dump truck is one thing, but being squashed inside like a can of sardines is another thing altogether.
In any other situation this would be an ungodly position to be in, but throw speed and waves of fresh air into the equation and it turned out to be quite exhilarating.
Sitting in front of us were a group of Buddhists, and at one moment during the ride, as we turned a sharp corner and the truck felt like it was going to tipple over the cliff, one of the Buddhists turned around and looked at us with a grin on his face. It was reassuring, clearly they were used to this ride – I was literally sitting at the edge of my seats yet loving every minute of it.
After the truck pulled up and the rollercoaster ride was over, I found my second wind. Just goes to show, fear is all you need to pick you up!
Arrival at Golden Rock (Mount Kyaiktiyo)
Once we made it to the top it didn’t take long to spot the Golden Rock, utterly defying all notions of gravity. After paying an entrance fee and taking off our shoes (which you just leave at the gate and hope nobody pilfers them) we began walking towards the Golden Rock.
The soles of our feet felt like they were being scorched by the ground that was permanently heated by the sun. To counteract this, we initially walked as fast as we could before the discomfort wore off. Tip: bring socks with you!
The Golden Rock is one of the most peculiar things I’ve seen. It was exactly how I’d imagined it to be: a large gold rock perching mystically at the edge of a cliff. It’s exactly what it says on the tin.
The edifice is said to be balanced on a single strand of the Buddha’s hair. An extraordinary claim by any standards.
How it stays like that I have no idea. It appears unexplainable and so it’s no surprise to me that it has holy status. The way it balances in such a way, reminds me of Krishna’s Butterball in India.
Applying Gold Leaf (Men Only)
There is one thing I found frustrating about visiting the Golden Rock. I discovered that women are prohibited from touching the rock. Not only this, it’s tradition to paste gold leaf onto the rock, but this tradition is only allowed to be carried out by men.
Come on, what is this?
I have a feeling this is not a Buddhist rule, but rather a Burmese rule. Hopefully this archaic view will soon be phased out, and with due reason.
Optional accommodation at Golden Rock
We’d seen pictures of the Golden Rock at night time and kind of wished we’d booked accommodation nearby. If I went back to Myanmar, I would definitely stay for the night, but instead we needed to catch the last bus back at 5pm from Kinpun so at 4pm we waited in line to get the refurbished dump truck back into town.
It was just as crazy and chaotic as the journey up the mountain. Truth be told, the adventure in the truck, swerving around corners and racing over uneven terrain as I sat squashed between tens of strangers was the highlight of the whole day, more than seeing the Golden Rock in all its illuminating splendour. Dan Eldon was right when he said ‘The journey is the destination’.
Bus back to Yangon
When we arrived in Kinpun we waited around hoping the bus would turn up because it was the last one of the day and there would be no way of getting home until the morning. This wasn’t an option as we had already bought onward tickets to Bagan for the following day. I killed time by taking a few photos whilst Ruchi kicked around some tiny stones with little concentration. Surely enough an old banger rolled up and we were instructed to hop in.
Though it was more spacious than the truck, we were shocked to find ourselves sitting on pull-out seats in the middle of the aisle. It took almost 5 hours to get back into the city and I spent half of the time trying my best not to fall asleep on the person sitting next to me, and the other half was spent standing up to let someone sitting at the back exit the bus. The impracticality of the seating arrangements made me laugh to myself as any other reaction would’ve been wasted energy.
Needless to say I slept like a baby that night. I slept so, so well.
Want to see more quirky rock formations from around the world? Check out → 14 Unique Rock Formations from Around the World
Looking for accommodation in Yangon?
For budget travellers: Hotel G Yangon offers such great value for the location, service, and cleanliness. Located in the heart of downtown Yangon, you’ll be close to lots of restaurants and attractions. I don’t think you’ll find a better night’s stay in the city for the price.
For luxury travellers: If you’re looking for somewhere that has pulled out all the stops, look no further than Pan Pacific Yangon. Granted it doesn’t have the local feel of a small independent hotel, but it offers all the modern comforts to ensure your style in Yangon runs as smooth as a whistle. Perhaps the best things about the hotel is the outdoor infinity pool overlooking gorgeous views of the city, including Shwedagon Pagoda at night.
4 responses
I did this trip and I completely agree that the adventure lies in the dump truck hah! It may not be glamorous but it gives you one hell of an adrenaline kick. Though instead of going straight back to Yangon you could also visit nearby Hpa-An, it doesn’t take too long to get to (about 2 hours I think) and you’ll see hundreds of well preserved Buddhas and some really cool caves! Wish I were there again.
Who knew a dump truck could bring so much joy? 😀
Ahhh I read about Hpa-An and really wanted to go to see the caves especially, though i didn’t realise it was so close to the Golden Rock, thanks for suggesting an alternative route Jim, it sounds ideal!
How much does it cost per person in USD for one day trip?
Would you recommend doing the day trip or time permitting would you suggest staying a night in Bago or Kyaiktiyo?