The golden rock is the reason why people make the journey to Kyaiktiyo in Myanmar. It is the second most sacred site after Shwedagon Paya. Getting there is not a straightforward task. To reach the golden rock requires a compulsory truck ride from Kinpun and a trek up.
If you don’t like trekking up a mountain or are simply unable to, you can be carried up on a palanquin. The view up is absolutely amazing.
The Golden Rock is an enigma to me. It seems to be the highest point on the Mount. If that is indeed the case, then where did it fall from to end up lodged at the edge? Unless a volcano somewhere spewed it out from a distance. Whatever the case though, it is pretty amazing, the experience enhanced by the fervent Buddhists praying all around.
A trip to Mount Kyaiktiyo can technically be done as a day trip from Yangon. However, you would miss the amazing sunset there as the last truck down to Kinpun leaves at 6:00pm. We decided to stay one night up the Mount at one of the two hotels – Kyaiktiyo hotel. They provide a very basic room but it faced the sunrise and had a nice little balcony to chill out. From there, we had a good view of the sunrise. It is mountains to no end.
At night, there is not much going on in Kyaiktiyo. You can head out for dinner but it seems they all close by 10:00pm latest. People in Kyaiktiyo are very nice and helpful. I was secretly pleased when I heard I was the first Mauritian to visit Mount Kyaiktiyo by the officials…well not so secretly now.
Comments are closed.