Golden Rock, religious Crack!
Trip Start
Jan 10, 2011
1
13
15
Trip End
Feb 04, 2011
Kinpun, Myanmar
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Getting out of Inle turned out to be trickier than I'd envisioned. In theory it should've been simple.
After spending a pleasant morning Bicycling around the Lake, even stopping at a winery for a little Wine tasting with my fellow travelers, Maria and Thomas (Italian and French, can't resist the Vino!)
it was time to make tracks. Thomas and I said our goodbyes to Maria and off we went in search of a Pickup truck to take us to Shwenyaung Junction on the Highway.
Found the pick up with two passengers already on board, waiting to fill up before departing. Seems it wasn't a popular destination that hour of the day...I had booked a seat on the overnight bus to Bago, and time was running out. Some MC taxi guy (in cahoots I'm sure..) rolls up and tells me I better get a ride with him if I don't want to miss the bus to Bago. We collectively tried pressuring the driver to go but he replied with wanting to raise the fare on us. We threaten to get off and hire another vehicle at which point he seemingly relents and we go for about a quarter mile before stopping again. There seems to be some sort of low level organized racket going on.
Knowing you have a bus to catch they try to squeeze out more cash out of you, it wasn't actually the driver we were arguing with but some other type of "Ride Pimp". I finally lost my temper grabbed my bags from the rack and jumped off, pissed off! That at last made the driver get going. Seems like tourism breeds some unsavory elements...
Got to the junction on the Highway and fifteen minutes later the Bago bus rolled up and I jumped on.
Uneventful Bus ride except for the excruciatingly slow descent from the mountain.After that, it's smooth rolling as they've just finished the new road from Nayipidaw the capital. Around 4 AM the bus rolls into the outskirts of Bago and in jumps a self appointed entrepreneurial tourist guide and "transport agent". He's aiming straight for me. Turns out if one is heading to "the Golden Rock" which I am, it's better to get off here on the highway instead of going all the way to the bus stop.
Fellow passengers nod in agreement so I follow him off the bus and grab a stool at the all night tea Shop, to hear him out. Htun-Htun's his name and he's a wealth of information and I quickly decide to trust him. At this time of night I can hop on a Pick up truck leaving in 15 minutes from here or wait 2 hours for a real bus. I opt to hop on the Pick up instead of waiting and I promise to hire him for an afternoon tour of Bago when I come back through town in a couple of days.
It's an entertaining pick up ride at dawn as people going to market hop on and off during the 3 hour journey. Again I need to change pick up once, but at no extra charge.
I arrive at Kinpun village around 8:30 AM. The place is a hopping little one street town that services all the pilgrims heading up to the Golden Rock. Souvenir stands and restaurants line the strip. I'm beat having barely slept a wink on the bus. I need me a bed and a shower! I check into a room and rest a while figuring to head up to the Rock right after noon.
The departure point to the Golden Rock is a shade protected truck stop passenger pick up spot. The Flatbed trucks are converted from freight to passengers by the placement of wooden benches on the back bed. As soon as it fills up with approx.40 passengers (and 3 more up front w/driver costs double) they roar up the Hill. The drive is a wild rollercoaster ride up the steep narrow road. The driver really steps on it and the passengers are hootin' and hollering with fear and excitement as they negotiate the tight hairpin turns. Not everyone is having a great time however. Just ask the poor motion sick girl who lost her lunch as soon as we took off! It's a good 30 minute white Knuckle ride up to Base camp.
Base Camp is a dirt square lined with more restaurants and souvenir stalls aimed at the Buddhist Pilgrim market. From there you have a number of choices. Either, walk up the steep paved road, Take the old jungle trail on the side ( my choice) or even splurge and hire a sedan chair manned by 4 sweating porters and go up sitting in comfort towards Nirvana (this seemed to be the method of choice for the Korean delegation).
The Jungle trail winds its way up the mountain on a narrow shaded path. All along the way, you pass refreshment stands doubling as homes for those who manage them. At first I was unsure whether I'd taken a wrong path and regretted not going the asphalt road up. But the sight of an enormous python slithering across the path in front of me was a sign of my correct choice. It alone made the "Pilgrimage" worth it. I only regret not having my camera ready for snapping....The mid day heat made the climb an arduous one, eased somewhat by the frequent re-hydrating stops for gulping down a fresh coconut juice and taking in the awesome views below. Some shops sold strange medical concoctions made of different powders such as crushed Millipedes and other bugs. Others sold toy helicopters and guns emblazoned with the letters USA on them. Are those a veiled wish for an American led Military invasion or symbols of foreign aggression? And what were their significance in the vicinity of Burma's most holy site? ...not sure...Kids like toy guns I guess! ( I used to!)
After a grueling 45 minute hike, I'm finally reaching the top, the clusters of souvenir stands, restaurants get more compact. Even Hotels at the top! albeit pricey ones for foreigners while some cheaper guesthouses for Burmese only, can be found on the back flank of the vast religious site. It's a vast platform offering splendid views in all directions. I tried to sneak through the toll booth office with a pass given to me by Maria in Inle Lake. I tried to tell them I'd been there the week prior and decided to have a second look etc...( who in their right mind would make that 45 minute hike twice in a week!!??) They didn't buy it.....They checked their register for a visitor from my country the week before...None...I felt a bit sheepish handing over the entrance fee..I should've said I was from ...Germany! No wait, they checked my passport and wrote down my name, visa number. etc...never mind.
The Rock itself is a large Boulder covered in gold leaf and topped by a Stupa.It balances precariously on top of another boulder . It's mind boggling as it seems to be floating a Buddha hair above the cliff. As you lean closer to take a peek ( on the men-only terrace!?) you can see beams of Sunlight piercing through the thin surface it rests on... it does practically levitate!
To me the vibe didn't come close to the easy going Shwedagon Paya in Rangoon. Can't put my finger on it. I found the whole thing a bit ridiculous. Buddhist Monks and nuns from all over streamed through the place. Posing in large groups for Photographs in front of the Golden Rock.
Sure it looked pretty enough with the late afternoon sun beams hitting it straight on. I suppose I should've taken a high priced room at the top to glance at it at dawn? naaah..I'll pass. Plus
I felt observed like never before (Paranoia? or was it perhaps the observing without participating stance I'm taking. A drawback of tourism vis a vis holy sites. Imagine busloads of tourists at the Hajj in Mecca, perhaps in a not too far distant future...
Looking at the clock i realized I needed to make tracks if I wanted to catch the last bus barrelling down the mountains. I did not want to stumble down the steep dark trail for 6 hours!
I hurry down to the base camp and manage to squeeze onto the last bus of the day, Yay!
Same exhilarating ride down, full speed! Hope the brakes were checked recently!
We made it back in record time. Hunted down some chow on the "strip". Saw two aliens like myself in a restaurant and they assured me the food was decent so...joined them.
They were strange expats, victims of the european economic collapse scraping by on the cheap in S.E.A. Lost properties in real estate crash etc (couldn't really feel sorry for them...) I did buy them a beer. They reminded me of stranded exiles in Tangier from some W.S. Burroughs stories. Asked the price of the beer before ordering, was quoted a too high price so got up to leave...they brought the price down to reasonable levels, Ok we'll have a beer here after all then... The Proprietress then brings us a little snack tray to try ... Shredded Water Buffalo strips, beef jerky like, very salty,we nibbble a few bites, not too bad.....Anyways , standard conversations..."where you been, where next" etc .. Time to pay... and a bad surprise as the greedy Owner tries to charge us an exhorbitant amount for the "snack" we did not order! Needless to say. I refused to pay! Guess I should have forcefully refused it, but she seemed to be "offering" it.... A bit of arguing on all sides but we stood firm (wow! second time in a few nights..what's up?) Parted ways, she gave me the royal Stink-Eye on my way back up to my Guest House (and next morning also!) Of all places , a most holy site of Pilgrimage and I've never experienced such malevolent greed! Bad Karma Lady!
Oh well, the Golden Rock was never high up on my list of places to see in Burma, but done is done! I won't recommend it with everything else the country has to offer.
I'm off to catch another bus...this time back to Rangoon with a stop in Bago for the day...
to be continued
more pics below
