Saturday, May 24, 2014

Take the Chicken Truck to Golden Rock



As I sit here preparing to write about Saturday, my first real day here, I feel at a loss to know where to begin. The entire day was just amazing and so beautiful that I think it is still hard for me to take in. I'll bore you with some mundane details and then get to the really good stuff.

Breakfast began at 6:30, and I got there not really knowing what to expect for my first Burmese breakfast. The breakfast area is on the 14th floor of the hotel, so right as I walked off the elevator there were some pretty amazing views of the city. The sky was a bit overcast, but didn't look as if it would rain right away. The variety of food that the hotel had for breakfast was quite impressive. They had some Western standards - hard boiled eggs, fried eggs, toast, cereal, as well as more traditional Burmese options. I decided to go for it and try some of the Burmese, guessing as to what things were. The two winners that I chose were a type of fried rice with large chunks of garlic and baby corn and snow peas and egg, and a vermicelli dish that had hard boiled egg and some veggies. I also had some very fresh, sweet watermelon as well as strong black tea and the most amazing pineapple juice believable. I threw in a slice of toast for good measure - right before breakfast I realized that I hadn't eaten anything other than 2 granola bars since getting off of the plane in Toyko. It felt good to be eating! While I was eating, the rain rolled in. It's quite amazing how quickly it comes in - and it is so heavy when it falls, just sheets and sheets of it pouring out of the sky. Quite impressive to watch from such a high venue, I literally watched it move across the city. I sat for a bit, drinking more tea and juice, before heading back to my room to grab my things. The trip to Golden Rock was just for one night, so I packed a change of clothes into my small backpack and stored my bigger bag with the hotel. 

Our group was asked to meet in the lobby at 8, and I was excited to meet my fellow travelers and our guide. The guide, Zaw, was in the lobby when I got there - we met and talked a bit while waiting for the others. He is from Yangon and has worked as a guide for about 10 years. He works for Intrepid, the company I am traveling with, as well as another company called Exodus. His English is excellent and he's really informative and nice. I asked him about the journey to Golden Rock, and he said that it would be about a 4 hour drive to the base of the mountain, and then we would take a "Chicken Truck" to the summit. "A chicken truck?" I asked. "Yes," he said " an open truck that you would normally put chickens and animals in the back of." This was going to be an exciting day!

Two other ladies joined us, Emma from London and Heather from Sidney - they had both just finished the 16 day tour that I will be beginning on Tuesday. They are both really nice and we're getting along really well - I have a feeling that I am making new friends for life on this trip. 

Off we went out the front door and into our van. Zaw told us that we would be visiting the Htauk Kyant War Cemetary on the way out of Yangon. Built by Burma after the Second World War, this cemetary honors 27,000 Allied soldiers who died fighting in Burma. Many of these soldiers died building the Burma Railway under the Japanese. It was about a 30 minute drive out of the city to the cemetary. The grounds of the cemetary are huge, and immaculately maintained. We spent about 20 minutes walking around, reading the tombstones and enjoying the peace of the place. Many of the men (boys, really) died around the age of 19-22. We all remarked that we were not only grateful for their sacrifice, but were so glad that they had such a peaceful resting place. 

While Emma and I were walking along the columns, a group of Burmese approached us and asked to take our photo. We said yes, and all the girls came up and posed with us. It's really sweet, they want to take your hand or put their arm around you - this contact is only gender to gender, not intermixed. I expected them to want to take 1 photo, so when they each wanted to take one (there were about 15 of them) I was really surprised! We took a few more, then excused ourselves. I asked them if I could take their photo, and they shyly agreed. I asked Emma if that had been typical of the rest of the trip, and she said that a little bit, but not too often. They spoke a few words of English, and by gesturing and lots of smiling we all made ourselves understood fairly well.

Back into the van we went to drive for about 3 more hours to Kyaiktiyo. When we arrived at the base of the mountain we ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Zaw explained that in this region the Burmese food is cooked at the beginning of the day and then left sitting out, so that it was better to eat Chinese food which was cooked to order to avoid the risk of getting ill. We had some really good food. I had a rice dish - rice fried with chicken and veggies and these amazing spicy little chiles. Yum! After this we had a quick visit to the loo (squat toilets only, no surprise there) and made our way to the chicken truck! When we walked around the corner to the "Chicken Loading Bay" (chicken being synonymous for tourist or pilgrim, at this point) we were amazed at how many people they packed into these trucks! Zaw said "That's why I call it the chicken truck, everyone is packed in like chickens!" We 4 chickens piled into the front row of the one of the trucks and were ready to go. We had to wait about 10 minutes for the truck to finish filling up and it was absolutely sweltering while sitting still. No breeze, no moving air, and sweat just pouring down us. It was quite a relief when we started to go! In our particular truck there were some Chinese tourists, Burmese pilgrims, and lots of monks. Our chicken truck rolled out of  the garage, and we were on our way up the 12 km road to the summit and Golden Rock. 

The ride up the hill was so beatiful. As we climbed we began to get spectacular views of the valley and the mountains rising around us. Since we were in the front it was a little hard to see and almost impossible to take pictures of the views. Up and down this very steep and windy road - switchback after switchback taking us right up into the clouds. I was watching the other chickens in the reflection of the rear window, and the Chinese tourists in particular were having a great time on the ride - raising their arms into the air, rollercoaster style, when we would go down a steep hill! The older monks looked almost like they were sleeping, but the young novice monks had huge smiles on their faces. We got to the top after a bumpy and beautiful ride. It is about a 5 minute walk from the unloading area to the entrance of Golden Rock, and Zaw informed us that our hotel was on the way and we would check in and then go to the rock. Our hotel is called the Mountain Top Hotel, and that is an incredibly accurate name as it is perched right on the top and side of the mountain. The view from our rooms is spectacular! The windows look right out over the mountains and the valley - as I write this early Sunday morning the sun is just barely beginning to paint the clouds with hints of color. Sunrise itself is in about 45 minutes. I can see a crescent moon and star floating right above the cloud bank. It feels ethereal.

After dropping off our backpacks we headed towards the temple square itself. We all remarked that we weren't quite sure what to expect, even though we'd seen photos. Once you approach the entrance to the square, it's off with the shoes. We headed up the staircase and had our first glimpse of the rock. Precariously perched on the edge of a larger boulder, the small Golden Rock looks as if the slightest gust of wind would send it tumbling down the mountain side. However, it has been there for the last 2,500 years, according to Buddhist lore. If you are interested in learning more about the history of Golden Rock, click on this link. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/burma/golden-rock-kyaiktiyo

We had expected it to be quite crowded, but it was not. We seemed to be the only Western tourists there. Hours flew by as we watched pilgrims approach the rock, give offerings, and meditate. The men are allowed to place gold leaf on the rock, and most of them do so. 

I really can't describe this part to you adequately. All that I can say is that it was unbelievably powerful being in such a spiritual place. Regardless of what or who you believe in, you would feel close to it in this place. It was an experience that filled the senses. Feeling the cool mountain breeze, smelling the incense wafting, hearing the chanting of the monks and gongs ringing and bells tinkling - absolute magic. The mountains around us were covered in this fine layer of mist, and the river in the distance seemed to be floating in mid air. Once the sun began to sink beneath the hills the air seemed to glow with this vibrant gold color, illuminating everything and making the already bright colors pop.

While walking around, so many people (mainly girls) came up and asked to take a picture with me! I think my blonde self is quite the anomaly to them. At one point this lady with a giant video camera came up and asked in broken English if she could film me for Korean tv. I was REALLY flustered and managed to stammer out "um, ok, I guess so....." She asked me why I came to Burma, where I was from, what I liked about the country. I guess that I'm now going to be on Korean tv! Interesting. Everyone was so polite and so interested - when we walked by they would all smile and take our picture. This is such a welcoming country. Finally at the end of one of these giant photo ops I asked someone to take a picture with my camera. You can see this "family photo" below! I asked Zaw about this later, and he said that it was very likely that most people in the rural areas had never seen a blonde person before. 

We walked around the huge temple square and found a bell maker, who was selling the prayer bells. Emma and I each bought one. We sat on a bench under a tree and watched barefoot children running and playing together, laughing and smiling. We watched a group of about 10 novice monks (approximately ages 6-10) come down a staircase. Our attempt to take their picture turned into the most endearing game of hide and seek ever, with them running down the stairs and ducking their heads before popping up to reward us with absolutely huge smiles. We watched monks prostrate themselves before the rock, chanting and working their prayer beads. We saw women bring offerings of food and tea to Buddha, before kneeling and chanting their own prayers. Most of all we saw a beautiful people who are so moved by their devotion, and so willing to share their happiness. We saw humanity at its purest. 

We stayed up and watched the sunset, before finally tearing ourselves away. At this point Emma and I had been at the rock for almost 4 hours - it went by so very fast! We had dinner at our hotel, perched on the edge of the mountain. 

When I went to bed, I thought of a conversation that I had with my Aunt Jean recently. We were talking and she said "Find what feeds your soul, and then do that as much as you can." 

My soul is full.       


The war memorial




The view out my window at the Mountain Top Hotel



Emma, Heather, and Me








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