Pilgrimage

Our train journey from Yangon is as adventurous as we'd hoped. The trains here are prone to regular derailments on account of the fact the trains bounce on the track and literally bounce off. We, thankfully, did not suffer this fate but boy was it ever bouncy. We were sat opposite two guys from Poland and had a great laugh trying the various foods that came round with the hawkers at each station and sharing the bouncing. The scenery as ever lovely, lots of agricultural land and in the distance, just visible, a probable gulag.

We arrive in Kyaiktiyo in one piece, find a nice room and drink beer, eat two crap meals and decide we are going to walk to the Golden Rock Temple, some 11 kilometres up, right on the ridge of the mountain. 7.45am sees us breakfasted and on the road. The climb up is gentle in places and steep in others. We are sharing the walk with three lovely Burmese ladies, Bluey, Pinky and five tiffin Tilly. We rest sometimes together sometimes overtaking each other, but always when we meet with a hearty "Mingala ba" and sharing of whatever food or drink we are each taking.

The last 15 minutes of our 4.5 hour climb is to be completed bare foot as at all religious sites here. It is hot at the top and families have arrived in the sardine trucks laden with picnics and makeshift tents, it has a slight feel of Disney about it. The Pagoda itself is reputedly held in place bya hair of the Buddha, it is truly gravity defying. It is covered with gold leaf, placed on in little squares by devotees of the Buddha. We buy a bell but to bring home not to donate to the cause. All that remains to be done are the photos, we take some with the ladies and they ask me to go with them for an official photograph, we've had such a great time with them we buy them all a copy. A day to remember and cherish.