The Golden Rock of Kyaiktiyo
First published in 2017
The closer we get to Kyaiktiyo, the more traffic increases. Like everybody else, we have to leave our bus at a large "transfer station" at the foot of the mountain. Now we have to take one of those trucks with benches mounted to the cargo area. The passengers are already sitting like pegs, but still, it's controlled that the drivers do not invite even more people.
Luckily our guide organizes a truck just for us, so we have a little bit more space. With the help of a staircase we get up and off we go. "Like riding a roller coaster, but hopefully without looping" is the general tenor. Our driver takes the curves pretty sharp and even overtakes a crowded truck, although the road is so narrow that you hardly can imagine how this is possible and the traffic signs clearly do not approve it.
15 years ago we were dropped a lot further down the mountain and had to walk a good way uphill. Today the truck takes us nearly to the top. Unfortunately not just us. This is a huge crowd and the more we get to the center of interest, the narrower it gets everywhere. We are walking through the narrow path that has been kept free. It is a mixture of refugee camp and Woodstock. Countless people, almost all locals, want to spend the night on the mountain. A reverent atmosphere is something different, somehow it's annoying.
The hustle and bustle are too much for us and we leave far before the agreed time.
We were looking forward to the visit, but in this state, we cannot recommend it to anyone. Fortunately, this is only one of the very few disappointments on the trip.
