JOURNEY TO THE GOLDEN ROCK

Liz and Kip seeing the sights of Bago in their stylish ponchos.

While the headline may sound like a title for the next Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson movie, don't worry. It's not. But our journey to see Myanmar's famous Golden Rock at Mount Kyaiktiyo did get a little Hollywood crazy--complete with giant pythons, torrential storms, ancient temples and, thanks to yet another Kip-caused delay, a chase scene that would've made Jason Bourne proud.

Traveling to one of the country's most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites isn't easy, but we were willing to do whatever it took to see the famed Golden Rock. First, though, we had to get there.

The Rock (the site, not the actor) isn't exactly on the way to anywhere, so we hopped a local bus four hours east of Yangon to the town of Bago. We intended to stop in Bago for the night, but due to the terrible shape of the hotels and constant pouring rain, we decided to have lunch and review our options. During our meal, we were harassed helped by an entrepreneurial moto driver who guaranteed he and a buddy could deliver us safely through the downpour and get us to "all" the sights in town in under an hour to catch the next bus out. Done.

First stop: The Snake Monastery
Since we are in Burma, our trip wouldn't be complete without getting up close and personal with a Burmese Python, possibly the world's largest snake. So when we learned there was an 18-foot monster nearby that was supposedly the reincarnation of a long-dead monk, we had to drop by. The massive snake, which has a handler that stays with it at all times, lives in its own personal monastery, complete with a bedroom and swimming pool, as well as worshipers who come by to pray and leave money with the holy reptile daily. If only his holiness had slithered around a bit while we were there, the visit would've been so much cooler. 

HUGE Burmese Python, which is actually a reincarnated monk. People bring it offerings of cash, which look incredibly small on its massive body. These are not miniature bills, but are the size of a U.S. dollar.

Kip does his best one-legged chicken impersonation.

Next Stop: Drenched, we raced toward yet another pagoda and an ornate building (left) that our energetic tour guide couldn't identify, despite a huge sign posted out front. Near the sign was a large golden chicken statue, which Kip decided to imitate quite pathetically. The guides at least laughed.

With that, we were informed that we had seen the best Bago had to offer, and so our next stop was the bus station. Amazingly, the bus actually departed five minutes early. Which would've been so great, except it must have pulled away while Kip was mid funky chicken. 

Undeterred, our fearless guide decided we would chase the long-gone bus through the downpour until it pulled over to let us on. That's exactly what happened--through insane traffic and pouring rain. Around rivers of water. Dodging falling cats and dogs. Until he found and loaded us onto the bus. Impressive. 

Liz racing through traffic after the bus.

So, with a hair-raising chase complete and the (two) sights of Bago behind us, we headed toward the much-lauded Mt. Kyaiktiyo. 

To make a short story much longer, it turns out there's no direct bus service to the Rock during the rainy season, so we only made it a few hours from Bago, before hiring two motorcycle taxis for a 30-minute drive to the town of Kimpun.

It was on this motorcycle drive that Liz caught her first glimpse of the famed holy shrine. Yet when she saw it, she was sure this couldn't be it. It appeared so much smaller than in the previous photos we'd seen.

Yes, that tiny speck of gold is "The Rock."

To see Liz's actual view, check the photo at left. See that small speck of yellow on that hillside? Was that really what we took three taxis, two buses, and almost eight hours to see?

Turns out that yes, that was it. 

No matter. We refused to be disappointed since we had planned to splurge on one of the nice hotels on the mountaintop near the Rock so we could view it at night and catch the sunrise as well. 

With that in mind, we raced to the bottom of the road where you catch the pick up trucks to take you up the mountain. And when we arrived...you guessed it--we were told the last pickup pulled out about 10 minutes ago. Lovely. 

But there's a happy ending. On our way to look for a place to spend the night, we met a precocious young man whose family owned a nearby guesthouse. As we followed him toward the hotel, he told Liz talked about their favorite singers. One of his favorite songs was "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel. With that, Liz confirmed our reservation at the unseen hotel, and together they walked down the empty street singing a duet that would've made even the Piano Man himself smile. 

Well rested, we walk down the following morning to take the mountain "pick up truck ," which is actually a rusty dump truck with 2x4's spread across the back for seating. The truck took us halfway up, and we hiked the remaining 45 minutes to the top. Tired and wet, we finally received our reward. 

Shrouded in a morning mist, the shrine was truly stunning. The Rock itself is precariously balanced atop another rock, giving the appearance that it could topple over at any moment. It's coated in pure gold, placed there sheet by tiny sheet over decades by pilgrims coming to worship at the shrine. 

Though it was a marathon journey to get here, we'd do it again. Next time, though, we'd skip the rain, the chase scene, and having to watch Kip's funky chicken. Otherwise, we wouldn't change a thing.

Kip tests the structural integrity of the shrine.

Liz wanted to help Kip push, but ladies are not allowed near the shrine. 

Workers clean the steps to the top with wire brushes. As with all Buddhist shrines, no shoes are allowed, so we
were happy to have the cleaning crew.