Bago + Kinpun

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23/11/2010 - 25/11/2010

After Yangoon I went more to the centre of Myanmar, to Bago. To dodge the 10 US ticket fee for all sight seeing places (cause all goes to the government) I hired a guy with motortaxi to take me to several places: pagodas, cobra pagoda, cigar rolling factory. Some were quite nice, especially the long lying boedha outside (he claimed that this in fact was the longest one..); the cigar rolling factory was amusing. There were all young women making jokes etc, and in the end quite willing to take a picture together.

I did not spent the night in Bago instead I took the bus straight to Kinpun, a small town which grants its popularity to the big 'Golden Rock'. I arrived a in the city quite hungry so I went on resto expedition. Afterwards while walking back home I stopped at a local tea house where they were showing live soccer game; burmese guys are by the way absolutely football crazy, especially english premier league is very popular. I started to talk with some local guys and at one time someone decided to get a guitar. It turned out to be a very memorable night. With my limited guitar skills we would all sit together and sing easy sing along songs..

Next day: Golden Rock! This required first a 1 hour sardine truck ride followed by a 1 hour climb walk. On the bus I met some local young guys from Yangoon and we would share the climb burden together. I already tried to touch the delicate subject of myanmar and its repressive government. They all disapprove (read: loath) their current military government, however when you try to go deeper onto the subject they always would change the subject cause you never know who might be listening.
The golden rock....is a golden rock; the interesting part is that the majority of its weight hangs over the edge so logically you might expect that over the years this rock will tumble into the valley. However this will not happen a local said to me cause of the power of a boedha hair which is preserved in the near pagoda...

Coming down again I met an older British guy accompanied by 2 burmese women. Clearly enjoying his company the English gentlemen offered me a free ride back to Bago and a lunch on the way!

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Photos

cobra pagoda
monk became snake, snake will become monk again