Burma Superstar Destination: Hpa-An (and Golden Rock), Myanmar

There is something elusive about the perfect destination, a place with pristine natural beauty and authentic culture that is both accessible and inexpensive, but not overrun with crowds. We’ve been to many phenomenal places in this world that come close: Switzerland and Norway are amazing and accessible, but expensive; Thailand is beautiful and cheap, but very touristy; Qatar is not touristy but (how do we put this nicely?) somewhat soulless. Many places are usually missing one key element. Myanmar, just opening up to the world and set in the natural beauty of Southeast Asia, had all the ingredients for the perfect destination. We just had to find the right spot.

We weren’t even planning on going to Hpa-An. In fact, we had never even heard of it. After Yangon, we were going to head north to Bagan and Inle Lake as the standard Myanmar itinerary goes. But when our friend Tomo told us he could give us a tour of his ginger farm up north the following weekend, we ended up with a few extra days in the southern part of the country with no plans. Not wanting to spend any more time in the sweltering heat of Yangon, we decided to take the six-hour bus ride south to Kayin State to see what we could find.

And what an amazing find it was. Hpa-An (pronounced “pah-ahn”) is the classic Southeast Asian setting: terraced rice paddies along a river, against a backdrop of steep limestone karst mountains, whose summits are dotted with temples and stupas, creating peaceful settings and spectacular views. And the beauty is not just soaring above; set among lush forests and hidden from view, massive caves can be found beneath the earth. One would think that this natural beauty would attract many visitors, but Hpa-An isn’t overrun like a Vang Vieng in Laos or a Phuket in Thailand. That’s because most of Kayin State is off limits to visitors as the Karen tribe (insert common comment about Karen having her own tribe here), the largest ethnic group in the state, continues to fight for its autonomy. A ceasefire was brokered in 2012, opening up Hpa-An, the state’s capital, to visitors, but due to the ongoing conflict in the rest of the state, it is not usually on most tourists’ radars.

(This is a common theme in many places in Myanmar; unfortunately, there is still a lot of inter-ethnic conflict throughout the country. A wider representation of all the country’s ethnic groups is why “Myanmar” is now the preferred name instead of “Burma,” since the Burmese make up only 68% of the population.)

We arrived in Hpa-An in the late afternoon to this beautiful setting, and were so delightfully shocked by what we saw that we got very excited to explore! We literally threw our bags down in the hostel and ran out to catch a long-tail boat across the Thankyin River to catch sunset. The view was so beautiful, even the locals heading back to their village were taking pictures! We quickly walked through a village of traditional thatched roof homes on stilts and hustled up a hill to the Pha Bhu Taung pagoda just in time to see the sun dip behind the karst mountains. With the heat of the day literally visible above the tree line and the setting sun behind it, it was a fantastic first hour in our newfound paradise.

Back in town that night, we went for a traditional Burmese dinner. Having eaten our fair share of Burmese food in San Francisco, we thought we knew what to expect. But the meal was actually quite different than what we get at Burma Superstar. When we walked in, there were about 25 steel pots of food on the counter, containing different curries, meats, vegetables, and noodle dishes. All we did was point to a few and sat down. Thirty seconds later, a horde of servers came to our table, bearing not only the three items we had selected, but also 12 other side dishes set up mezze-style—an array of fish, eggs, vegetables, and beans, as well as pastes, chilis, and sauces—plus a heaping plate of rice and a bowl of soup each. We tried every dish; some were very spicy and a few were inedible, but most were very delicious. We could not come close to finishing and felt bad about leaving so much food. The total cost for both of us for that massive meal was 6000 Kyat (pronounced “chaat,” said emphatically, or as if you are coughing out the syllable), or $4 USD total.

The next day, we set out to explore the countryside of Hpa-An. The way to do this (Mom, stop reading now) is to rent a scooter and drive around by yourself. As novices (we had each taken and passed a motorcycle class in San Francisco, but had not yet practiced on real roads), we were initially anxious to do this, but it was actually quite easy; and, on the rural roads with no one else around and a top speed of maybe 40 km/hr, it was very safe—and very, very fun! (Yes, Mom, we wore helmets.) In fact, while we visited some amazing sights, the activity of driving around by motorbike in and of itself was perhaps the best adventure of our Hpa-An exploration. There is something about meandering through the backroads, getting lost in the fields and navigating on your own, with the wind in your hair and a friendly cow staring at you as you putter by, that is both exhilarating and peaceful.

In this manner, we made our way through beautiful rice fields and rural villages, appreciating the breeze on our skin in the blazing heat. Our first stop was the Taung Wine pagoda. This zedi was built on top of one of the karst mountains, which essentially has no slope, so the hike up, while not technical, was basically an intense glut work-out going straight up hundreds of steep stone steps for about 50 minutes. Add in the heat and humidity (similar to Yangon)—and the fact that, for some reason, we started this hike midday—and it made for a very sweaty experience. But, it was well worth it. The approach to the top via a steep steel stairway attached to the side of the mountain was very dramatic, and the views from up there were spectacular. The vibrant green fields and unique crags of the entire Hpa-An region came into view, as well as the mountains that separate the narrow southern tail of Myanmar with Thailand. Though we would have liked to stay up top longer, we took a few photos, caught our breath, and then hustled back down, not wanting to spend too much time on the exposed rock in that heat.

We needed to cool off after the hike, so we went in search of an alleged swimming hole. When we first read about this place, we thought it might be touristy, as it is located next to a Buddhist cave that all the tourists in Hpa-An (even if minimal) visit. Plus, who wouldn’t want to cool off in this oppressive heat? Turns out it was busy alright, but not with tourists; rather, it was busy with Myanmar teenagers. It was basically the local dating spot, kind of like the Myanmar version of a suburban movie theater. Young couples came up hand-in-hand, and jumped right into the spring-fed pool—fully clothed! Though some boys took off their shirts and had on shorts, most of them simply rolled up their longyis, while many of the girls swam in jeans and button-down shirts. We had brought bathing suits, but as Karen’s tank top and shorts were likely already inappropriate, she also jumped in fully clothed. The restaurants around the pool blasted international pop hits, to which the kids danced, flipped, and had a good time. It was really quite interesting to observe the familiar flirting of teenagers—the giggles and the chasing each other around and the quick pokes—against the unfamiliar backdrop of the conservative culture (and against the backdrop of monks who also came to swim and cool down, though they did so out of sight in the nearby cave where the spring likely initiates). As the only foreigners there, we felt slightly out of place—not because we were foreigners, but mostly because we were old. Ah, teenage love.

Once we cooled down, we headed to our final stop of the day, the Mahar Sadar cave. Similar to everything else here, we didn’t know what to expect and were in for a great surprise. We arrived at the cave via another jaw-droppingly beautiful motorbike drive, and came up to not just a cave, but an elaborate Buddhist temple built inside the cave. We took off our shoes and walked barefoot into the cavern, leaving our shoes at the entry, as is required and respectful at all Buddhist temples. The cave was quite large. The 100-foot tall ceiling (or more?) featured hanging stalactites and large Buddha statues lining the walls. Not only was it tall, it was also deep; it took us about 20 minutes walking quickly from end to end to the other entrance, with Buddha’s LED bulbs lighting the way.

At times, it was a bit gross to walk through the soggy cave without shoes (this was a feeling we’d soon get used to, as we would spend over half our time in Myanmar barefoot, walking over dirt, dust, rain puddles, marble, gravel, betel nut spit, and whatever other critters or bacteria were on the ground, because all of the temples often require you to take off your shoes at the start of a temple property, versus at the doorway of an actual temple building, as is the case in many other Buddhist countries like Thailand or Laos; our feet became very resilient). But, as is often the case, dirtying our feet was well worth it; at the other side of the cave temple, we came upon a hidden lake. It made for an idyllic setting, with the blue waters, green palm trees, gray limestone cliffs, and orange setting sun showing off a full palate of colors. At this point, we could have walked back through the cave to get back to the first entrance (where our shoes were), but we were told to hop into a boat on the lake. We didn’t really want to take and pay for a boat ride on a lake, so we initially declined. But then we saw another boat head toward the mountain in front of us and disappear, and realized that there was actually a passage through the mountain. So, we hopped in the boat, drifted along the beautiful lake, and then, through a shallow space under the mountain that looked like the crawlspace of a house, carefully maneuvered back to the other side where we began. Again, it was both peaceful and invigorating at once, a type of serene exploration. Back on the other side of the mountain, we continued to cruise through flooded rice fields as the sun set, watching the farmers tend to their crops under the late day’s slightly cooler air, before getting back to our shoes. It was a very special and unexpected experience.

On our way out of Hpa-An, we had time to visit the amazing Kyat Ka Latt Pagoda sitting atop an inverted mountain

While we drifted along in the boat, we thought about how the Buddhist approach to religious structures was different from other religions. Most religions typically feature a raised pulpit/bima/dais, from which a religious leader conducts a service to the congregation. While Buddhist temples are similarly grand in their design, they lack this key “leadership” feature. There is an order to the monks and abbots, but none is leading a service or speech on a regular basis; followers seem to come and pray on their own and by themselves, or if the monks are around, provide an offering or join in a chant. Additionally, many of their religious sites are hidden in nature out in rural areas, in isolated spaces that worshippers have to actively seek out. And wow, have they picked some magnificent locations in which to worship, as we saw in Hpa-An: on the summit of inverted mountains, inside caves, and in beautiful forests; or, if in urban areas, usually on hilltops or set amongst tranquil gardens. These often make for the perfect place for retreat, study, and meditation, and requires followers to get out into nature and away from everyday life. Even if one is not very religious (which we’re not), the very act of escaping for a bit is helpful for the body and mind.

Which brings us to the modern-day monk. At least in Myanmar, we saw monks riding motorcycles, playing video games on their cell phones, sporting tattoos, and smoking cigarettes. We thought they are supposed to give up their worldly possessions and not desire anything? It didn’t seem like all of them were following the reclusiveness and connection to nature that we saw in those beautiful temples.

Maybe our next destination after Hpa-An can help explain the paradoxical modern monk.

A few hours north of Hpa-An, in neighboring Mon State (which also boasts a current liberation movement, leaving many areas still closed off), is Golden Rock. Golden Rock, or Mount Kyaiktiyo, is a giant boulder perched precariously on top of another rock, on top of a mountain. It is gold because pilgrims cover it in gold leaf. Due to the “miracle” of the geological formation and its unlikely balancing act, it is a major pilgrimage site for Buddhists. Legend has it that the rock, which has survived many earthquakes over the years and is still balancing, is kept in place by a single holy strand of Buddha’s hair located in the stupa on top of the rock. (Recall that Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon also houses a strand of Buddha’s hair; this is another one.)

It was quite the trek to get there. We first had to take a three-hour bus from Hpa-An to the town of Kyaikto, then a 20-minute tuk tuk ride inland to Kinpun. From there, we boarded a monster truck that crammed 50 people into a space for 25, and that operated more like a rollercoaster, coursing wildly up the steep mountain curves for an hour. We experienced this ride next to a monk who was also going up, though Karen was stopped short as she started to take the seat next to him, because women are not allowed to get very close to monks, let alone be squished against them in a packed rollercoaster; Michael had to sit down next to him instead. At the top, there were great views of the mountain range and a waterway that connects to the Bay of Bengal. After enjoying these views and being snagged out of nowhere by the tourist police to pay our foreigner entry fee ($7 USD each for us, free for Myanmar), we walked up the last few steps to the rock viewpoint, peered over the ledge to look at the sacred rock, and saw...scaffolding.

The legendary Golden Rock, balancing precariously by just a strand of Buddha’s hair, is undergoing renovation to stabilize its structure. We came all this way to see a balancing rock, and instead saw a construction site for something that we were told does not need human intervention and construction. Michael could have gone inside the rock’s temple to see the underbelly of the construction, but Karen, as a woman, was not allowed. Michael decided not to even go inside. The long journey of nearly six hours may have ended in mild disappointment, but we got a pretty good laugh out of it.

Maybe the modern monks have it right after all. Life is a long and sometimes difficult journey; sometimes you just need some modern conveniences and good laughs along the way.

Karen & Michael

Hpa-An and Mount Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock), Myanmar, October 29 – November 1, 2019