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Hewer Says: I really enjoyed observing the monkeys while I was there. You can see them all over - basically where there's food they'll be hanging around. I saw them snatch papers and sneak off with fruit and it was also fun to watch the way they interacted with each other. The monkeys...
Hewer Says: Plan to spend some time looking around at the top of Mount Popa. There are several structures and interconnected buildings and rooms. It's quite interesting nosing around and checking everything out. You can also get several different views of the surrounding countryside....
Hewer Says: The climb takes around 30 minutes total, or maybe longer if you factor in rests and taking in the view. You can see the township getting smaller and actually the monkeys get cheekier and cheekier the higher you go. There are a couple of steep sections but it's not a...
Hewer Says: There are many gold stupas at the top of Mount Popa. The view is great of course but there are also plenty of interesting things to see at the top of the climb.
herzog63 Says: At several of the landings on the way up to the top there were ladies selling various kinds of foods. Some of the locals would sit down have some food before continuing up to the summit. I'm sure the food was very inexpensive and tasty!
Yangon Restaurant: Eat up before ya head home
herzog63 Says: The Yangon seemed to be the most popular of the small restaurants in the little village at the bottom of the Temple complex. We just grabbed some drinks as we weren't that hungry. There are a few other places to choose from also. Most meals would just be a few hundred Kyat...
Helpfulness
You could hang out near the bottom and watch the tired pilgrims as they come back down from the mountain and also wander along the stalls in front of the entrance. Other than that no one was really hanging around. The Burmese tourists where climbing back into their buses and trucks and where going other places. Some people were making the walk to some of the guesthouses that were a couple of miles away.
Written Apr 7, 2003
herzog63 Says: There are buses and trucks from Bagan to get yourself to Mt Popa. You will have to enquire when you're there. I didn't get much info about it. But for sure they don't leave until they are extremely full!!
herzog63 Says: We hired a taxi from Bagan and paid $20. That is the expensive way to go but my time was limited and I wanted to see Mt Popa. There is a series of local transportation to get there but it was a little time consuming for me. If you wanted to hire a taxi and split it between 4...
Hewer Says: Mount Popa has long been a center of animist beliefs, or nat worship. It is said that Burmese kings came here to pay their respects to spirits. Traditionally in Burma, there are 37 nats. The ancient animist beliefs and Buddhism seem to run parallel, however, and you will of...
Hewer Says: Almost all of the rest rooms I saw were 'squat'-style (i.e. no seat), though I did come across one exception by the foot of the mountain. I'm guessing this must be a bit unusal in Kyaukpadaung because of the sign on the door !-)
Hewer Says: Just a few kilometers out of Kyaukpadaung, we had to stop to wait for a goat herder to move her stock off the road. An unusual sight! The road between Mandalay and Bagan has been in use for a long time, evolving from a track to an earth road and now a bitumen semi-highway....
herzog63 Says: There were quite a few of Monks enjoying the afternoon when we were there at Mt Popa. Many of the them seemed like tourists themselves as they carried cameras with them. At first I thought they lived there at the Monastery.
Hewer Says: These are the cheekiest, craftiest monkeys I have ever seen. A few moments before I took this picture a large monkey took the notes clean out out the hands of a trainee tour guide and scurried up onto the roof with them. A bit of light entertainment sure, but I felt bad for...
Hewer Says: It's best to be a bit careful if you have an aversion to heights!-) There are a few tight bends as you go up Mount Popa and at some stages of the stair climb, the ledge is quite close or only protected by a one meter barrier. It looks great over the edge but you don't want...
herzog63 Says: Well I don't think that this is really a tourist trap but I wanted to put it here. There is a small hole cut in the window where you stick your arm and your can toss rolled up paper money into Buddhas hands. It is quite difficult to do. I tried twice and missed both times...
herzog63 Says: The Yeti was praying to the Buddha at the base of the main stupa. I'm not really sure what level of monkhood a yeti is. I had read about them in the Lonely Planet guide and felt lucky that one had come to visit when I was there.
herzog63 Says: These guys were just too cool!! There ain't nothing cooler than a bunch of toothless smiles running around playing soccer amongst the stupas.
Hewer Says: The two things I will remember most about Kyaukpadaung are the view from Mount Popa and the monkeys. Experiencing both involves walking up quite a few stairs, but it's well worth it. The view differs from that of say, Mandalay Hill, in that Mount Popa gives a sense of the...
herzog63 Says: Lining the way up you will see writings on boards but they are written in Burmese script. I sure they are quoting an wise Monk and saying be good and stay out of trouble etc...
Mt Popa makes for a great half or full day trip from Bagan. I actually left Bagan at 3 Pm so I could watch the sunset. Then I returned back to Bagan in the night time.
Mount Popa and Kyaukpadaung Township
Every time you speak to a local in Burma, they want to know your itinerary. I was a bit wary of this at first because I half expected the hard sell for a guided bus tour to follow, but it seemed that...
Build your own Kyaukpadaung page
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