Destinations Magazine

Burmese Days: Mt. Popa

By Wanderingjoshua
On my last day in Bagan I decided to visit Popa Taungkalat shrine or more famously known as Mt. Popa.
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
When I searched online, the only way one could get to this place is by hiring a car for $50, thankfully, there are now group tours that take visitors to Mt. Popa for only 10,000 kyats round way. I took the group tour and went to this shrine with four other people.
The drive to Mt. Popa took a couple of hours. We stopped by a small store on the way.
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
I tried one of the concoctions that the lady above was making. It was a mix of coconut and sugar cane, if I remember correctly. The Burmese countryside was similar to the Philippine countryside.
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
After an hour or so, we finally arrived at the foot of the shrine.
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
I immediately noticed the numerous monkeys all over the base and the ascent up Mt. Popa. One of the monkeys sneaked up behind me and stole my water bottle, the clever little monkey. Apparently these monkeys like drinking soda, and everything they see in a bottle is thought of as soda.
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
Kids were playing football near the entrance. There were also several eateries, small stores, and other shrines at the base of this volcanic plug.
Ascending the Steps of Popa Taungkalat
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
The journey up more than 700 steps.
Burmese Days: Mt. PopaBurmese Days: Mt. Popa
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
 It was raining when I ventured up the steps of Mt. Popa. There was a mixture of monkey poo, piss, and rain on the steps which made them harder to climb up. Upon reaching the top, you would see the same things you would see in other temples and pagodas in Burma.
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
It is believed that this shrine is home to several nats or spirits. Many locals climb up Popa Taungkalat shrine to pray.
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
The view of the town and the surrounding areas was good from this shrine. Too bad it rained really hard, which covered much of the view from the top.
Burmese Days: Mt. Popa
The climb up the more than 700 steps was anti-climactic for me, I liked the view of the shrine from below more than the actual shrine when I set foot on it. But for those who want to see more of Burma, Mt. Popa is still a good place to visit.

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