For about $40 we hired a car and driver for 8 hours. Our driver picked us up at our hotel, and drove us to a famous monastery 45 minutes outside of New Bagan. This beautiful Buddhist monastery is located on the summit of a volcanic plug created by the nearby volcano, Mount Popa. The volcanic plug is actually called Taung Kalat, but most people generally refer to it as Mount Popa. Perched at the top of the mountain, the monastery was extremely dramatic and very striking given that the rest of the landscape wasn't very mountainous at all.
Although known as a popular destination for tourists, it is also a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists. According to Burmese Buddhist beliefs, it is believed the monastery is inhabited by the Great Nats, a group of guardians/spirits that protect everything from the water to the forest. As a result, there were Buddhist Monks visiting from all over the world - and they were very keen to document their journey (including with selfies!).
When we arrived, we walked around the town at the base of the mountain and cheerfully observed the events of a yearly festival. The highlight was a greased up piece of bamboo at the center of town. Hundreds of people were standing around as teams of men attempted to climb the bamboo... and get to the money blowing in the wind at the top!
After that, it was 777 steps to the top, but we wouldn't be going alone. Before we took step one, we remarked at the number of monkeys - they were literally everywhere!
