What a day this last one in Burma was! If the day before I was not disappointed by what the region has to offer, this second day of exploring Hpa An acted a bit like the cherry on top.
Starting with the Kuayk Kalap Monastery, recognizable with its pagoda perched on its little piece of rock which sits in the middle of a stretch of water. It was then quite an adventure to find the famous Saddan Cave.
But it was the end of the day that really struck me: a detour via the little Kaw Ka Thawng cave, not for the cave itself, but for what was around it… A magical atmosphere near the Karen village of Lakkana, between mountains and rice fields bathed in golden light.
Today's exploration on a map
As with the previous article, I have included a small map to help you follow the journey of this memorable day.
Kyauk Kalap Monastery
Because of my needle and fuel problem the day before, the rental company kindly offered to let me upgrade to a newer, better-condition bike. So we set off again that morning on a new bike, ready for a long day.
A first stretch of 11 km took us directly to the monastery, "stuck" between the mountains where Mount Zwegabin is located on one side, and the Thanlwin River (also spelled Thanlyin) on the other.
The Kyauk Kalap pagoda , also spelled Kyauk Ka Lat, is an unusual place. As mentioned in the introduction, it sits in the middle of the water on an artificial lake. From the top of the small rock where the pagoda stands, there is a privileged view of Mount Zwegabin , another small mountain to climb for those who have the time, offering a view of Hpa An and its surroundings (but its ascent takes considerably longer than that of Hpa An).
Another unique feature of this small temple is that the 30 monks who live there are all vegetarians , so it's possible to have a free vegetarian meal every day between 9 am and 17 pm. I didn't try it because I wasn't hungry… and didn't see anyone eating…
Please note that the temple is closed between noon and 13 p.m. to allow the monks
to digestand meditate.
On the way back to our motorbike, we passed a young married couple, in traditional Karen attire, who had clearly come to take photos; I understand that's the fashion here.
Afterwards, I quickly turned onto a small road after following a sign indicating a waterfall. The area was pretty, but there was no waterfall because it was the dry season… So, on to the next stop, the Lumbini Garden.
The Lumbini Garden… or not
Yes because I tried... I did see a sign indicating it on the left at one point, but I didn't see a road going there... I stop near a school, I know, I would even say, I feel like I'm burning (and after checking later, yes, I was burning...) but I can't find and don't see an entrance...
I'm a little disappointed because I know it's one of the must-sees in Hpa-An, but still, I can't spend three hours there… So I continue on my way, literally passing at the foot of Mount Zwegabin . Suddenly, on my left, there are numerous Buddha statues. Except I still can't see an entrance… So I just take a few quick photos and decide to continue on to our next visit, Saddan Cave.
Mission: Find Saddan Cave
And yes, another mission… because the cave is well hidden, that damn thing! Also spelled Sadan Cave, Saddar Cave or even Sadar Cave, this cave is a little gem lost in the middle of the rice paddies.
The road to get there is superb, provided of course that you find it... After having gone between two mountains (I come across another section of mountain ripped open by excavators on the way...), I drive for almost 4 km, without encountering an intermediate road that should go to the right.
What misled me was that as it was drawn on the map given by the motorbike rental company, I had the impression that the road leading to the cave was indeed... a road... so I wasn't expecting a path!
Realizing this, I first started to turn around, then as we passed, we asked the soldiers on duty in the area for directions (the region has long been in the grip of fighting, with the KNU, the Karen National Union controlling the region and one of the main rebel movements against the military junta, well, that was until the ceasefire declared 2 years ago).
The guy who helped us (or at least tried to) spoke impeccable Thai, and despite the machine gun on his back, he was a very nice guy. But in the end, his colleague seemed to be saying that from where we were, no matter which direction we went, whether we continued or retraced our steps, the cave was somewhere behind (this can indeed be verified with the map I put at the beginning of the article).
a little desperate to find this Saddan cave…
At that moment, I decided to return to where I had turned back, following the advice of the soldiers. The goal was first to find the small town of Eindu , where there is a road that leads to the cave.
If I do indeed end up finding Eindu, I haven't seen any sign indicating this damn cave... so I go straight ahead... I look to my right at the mountain moving away... but I know that the cave is definitely there, at the foot of this mountain...
After 5 km on a worsening road and as the petrol needle started to drop, I decided to turn around again, a little desperate at the idea of finding this Saddan cave…
Coming back to Eindu, I try my luck again by asking someone again. And there, miracle, I get a reliable direction, it's just there on the left 100 m before my position...
It was at that precise moment that I understood that the road I was looking for (that that that...) was in fact... a dirt and pebble path (depending on the location).
But the landscape that awaited us was just refreshing (not to repeat myself with superlatives). In the background, the mountain, all around, rice fields, still green for the most part (they have just replanted apparently), and finally, I would see the entrance to the cave pointing in the distance.
The famous Saddan Cave
Saddan Cave is a unique experience. You will be greeted by 2 large elephant statues and a few steps of stairs. There is an entrance fee of 2500 kyats each.
At the cave entrance, you'll find (as usual) various Buddha statues, including a reclining Buddha at the back. You can then venture further into the cave until you emerge on the other side, where there's a small lake – a true little slice of paradise.
Concretely, because the first area is part of the temple, you have to take off your shoes. For our part, we thought that we had to be barefoot all the time... So we left our shoes at the entrance... If at the beginning it is a concrete/marked path, later on, it is the raw ground with a particularity... the cave being inhabited by many bats, the ground is strewn with guano!
I read that afterward it is actually possible to take your shoes with you and put them back on further into the cave, and thus avoid zigzagging through the cave between the excrement...
Like it or not, we did the route. And luckily, since my feet sweat, I always have socks on them so I won't be doing this walk barefoot... As for the light, while there are sometimes a few bulbs illuminating small parts of the cave, in our case, a smartphone did the trick, for lack of a flashlight! The path lasts about a good 1 minutes. There is a not entirely silent atmosphere there since the bats can be heard, it is rather heavy and humid and to think that it didn't smell like roses...
But the arrival is well worth the effort! Just that bit of giant stalagmite, bathed in light from a collapsed section of the cave, is a feast for the eyes (it's a shame the excrement on the ground is jolting me out of my reverie...). And then, as steps lead us towards the exit, we see this small lake appear. There's plenty to drink from (and maybe even eat, I think, I haven't tried it...).
Here, we pause for a few minutes to admire the surrounding scenery. Once there, you have two choices. Either take a boat for 3,000 kyats which will take you back to the mainland, passing under another cave; you will then have to walk a few minutes to return to the Saddan Cave parking lot. Or retrace your steps…
In our case, as a reminder, we were barefoot... so at the time we saw no other choice but to come back and play hopscotch again between the droppings (in practice, most of them are dry, but hey... I was trying my best to avoid a big pile...).
Kaw Ka Thawng Cave
As I left Saddan Cave, I told myself that rather than retracing our steps, I would continue on the path on the other side in order to possibly see where this famous road was that I was looking for earlier in the day.
This will be done after a stop to fill up with petrol and a lovely walk through the countryside, on a sometimes reddish dirt road, not meeting many people.
I then recognize the school, itself adjoining the Lumbini garden… We will be greeted by the kids leaving school, well at least I know where it is now…
I know it's a bit long, that it's quite choppy and that the sound of the wind blowing on the microphone isn't great, but here's what this part of the journey looks like in the minutes before the junction with the main road:
We then returned to the main crossroads before Eindu and this time turned left. From there, it was much easier to find, as there is an archway with a sign indicating the village, with the Kaw Ka Thanwg cave next to it.
In the end, if I went there, it was more for the village than the cave. We visited it anyway, just in case. We took off our shoes again and had a quick look.
This cave is clearly less interesting than the others. It is a mixture of Buddha statues, clay statuettes stuck on the walls like on the caves visited the day before, all on a tiled floor, but a little slippery because wet.
Two particular features are worth noting : first, a crocodile-shaped rock; second, a narrow passage at the back of the cave, a sort of tight tunnel leading to a tiny room where, behind a grille, are other Buddha statues, etc. There wasn't even enough room for all the curious visitors who rushed in…
The rice fields of Lakkana village
The village was recommended primarily for its setting rather than the village itself. And when I reached the small bridge crossing the rice paddy , WOW! It's a shame the bridge is apparently unfinished and just made of concrete, but the scenery around us at that moment is simply exceptional.
In principle, I would still go and visit the village of Lakkana, a small, peaceful Karen village . There's not much to complain about, but I highly recommend a visit for the scenery.
Then, we ended this day by going to the natural pool, located a few hundred meters from the cave. Here, the locals meet for a little swim in a natural pool, with crystal clear water. Restaurants are there to sit and sip a drink.
This is what we had originally planned to do, as we still hadn't had lunch… But unfortunately, time is working against us, as it is already almost 17 p.m. and we absolutely wanted to be back in Hpa An to witness the sunset from the spot recommended by our motorbike rental company, the Shwe Yin Myaw temple.
Sunset at Shwe Yin Myaw Temple
We quickly returned to Hpa An and I headed towards the temple, located on the riverbank. The temple is practically opposite Mount Hpan Pu, which we had visited the day before.
And when I arrived, the colors were already starting to look very beautiful. You can watch the sunset from the dock located in the small street next to the temple, and then you can go to the temple itself.
Obviously, it is a fairly well-known spot locally where tourists and locals go here every day to see the spectacle of this end of the day.
A perfect way to end this short stay in Hpa An, which I loved . It also concludes our trip to Myanmar for the end of 2014, while we wait to return to see Bagan, Mandalay, and Inle Lake (that is to say, all the main places normally visited in Myanmar!).
The next day, all we had to do was cross the Myawaddy land border and reach Mae Sot in Thailand to catch the bus back to Bangkok. I'll be sure to give you all the details in a future article!
That evening, however, we took the time to look for a restaurant near our hotel. We found it on the road we had just come back from that day's journey, not far from the clock.
So, are you won over by Hpa An? Will southern Burma find a place in your hypothetical trip to Burma (which I hope for you!)?
