Hpa An: From Kyauk Kalap Monastery to the Karen Village of Lakkana

What a day this last one was in Burma! If the day before I was not disappointed by what the region had to offer, this second day of exploring Hpa An was a bit like the icing on the cake.

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 jet of 11 km took us directly to the monastery, "stuck" between the mountains where there are Mount Zwegabin on one side, and the Thanlwin River (also spelled Thanlyin) on the other.

The pagoda stands out in the distance.

Kyauk Kalap Pagoda, also spelled Kyauk Ka Lat, is an unusual place. As mentioned in the intro, it is located in the middle of the water on an artificial lake. From the top of the small rock where the pagoda is located, there is a privileged view of Mount Zwegabin, another small mountain to climb for those who have the time and which allows you to admire Hpa An and its surroundings (but its ascent takes much longer than Hpan Pu).

Another special feature of this small temple is the 30 monks who live there are all vegetarians, it is possible to have a vegetarian meal there, free, every day between 9am and 17pm. I didn't try it because I wasn't hungry... and didn't see anyone eating...

Note that the temple is closed between noon and 13 p.m. in order to allow the monks digest 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.

Long live the brides!

Afterwards, I quickly took 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 stage, 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 hey, there's a time, I'm not going to spend 3 hours there... So I continue on my way, literally passing by at the foot of Mount ZwegabinSuddenly, on my left, there are a number of Buddha statues. Except I still don't see an entrance... So I settle for a few quick photos and decide to continue on to our next visit, Saddan Cave.

My photo of the Lumbini gardens…

Mission: Find Saddan Cave

And yes, another mission... because the cave, it's well hidden, this damned thing! Also spelled, Sadan Cave, Saddar Cave or even Sadar Cave, this cave is a little gem lost in the middle of the rice fields.

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).

Please sir, which way is the cave?

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 go back to where I had turned around, following the advice of the soldiers. The aim was first to find the small town of Eindu, where there is a road there 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...

But where is this fucking cave!

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…

It's gone badly...

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).

I ask Eindu for directions, the road is right there between the tall house on the right of the photo and the middle of the photo (that's a clear indication, right?)

It should look like this.

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 entrance of the cave, you will have (as usual) various statues of Buddhas including a reclining Buddha in the background. Then, it is possible to go further into the cave until you come out on the other side, where there is a small lake, a real little corner 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...

More the arrival is worth the effort! Just this bit of giant Stalagmite, bathed in light coming from a part of the cave that has collapsed is a feast for the eyes (too bad the excrement on the ground brings me out of my torpor a little…). And there, as steps lead us towards the exit, we see this small lake appear. There is something there to drink (and even eat, I think, not tested…).

Here, we pause for a few minutes to admire the scenery that surrounds us. Once there, you have 2 choices. Either take a boat for 3 kyats which will bring you back to dry land by passing under another cave, you will then have to walk a few minutes to return to the parking lot of the Saddan cave. Either 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...).

Back to square one.

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.

Back to the intersection near the school.

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 went back to the main crossroads before Eindu and turned left this time. Here it was much easier to find, as there is an arch with a sign indicating the village, Kaw Ka Thanwg Cave being next door.

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.

2 particularities to note all the same, the first, this crocodile-shaped rock, the second, a small narrow passage at the back of the cave, a sort of narrow passage leading to a tiny room, where behind a grid there are other Buddha statuettes, etc. There wasn't even enough room for all the curious people rushing in...

The rice fields of Lakkana village

For the village, it was recommended mainly for its setting more than the village itself. And when I arrive at the level of the small bridge crossing the rice field, WOW! Too bad the bridge in question is apparently unfinished and just concrete, but the scenery around us at that moment is just exceptional.

In principle, I would still go for a walk in the village of Lakkana, a small peaceful village of the Karen ethnic group. Not much to say about it, but I highly recommend you take a look for the setting.

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, having still not had lunch… But unfortunately time is against us, because it is already almost 17pm and we absolutely wanted to be back in Hpa An for watch the sunset from the spot recommended by our motorbike rental company, the Shwe Yin Myaw temple.

Optimized transport!

Sunset at Shwe Yin Myaw Temple

We were heading back to Hpa An quickly and I was heading towards the temple, located on the edge of the river. The temple is practically facing the Hpan Pu Mountain that 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.

What a way to end this short stay in style Hpa An, which I loved. This also ends our stay in Burma for the end of 2014, while waiting to return to see Bagan, Mandalay and Inlé Lake (that is to say all the main places normally visited in Burma!)

The next day, all we had to do was pass the Myawaddy land border and join Mae Sot in Thailand to take the bus back to Bangkok. I will 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.

Make your choice !

Enough to fill your belly!

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!)?