While we were in Bagan we decided to take the drive to go see Mount Popa, it is an extinct volcano that has The Popa Taungkalat Monastery on it's rocky slopes. I mean, come on, already this temple sounds amazing, extinct volcano with rocky cliff sides and amazing views, what more could you ask for? Monkeys, you say? Well, YUP, this Temple has wild monkeys as well!
On our way to the Monastery we stopped by a local sugar cane farm. The locals showed us how they collect the sugar from the trees, they had to climb the tall palms. The men used ladders that were hand-made and attached to the trees. It was very interesting to watch, the ladders seemed so rickety! They also demonstrated how they use an Ox to grind the nuts.
After the farm, we continued on the road. We drove on an old shortcut road that was once used by the man who used to collect flowers for the King. The driver we had would honk at cars in front of him to pass them. My Mom was shocked at how much honking went on, and even more shocked when the driver honked at a police car to pass him! It was cool to see the different cars on the road, we even saw some monks on a motorcycle!
After a point our car could only go so far. We had to stop driving, park the car, and walk the rest of the way. If you ever thought traffic in any city you've been to/live in is bad, this tops it all! There were cars lined on this small two-way street all trying to get closer to the Monastery. Huge buses would try to weave through open spaces and motorcycles would go speeding by. This area was so busy! We had to be careful as we walked in between cars and buses, who knew what was going to come through!
Along our walk we stopped in a small temple that had statues of many of the Nats (or Spirits) that guard this spiritual area. There are 37 Nats total that call Mount Popa their home and people pay their respects to them before going up to the monastery.
While we were walking we could see The Popa Taungkalat Monastery sitting on top of the rock we were about to walk up 777 steps to go see. Along the walk there were tea shops, little stores, and small food vendors that lined up on the road side.
Once you enter the temple area and are about to start climbing the steps, you are required to take off your shoes. By this point in our trip we were used to taking off our shoes before entering a temple. My Mom was ready and armed with sanitizing cloths for when we were done exploring the temple.
We were warned about the monkeys before entering the temple. They are mischievous and wild! we were told to make sure everything we bring with us is attached or we hold onto it if we see a monkey. They love shiny objects, we had to keep our cameras and glasses close to us so the monkeys couldn't grab them. We were already ready with not wearing any necklaces or bracelets they could easily take.
As we were walking, I was distracted by the monkeys on the steps I hardly noticed the one sitting above me in the rafters. Thankfully I noticed just in time as he peed onto the stairs below, just in front of me! I'm so glad I avoided that! It could have been bad!
The stairs we climbed were covered with what seemed like tin and wood roofs. There were a lot of groups making the climb on the day we went. We saw quite a few school groups and youth groups. At different points along the ascent there were no coverings and it was open, you could see the land below. There were some beautiful views.
At the top there is a golden stupa and a spiritual spot where a monk meditated till he disappeared. People come to visit that location and pay their respect.
On our way down from the temple the stairs lead you through a winding labyrinth of a small market place. Kind of like "exiting through the gift shop". It was an interesting experience to end the climb by walking through local souvenir stands. We then had to make our trek back to where we left the car, back through the buses and motorcycles, although it was a little less crazy since some people had left by then.
