Dreamlike Mount Popa - Mystical Golden Temple in the Heart Of Myanmar - (All my own photos)

After spending time at Inle Lake, we headed down to Mount Popa. This was actually a mistake, as we had planned to stay in Bagan, but the rooms were all full. It actually turned out to be really fortunate , as not one of the temples in Bagan can hold a candle to the beauty of the Golden Temple sitting astride the mountain top.

The otherworldy Popa Taungkalat Monastery

On the way up to the mountain retreat were we were staying, I first caught a glimpse of the Golden Temple sitting on top of an outcrop of rock on Mount Popa and had to catch my breath.

Mount Popa at Sunset from a distance

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The Temple

The sunset was reflecting light from the Golden Temple, and it felt like a first glimpse of Minas Tirith by Frodo as described in the Lord of the Rings.

"Then turning south again he beheld Minas Tirith. Far away it seemed. and beautiful: white-walled, many-towered, proud and fair upon its mountain-seat; its battlements glittered with steel, and its turrets were bright with many banners.''

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The temple has 777 steps, some of which are very steep and not for the faint hearted.

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The details of the temple

The temple has some beautiful details when you can tear yourself away from the stunning views. It is made in a typical fashion of the Buddhist Pagodas in Myanmar, with gold details and bright vivid colours.

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The Views from the temple.

The views from the temple are just breathtaking, with views onto the surrounding jungle, Mount Popa ( dormant volcano) and also the Nats / Pagodas that have sprung up around the holy site of Mount Popa.

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Numerous golden spires can be seen across the nearby landscape, with jungle and mountains stretching to the horizon.

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The People and animals around the temple.

The temple is bustling with numerous hawkers, street traders, monks and tourists. If you have a lot of spare banknotes you will find yourself giving them out pretty quickly.

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Watch out for the macaques (monkeys) they may look cute but are very happy to steal any food from your hands and can be very aggressive.

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Conclusion and advice-

The temple is stunning and located a day trip away from Bagan. (An area with thousands of temples). In my opinion this one temple beats any of the hundreds that I saw in Bagan, so well worth a visit.
The steps are steep so be ready for a climb.
Don't carry any food as the Macaques will attempt to steal it.
Carry a lot of spare change as there will be a lot of people asking for money.
Make sure your camera is charged, a zoom lens would also be handy.
For the location, head to Steemitworldmap

Steemit Myanmar Travel Blog Mount Popa