I persevered in my quest to conquer the slopes of Mount Kyaiktiyo in southern Myanmar. It was not a mountain that he could approach lightly. Devotion-laden Golden Rock at its peak was the reward.

Most Burmese pay homage to this wish-soaked balancing rock, a miraculous pilgrimage site they must visit before they die. Legend has it that a serpent dragon princess found this rock at the bottom of the sea and with her supernatural powers transported it to heaven. Many believe that touching this gigantic sacred stone allows to grant wishes. Men fight up the mountain only to apply more gold leaf to enhance the rock’s already magnificent golden glow. But not everything is fair. While women are free to ascend these sacred slopes, none of them can touch this astonishing stupa-adorned wonder once they have reached the top. In a gesture of solidarity, I too chose not to touch its shiny surface. Who made such rules? I bet the dragon princess is furious. I will find other ways to make my dreams come true.

Myanmar is full of wonder. In Bagan more than a thousand magnificent stupas were built around the same time that the Renaissance was happening in Europe. Sunlight gleams brilliantly off the gleaming golden spire of the highly revered Ananda Temple, built in AD 1090. There are around 997 stupas nearby, but Ananda’s imposing and perfectly proportioned edifice is the one that heralds the stylistic purpose of the early Bagan era. When I was there, a rainbow explosion celebrated the existence of the stupa.

Why have so many people never heard of this wonderful place?

Tea main courseYet surely it must be the glint of golden spiers and glittering Buddhas casting an ethereal glow over Myanmar’s holiest pagoda, Shwedagon Phaya, looming over the country’s commercial capital, Yangon, or Rangoon as it is described. knew in a previous existence.

Shwedagon can take your breath away.

Myanmar Buddhists dream of visiting here at least once in their life. Nobody, not even tourists, ever forgets such a visit. There is said to be more gold entwined on the surface of Shwedagon than there is in the vaults of the Bank of England and perhaps even more than the mega tons stored at Fort Knox. Perhaps this exaggeration is justified when setting the tone. This is an amazing place.

Long ago, Rudyard Kipling went lyrical about this gold-draped icon: “A golden mystery rose on the horizon, a beautiful flickering wonder that gleamed in the sun …”

Let me put this blast of glitter in perspective by describing just the top of the main spire which is clad in 13,153 solid gold plates measuring one square foot each. The tallest paddle in this tower is splinter-plated and studded with 1,100 diamonds totaling 278 carats with another 1,383 gemstones inlaid nearby. At the top of the palette is a gold dial wrapped with 4351 diamonds, weighing 1800 carats. And at the tip of this orb is a single 76-carat diamond perched more than a hundred meters above the worshipers below. There is a telescope to one side for those who wish to see the jewels up close.

Shwedagon has been around for two and a half millennia. Perhaps ancient mythmakers visited here for inspiration. Clustered around the mighty golden Shwedagon stupa are an impressive array of temples and zedis and shrines and pavilions and golden Buddha statues on altars that defy description. One’s imagination can fail compared to what exists here. The temple walls are adorned with an endless display of reflective glass mosaics intertwined with blue-stained grout that lured me into a mind-blowing fit of wonder.

Go there one day and you will understand. This place really exists. Kipling was not lost in a dream.

After Yangon, I headed into the interior of the country on “The Road to Mandalay.” Mr. Kipling also wrote about this in his book of the same name. Today the city may be a bit scruffy, but its magic can still be found. The royal palace is reflected in the sparkling sunset-lit waters, and you can climb Mandalay Hill to see its towering golden Buddha at arm’s length.

The lotus is associated with Buddhism because its flower signifies the law of “cause and effect” or karma. The lotus has the rare quality of manifesting the flower simultaneously with its seed. More symbolically, the magnificent lotus flower blooms the most when it emerges from the muddiest swamps. When we find ourselves trapped in such mud, Buddhism promises that our lives can still flourish.

Burmese charm envelops the country despite the strong military repression of the people.

At Inle Lake in eastern Myanmar, fishermen skillfully balance on one foot on the tip of their small canoes, while the other leg is wrapped around an oar with one end tucked under the arm. They pivot and row in a one-legged corkscrew shape while their hands are free to handle the net. With permission, I climbed aboard one of these little boats in the middle of the lake to have a privileged view across the net. In the process, it almost caused a flip over. But the agile boatman executed a perfect counterweight to my photograph of his precarious posture.

Towards the end of my visit to Burma, I found myself at the remote Buddhist pagoda of Yan Aung Nan Aung Hsu Taung Pyi. It’s a peaceful place; I was the only one there. There was no crimson-robed monk nearby. It was just me and the huge outdoor Buddha sitting there in a moment of reflection. I stayed for a while, then carefully folded my umbrella and put it away. The rain was finally gone, perhaps indicating that it was time to say goodbye to this incredible land. Reluctantly, I put my sandals back on and turned to go. Then, to one side, I saw a sacred pool whose waters seemed not to be clear.

I walked closer and found raindrops dancing on lotus leaves that had risen defiantly from the mud.

Copyright Glen Allison ALL RIGHTS RESERVED