South-Eastern Myanmar

Kyaikhtiyo (the Golden Rock):
Located about 160 km from Yangon, Kyaikhtiyo is the largest domestic tourism center. The small stupa, 7.3m high, sits atop at the Gold Rock, it stands on gilded boulder precariously perched on the edge of the hill over 3,615 feet above sea level. The pagoda is said to have been built during the life-time of the Buddha over 2400 years ago. There are many legends about the pagodas and Nat (Spirit Gods) shrines along the way from the base camp to the Pagoda. The Season of pilgrimage is from October to May. At that time the platform of the pagoda is lighted with ninety thousnd candles offered to the Buddha and thousands of worshippers gather around the pagoda offering fruits, foods incense to the Buddha.

Mawlamyine:
Mawlamyine is the capital of Mon State and the third largest city of Myanmar. It is situated at the mouth of the "Than Lwin River", 171 km south east of Yangon. It is extremely beautiful and famous for its tropical fruits such as durians, mangoes, rambutans, mangosteens and pomelos. There are many tourist destinations in its vicinity. It is easily accessible by road and rail from Yangon. Sites to see in Mawlamyine are Kyaikthanlan Pagoda, Uzena Pagoda. Kawgoon Caves, which is famous for its countless Buddha images, stalagmites and stalactites.

Thaton:
Before the rise of Bagan, Thaton, it has been known as Suvannabhumi (Golden Land), was an important center for a Mon kingdom that stretched until Cambodia. Legend says Asoka, the great Indian Buddhist emperor, sent a mission there in the 3rd century BC – and it reached its dynastic peak between the 6th and 10th centuries AD. The thriving port carried on trade with the south of India and Sri Lanka. ShinAranhan, a monk from Thaton, carried Theravada Buddhism north to the Burmese kingdom of Bagan, and in 1057 Thaton was conquered by King Anawrahta of Bagan. Today Thaton sits on the main road and rail line that stretches from Bago to Mottama. Little of ancient Thaton is visible, as the modern town has been built over the old sites; piles of brick here and there are all that remain of the massive city walls. With colonial mansions, thatched-roof homes, and a few older stupas on hillsides surrounding the town. A picturesque canal network irrigates rice paddies and fruit orchards.

Kyaikkami:
Located 9km northeast of Thanbyuzayat, Kyaikkami was a small coastal resort and missionary center known as Adoniram Judson (1788-1850), an American missionary who developed the first Burmese-English dictionary in 1849 and was the first person to translate the Bible into Burmese. He was sailing to India with his wife when their ship was blown off course, forcing them to land at Kyaikkami. Judson stayed on and established his first mission here. However, the main focus of Kyaikkami is Yele Paya, a metal-roofed Buddhist shrine complex perched over the sea and reached via a long two-level causeway; the lower level is submerged during high tide. Along with 11 Buddha hair relics, the shrine chamber beneath Yele Paya reportedly contains a Buddha image that supposedly floated here on a raft from Sri Lanka in ancient times.