The Kyaik Hti Yoe pagoda in the Mon State is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Myanmar. Every year from October to May thousands and thousands of Burmese Buddhists, from teenagers to the elderly (and even toddlers), flock to the mount Kyaik Hti Yoe to pay pilgrimage to the pagoda built on a rock that is perfectly balanced on the edge of a cliff.

 

Dusk at Kyaik Hti Yoe is truly magical. As the sun sets, the sky is painted with blue, pink and orange colours. The spotlights start to light up the pagoda and the pilgrims start reciting their prayers and lighting candles and incense sticks. The air is filled with the scent of burning incense and the sound of some pilgrims chanting prayers occasionally. Every now and then, with a small gust of wind, small pieces of paper from thin golden leaves that are applied to the boulder rock drift in the air and the nearby small pagoda bells ring to add to a peaceful and wondrous ambience.