Rudyard Kipling’s visit to Myanmar spanned just three days, but it resulted in a poem, 'Mandalay', that turned Burma into an oriental fantasy. It began with the lines ‘By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin’ lazy at the sea…’. The pagoda Kipling cited was most likely Kyaikthanlan Paya, the city’s tallest stupa.
It's a great sunset-viewing spot, with fine vistas over the city. To reach it, approach via the long covered walkway that extends from Kyaik Than Lan Phayar St.
This walkway also had an impact on Kipling, who was later to comment of it: ‘I should better remember what the pagoda was like had I not fallen deeply and irrevocably in love with a Burmese girl at the foot of the first flight of steps. Only the fact of the steamer starting next noon prevented me from staying at Moulmein forever…’.
