Beauty, adventure, and spa treatments at the Kuang Si Falls near Luang Prabang, Laos




The Kuang Si Falls near Luang Prabang, Laos, are a majestic 3-tier waterfalls that almost looks like a giant natural staircase (and could be, as you can climb the falls). The falls are surrounded by lush forest and myriad opportunities for hiking where you will come across various cascading pools of water, many of which are fine for swimming, as well as charming bridges and limestone cliffs.

Along with trekking through stunning scenery, visitors can visit the bear sanctuary, have lunch at the picnic site, and, my favorite, swing off a tree into the falls. Right next to the pool that the falls cascade into is a tree with wooden plank stairs leading up to a thick rope. You will crawl on all fours to the edge of a tree branch and will have to reach out without falling to grab the rope (while a bit scary, remember that you’ll only be falling into water). Once you grab it, you’ll be able to swing like Tarzan through the air and into the pristine waters below. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll hold on for two seconds and slide right off. Either way, it’s a lot of fun.

While the Kuang Si Falls area is a big site for tourists, my local guide told me that the place is considered sacred by locals, and I did see some monks wandering around. For this reason, I would recommend forgoing the bikinis and tiny swim suits and wearing capris and a t-shirt. While it may be a little uncomfortable, at least it’s respectful, and there are changing rooms so you can get right out of your wet clothes.

An added bonus is the fact that swimming in the waters below the falls is like a complimentary spa treatment. There are thousands of tiny fish that actually suck on your toes and get the dead skin off. Oddly enough, this is a treatment that some people pay big bucks to get at a spa. While I was a bit uncomfortable with how it felt, I will admit my feet were extra soft when I got out.

From Luang Prabang, getting to the falls will take you a little under an hour. You can take a tuk tuk, taxi, songthaew, motorbike, or, usually the cheapest option, a slow boat. Another possibility is to go with a tour company, although make sure you will get a few hours to spend at the falls as there is a lot to explore. The entry fee to Kuang Si Falls is about $1.

Get to know the real Milan, Italy, through Milan Dreaming




While spending a few months living in Milan, Italy, New York-based filmmaker Francesco Paciocco decided he wanted to create a short film called “Milan Dreaming” that told the story of Milan through its essence, people, and places. The background music, “A Necessary End” by Saltillo, gives the video a slight sense of darkness as you see locals going about their everyday business. While the video is shot in high definition, Paciocco doesn’t go out of his way to beautify the city but instead shows the natural aspects of Milan as they are, from aesthetically-pleasing Gothic architecture to dark cement hallways covered in graffiti. You even get to experience a speeding car crash from behind the wheel. To make the movie, Paciocco used a Canon 60D, Canon 24-105 mm f/4 L, Sigma 50 mm F1.4 EX DG HSM, and edited using Final Cut Pro 7.

Understanding the sport of Wellie Wanging




No, it’s not what you think it is, although it still not your usual sport. Wellie Wanging, also known as Gumboot Throwing, is a sport in New Zealand that consists of throwing a Wellington boot, which is basically like a rubber galoshe, as far as possible within a set boundary. While it originated in Great Britain, the sport’s major event, Gumboot Day, occurs in Taihape, New Zealand. The celebration of gumboots began in 1985 and occurs each year on the Tuesday after Easter. While the sport may sound silly, people take it pretty seriously, and there are very specific official rules, such as “the use of wind assistance is allowed and, indeed, encouraged. Waiting for a suitable gust, however, is limited to one minute. No artificial or man-made wind is to be used” and “no tampering with the welly shall be allowed. Factory finish only. No silicone polish is to be applied”.

Want to experience Wellie Wanging for yourself? The 2012 Gumboot Day Festival will take place on March 10th. To get a better idea of the game’s technique and form, check out the video above.

What is Dwile Flonking?




Never heard of Dwile Flonking? That’s okay, most people haven’t. The sport consists of two teams, each taking turns to dance around the other, Ring Around the Rosie-style. While one team is dancing, the other has a player in the center of the circle, waiting to pelt a beer-soaked dwile (cloth) at a their opponents. The game has some really unusual rules, such as “A ‘dull witted person’ is chosen as the referee or ‘jobanowl’ and the two teams decide who flonks first by tossing a sugar beet. The game begins when the jobanowl shouts “Here y’go t’gither!” and “A full game comprises four ‘snurds’, each snurd being one team taking a turn at girting. The jobanowl adds interest and difficulty to the game by randomly switching the direction of rotation, and will levy drinking penalties on any player found not taking the game seriously enough”.

Not sure you want to get pegged with a beer soaked towel? There is also a virtual Dwile Flonking game that’s actually pretty addictive.

Think Dwile Flonking can be a new Olympic sport? Send an email to boa@boa.org.uk (the British Olympic Association), as there is a group campaigning to make this happen.

Watch the many personalities of Laos in this time-lapsed video



This time-lapsed video by Piotr Wancerz allows viewers to see the different personalities of Laos in South East Asia as well as the different events that occur in the country from morning to night. Watch as tourists and locals gather to Give Alms to the monks at dawn, people gather to swim and relax in nature during the day, and the bustling and lively markets come to life at night. The best part is that the timelapse effect makes it feel as though you are watching an entire day as it is happening instead of in pieces. The equipment used to shoot the video includes a Sony Alpha 550, a Samyang Fisheye 8mm, a Sony 35mm, a Tamron 18-200mm, a Velbon P-max, and a Pixel intervalometer.