Feelgood

anitamalovrh

Balinese bathing after a ceremony 😊...#bali #ceremony #river #sidemen#backtonature #bath #skinnydipping#travel#travelphotography #wanderlust#worldtraveler #instapic#instatravel#indonesia

A skinny dip features heavily on tourists lists of what to do on Bali. No wonder  as locals have been doing this for ages and continue to do so (above).

Featured, more skinnydipping and dipping in general from several Southeast Asian locations:

alenaizosimova

Здесь время останавливается🌪

Above from south Thailand's eastern coastal island of Koh Phangan (Phaeng waterfall) and below on the isthmus itself but now on the western side of Khao Lak (Sairung waterfall):

catinkaaaa_

Amazing 🌊 ...#waterfall #khaolak #sairungwaterfall#travelphotography #picoftheday #happy#amazing #newfeeling #travelgram #travel#sun #thailand #thailandkhaolak#feelinggood #lovemylife #holiday #love#with #my #baby #swimming #naked#follow4follow #followme #commentsfirst#commentsbelow #comment

Free vibes

la_la_ladyy

Chasing waterfalls like 💦🌴. . . #chasingwaterfalls #asia #vietnam #hiking#nudelife #hippievibes

Above somewhere in northern Vietnam.

lukewilson121

Another day another skinny dip in a waterfall#travel#freethebody#seetheworld #skinnydipping #indonesia#bali

mattstoffers

We started our motorcycle tour from Chiang Mai though the mountains to Pai! Couldn’t resist a quick dip in this waterfall along the way 💦 | #chiangmai #pai #roadtrip#waterfall #skinnydip

Lost

true_north_momma

No bathing suit? No problem! We got to enjoy this beautiful spot in Cat Tien national park all to ourselves! It was so refreshing in the heat of the day. 📸: @theexplodiots •••••••#vietnam #adventure #explore #worldexplorer #southeastasia#cattiennationalpark #river #skinnydipping #yeg #yogi#yoga #yegyoga #travel#experience #perfectmoment #instagood #mindfulness #savetheplanet#wanderlust#goodforthesoul

Again from Vietnam, this time in the south of the country.

Following Riamhanai waterfall (South Hulu Sungai Regency, South Kalimantan) and a Lao double (Vangvieng followed by Luang Prabang).

source

emilieazaaria

Welcome to paradise #kaengnyuiwaterfall

natalieyoung

and for a minute, I lost myself. but being lost felt so right ✨💧🧚🏼‍♂️______________I swear fairies must live here. Laos is already a calm to the storm of SE Asia, but finding hidden gems like this made it even more special. as we followed the crystal blue water up stream to the top, we were the only people to be seen except for a few monks playing in the pools quietly, their orange robes beautifully juxtaposed against the blue water. exploring endless turquoise pools with just the sound of rushing water, completely serene, this has been my most magical experience thus far.

Worthy

Waterfall in rinjani national park #lombokwaterfalls #waterfall #lombok #rinjaninationalpark

Source

It's been a while I'll admit. 

But I've not much newly enjoyed waterfall chases to add, certainly not in Southeast Asia.
So I might have been tempted to make this a very, very sleepy blog. Then again it's 3 years since the last posting, so maybe it was already sleepy ...

But I've decided to add a news section every now and then, a bit irregular. Also a way to add pictures and hopefully encourage chases and the safe use of waterfalls.

Playground
A big inspiration for this posting goes to the website Taiwan Waterfalls which has an exceptional detailed and extensive piece on Bali's waterfalls (August 10, 2015). 
No less than details of 13 waterfalls are noted, some more well-known, others more secretive. And the author adds that despite the details of these waterfalls, he's to add more.

This place is beautiful. #Maubisse #waterhole #waterfall #water #rocks #beautiful #jump #timor #timorleste #freezing #nofilter

Source  

Another inspiration for this awakening, was the tale by Richard Collett (travel-tramp, April 21, 2015) entitled The Man Who Fell Down the Tallest Waterfall in Laos:

'Hoping that we’d missed him at the top while we had been drinking our Beer Laos, we set about looking around through the forest, peering into abyss every now and then, to snatch a glimpse of the track.
There was no one else in sight though- not until we headed back to the entrance of the track and there, sat in the bushes, was an exhausted figure. Rushing over we realised it was our mate. He was battered, muddy and disheveled. We gave him a beer, and he said he’d fallen into the waterfall. Somewhat roughed up, after a while he began to tell us what had happened. ....'.

Less inspiring, Vietnam and China want to further exploit the border waterfall of Ban Gioc (Vietnamnet, August 7, 2015). Sounds very exciting:

'The fourth round of negotiations on an agreement on cooperation in protecting and exploiting tourism resources within the Ban Gioc Waterfall vicinity between Vietnam and China ran in Beijing from August 2-6.
....
Both sides discussed issues of mutual concern frankly and reached consensus on all draft contents of the agreement. They agreed to speed up their domestic assessments of the pact as well as the organisation of the next round for signing preparations. The two sides then inked the meeting minutes'.

A website with a fair share of waterfall info is travelfish; my fist call whnever needing travel info on Southeast Asia. 
Recent entries on waterfalls include those around Luang Prabang, Laos (January 30, 2015), the Bolaven plateau, Laos (January 31, 2015) and Munduk, Bali (March 3, 2015).

If wanting to check out a waterfall or two on that Bolaven plateau, mergingworldsstravel (April 25, 2015) has taken the time to write down all the details, a must see posting:

'Oh Pakse, Pakse, Pakse. Such great memories of whisking the motorbike through your empty highways surrounded by forest, jungle, foliage and villages. Cruising from waterfall to waterfall, swimming in natural pools as cascades of water drop from cliffs above crashing into the water below. Providing an escape from the heat, a natural playground, unspeakable beauty'.

Definitely not almost going in the drink... #Pakse #Paksong #Laos #BolavenPlateau #Travelling #Waterfall

Source

Must do
More waterfall related postings focusing on the most this or that. Here's just a short selection:

• 12 Relaxing Waterfall Picnic Spots Around West Malaysia (Healthworks.my, May 13, 2015).
• Top 10 Waterfalls You MUST SEE in the Philippines (wheninmanila, November 12, 2014).
• 14 stunning Philippine waterfalls worth chasing (skyscanner, December 2014).
• 16 Waterfalls In The Philippines That Will Take Your Breath Away (trekeffect,  August 3, 2015):

'Visiting a waterfall is probably the most relaxing and, at the same time, fulfilling kind of nature tripping. The sound of the water, from above crashing down below, is not only the best takeaway in the entire experience but the visually stunning greens surrounding it as well'.

• 20 Amazing Waterfalls to Visit This Summer (lamudi.com.ph, April 10, 2015). 
• 15 Waterfalls in the Visayas You Might've Never Heard Of Before (Choosephilippines, December 12, 2014).
• 10 Of The Most Spectacular Waterfalls In Indonesia (wowshack, January 7, 2015).
• Uncovering Bali’s 7 most spectacular waterfalls unknown to most (blimehthesheep, September 9, 2014).
• 10 spectacular waterfalls in Bandung that are unknown to most (Indonesia tripcanvas, July 10, 2015). 

And then our tops came flying off... emojiemojiemojiemoji #goodtimes #maesawaterfall #waterfall #chiangmai #ThaiFruitFest #thailand #RawTill4 #vegan #goodvibes #gofruityourself #carbthefuckup #travelgram #wanderlust #skinnydipping #gopro 

Source, see also youtube ...

Selfie
As said above, despite the high degree of pleasure a dip under a cooling waterfall can result in, they are also something to be treated with caution as the following short links will prove. 
Also note that many a casualty is the result of risk taking either be it to take a selfie or to overextend.

Thanh nien news (July 28, 2015):

'An 18-year-old man fell from a waterfall in central Vietnam and died during a trip with his friends on Sunday.

Huynh Thanh Son climbed up the Ba Waterfall in Binh Thuan Province with three of his friends after they arrived. 

It just stopped raining and his friends said he slipped and fell when they were taking photos'.

'A German student has died after falling into a steep ravine at a waterfall on a popular Malaysian resort island [Langkawi], police said on Sunday'. 

(ndtv, October 19, 2014).

'A man was badly injured in the head and neck after he fell while bathing at the waterfall at the Kanching Recreational Forest in Templer's Park near Kuala Lumpur yesterday'.

(The Malaysian insider, June 23, 2015).

'Two high school have plunged to their deaths from a Central Java cliff while trying to take selfies, an official said on Tuesday'.

(Jakarta globe, March 21, 2015).
Spaniard falls to death from waterfall (Bangkok Post, March 26, 2015).

'A 24-year-old Newcastle man has died while on holiday in Thailand. Hugh Smith was on Koh Samui when he and a friend, Benjamin Kemp, 20, from Bar Beach, both fell from a waterfall'. 

(Newcastle Herald, February 12, 2015).

Stay safe.

simple Saturday morning getaway to Tengkil Falls, a beautiful 4 storey high waterfall in Kota Tinggi. Took a 2.5 hr hike to get to it, but the refreshing waterfall massage makes up for it. Washed away all the sweat! Definitely wanna go again! =D #TengkilFalls #KotaTinggi #Waterfall #MalaysiaWaterfall #WaterfallMassage #Relaxing #Refreshing #WashingUp #WantToGoAgain

Safe selfing, source

Updates

It's probably the first time I have used this blog for updates. Usually if there are updates I add them to the postings, keeping everything much more current.

However, it's not common for waterfalls to make news headlines and unfortunately it's mostly for the wrong reasons.
From addyjagat an extensive article on the death of a British women who fell down 100m on the Ton Nga Chang waterfall, 25 km from Hat Yai, southern Thailand.

'... slid about 30ft down the sloping rock-face before plunging off the steep 300ft drop'.

We tend to forget that waterfalls can be dangerous and the above is just another wake-up call. No doubt the authorities will come with extensive measures to avoid this happening in the future, though warning people always seems to be the most sensible.

Horrific and tragic.

Other news worth mentioning is that travelfish blogs are getting entries on waterfall hunting around Chiang Mai, up to now two great entries.

Thailand's Best?

Ti Lo Su, Umphang, Tak province. By spannar00oi

The Thai language Places and Prices coffee table magazine published an issue 2 years back with top Thailand destinations. These were their choice of best waterfalls, without ranking:

• Klong Thom Ron waterfall (being a waterfall as well), Krabi, Southern Thailand
• Huai Khamin waterfall, Kanchanaburi, Central Thailand
• Thi Lo Su, Tak, Northern Thailand
• Thi Lo Re, Tak, Northern Thailand
• Khlong Lan, Kampaeng Phet, Central Thailand
• Tat Mok, Phetchabun, Central Thailand
• Saeng Chan, Ubon Ratchathani, North-Eastern Thailand

Saeng Chan waterfall makes the list because it goes through a hole in the rock. Photo source.

• Mae Surin, Mae Hong Son, Northern Thailand
• Heo Narok, Nakhon Nayak, Central Thailand
• Phraiwan, Phattalung, Southern Thailand
• Krung Ching, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Southern Thailand
• Ton Nga Chang, Songkhla, Southern Thailand
  
• Mae Ya, Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand

There are probably many more that could of made the list. It's not mine. They may have tried to include all regions and be politically correct ....

Nice

One of the nicest waterfalls I've been to is Mae Sapok. Located in Chiang Mai province, Thailand, I'm unsure whether it's because it was really nice or was totally deserted or possibly both. It was a nice and sunny November day, back in 2006 which might have helped.

From Chiang Mai go south on the 108, then in Sampatong, turn right and continue up the 1013. Past the elephant camps and bamboo rafting sites. Roughly 40 km up the road there is a small road to the left which brings to a small restaurant from wher the main fall is about 10 minutes walk. The roughly 10m high Mae Sapok waterfalll is part of Ob Khan National Park.

Below the waterfall is not really a pool, but the stream continues down hill for another 200m where you will find a 200m long pool, great for a swim.

There is a cafe serving mostly drinks nearby in the village and not far away was a resort which did not seem to be very active. On the way there area number of elephant camps and rafting possibilties if the water is sufficient.

Spinal injuries ...

Mae Pan waterfall is a high waterfall on the east side of Doi Inthanon National Park, Chiang Mai province, Thailand. It is believed to be the province's tallest (100 m) and is essentially a thundering fall with little opportunity for a plunge.

If coming from Chiang Mai keep going on highway 1009, which becomes highway 1192, rather than entering the national park itself. It's about 10 km from the main entrance gate on the northern side. Once past this gate the road gets steep, very steep not so much fun for coming back. Apparently not to be used in the wet.

We visited it on a rainy day back in November '06. It's a nice walk. The nearby ranger station has not much to offer. Accommodation and food is possibly better in Mae Chaem or above near the national park entrance.

Scary is the picture below. why would anyone like to do this? The answer can possibly found here, though there's also the mention of a spinal injury ...

No Name?

A no name falls? Possibly. Located just upstream of Proud Phu Fah, it may well be the Pongyang falls. as in Pongyang resort.

On the road from Mae Rim to Samoeng, take the turn to your right at Proud Phu Fa and continue uphill. A sort of resort has been created on the left. Mae Jim, Chiang Mai province, Thailand. Visited November 2006 .

Deliteful

Mork Fa is one of Thailand's better known waterfalls. The reason is that it provides a stop over for tourists heading from the tourism hub of Chiang Mai to Pai.
Not far from the main highway 1095, it's connection is by a partially tar-sealed road. All in all it is about 70 km from Chiang Mai, roughly half of that over 4 lane highway.

From the parking area it is just a 20 minute walk to the falls. One can make a loop, as one trail is near the river on the south, while the northern section is much higher along the cliffs.

At the parking area drinks and some food is available, overnite accommodation is not available nearby.

Mork is certainly beautiful, as well as impressive. World-of-Waterfalls reckons the height to be 60 m and there is plenty of water tipping over the ledge. The spray leads to a deliteful micro-climate and lush vegetation.

We visited here in 2006 on our way to Pai. Back then we still paid the 200 THB entrance fee, by now that may be double, entrance fees to Thai national parks are not so transparent. As it was still early, there were not many other visitors; though judging from the size of the parking area, it can get busy. Many photo's are available on the net, it seems it's a great spot for a plunge!

Mork Fa falls are part of Doi Suthep National Park. This National Park starts on Chiang Mai's doorstep and includes Monthathan waterfalls, about 15 minutes from the city's edge. These falls I visited a year before without a camera. The stream is not very much but it drops fast via through 9 separate steps. There's a parking area from which a 10 minute walk leads to the lowest step which ends in a large swimming hole. On the other side a track continues up the steep mountainside leading to all nine steps but none as beautiful as the lowest.

Mork Fa by Marranara:

'heaven'