TOP 6 STRANGE PLACES TO VISIT IN 2018 (BEFORE THEY CHANGE) | TRAVEL GUIDE
Jump into 2018 with me as I show my Top 5 (+1) places I visited this past year. On Kick the Grind, we travel to strange, unique, and amazing places. We search out the best travel experiences, and I ve picked my top recommendations for your travel plans this year. Real travel experiences are harder and harder to come by these days. I have to search pretty hard to find the gems. Big ups to Vice Magazine and Atlas Obscura for the inspiration this past year. These are all places to visit before you die, and some of the most amazing places I ve come across in 2017. ---- #1 The Haro Wine fight Also known as La Batalla de Vino, this crazy festival happens every year on June 29th in the small town of Haro in Rioja, Basque Country, Spain. For a little under an hour, locals pour hundreds of gallons of delicious Spanish red wine on each other to celebrate a Patron Saint. VIDEO LINK: NONE ---- #2 The Baby Jumping Festival Simply known as El Colacho to the locals of the small town of Castrillo de Murcia, Burgos, Spain. This cool festival involves a man dressed as a yellow devil whipping teenagers and jumping over newborn babies. On the surface it seems crazy and reckless... Who would ever put their baby on the street to be jumped over? The reality is quite beautiful, and extra care is taken with the babies. When El Colacho (the devil) jumps over the baby, it is very similar to a baptism. The child is cleansed of the natural sin we are all born with, and it s a very exciting day for the family of the children. The festival takes place on the first Sunday after Corpus Christi, so June 3rd in 2018 VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/bXXgB06y5xU ---- #3 The Exploding Hammer Festival This festival is unbelievable. Men strap homemade explosives on sledgehammers and slam them into a field of small rocks. They do this every February 28th in the tiny Mexican Town of San Juan de la Vega in Guanajuato, Mexico to celebrate John the Baptist. VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/vB9IdhcFAvY ---- #4 Toraja Regency Funeral Rites Easily one of wildest travel experiences. The Torajan people of Central Sulawesi have very incredible rituals and beliefs around death. When someone dies, they are simply called "sick" and are kept in the house of the family. They are still treated like they are very much alive. Food is bought to them, music is played, the family comes to ask them questions. When ready, the family has a extremely elaborate and expensive funeral to send them off to the afterlife. Experiencing this will change your life, and also your views on death. If you d like to see a Ma Ne Ne, which is the opening of the coffins and is commonly called "The Waking Dead Festival" you have to visit in August or September. Also this is the time of year to see the Funerals. It is the best time to see these amazing funeral rites. VIDEO LINK: COMING SOON ---- #5 Nido De Quetzalcoatl Easily the Coolest AirBnn in Mexico (or maybe the world) this giant snake building is tucked into a small valley in Naucalpan, Mexico State. Javier Senosiain created this amazing structure while following his principles of Organic Architecture; building with natural shapes and forms, while respecting the surrounding environment. AirBnb Link: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10153978 VIDEO LINK: COMING SOON ---- #6 Amazonian Traditional Medicine Slowly becoming mainstream is a big threat to experiencing real Amazonian Medicine with a legitimate shaman. As more and more people seek out these spiritual experiences, the more unqualified people want to take money from tourists. Asking locally is usually a better way to find what you re looking for. A friend and I went to Leticia, Colombia to find these experiences. RAPÉ AND AYAHUASCA VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/1BCwoAtW8Ak KAMBÔ VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/_ejHkW4yIyg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ♫ Music ♫ "Spectacular" - Funky Fella "Another Bang in the Universe" - Funky Fella "Spanish Fire" - Garry Oneal "Death Song" - Traditional Torayan Music "Happiness" - Funky Fella "Getting Tipsy 2" - Martin Landh "Bank Boats" - Peter Sandberg from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☎ Say Hi Here ☎ ✧ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kickthegrind ✧ Tweetz: http://www.twitter.com/KickTheGrind ✧ Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/KicktheGrindTV ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ✯ Experiences over Possessions ✯ Kick the Grind ✯ -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
