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Specialization is for Insects.
Posted on Sep 08, 2007 - 1:39am by John P. in Videos
It sucks to be poor in Colombia.
So, here we have a small village that is so remote it takes a 2 hour hike through a jungle, and over a river to get to it. Or, you can grab a rusty pulley, strap it over a 1/4 mile long steel cable and fling yourself over the whole thing at 30 MPH for the one minute death-defying journey to the other side.
The government has stated that they won’t build a bridge because the community is too small, and too remote.
Maybe someone should at least pitch in and get them some decent safety gear, like some real climbing gear and how about a real brake as opposed to a damn stick!
Hat tip to Robert Gale for this one.
By the way, I LOVE comments! Please feel free to leave one below!
That’s messed-up. It seriously does suck to be poor in the world’s most terrorist afflicted nation. Psst, John, it’s “Colombia” btw. Columbia is an American university, and a destroyed Space Shuttle.
D’oh the video says it isn’t available anymore … the story is a sad one either way, though.
Hi John. Here’s a new link to the video since youtube took it offline.
BTW, my kids think this looks like a great way to go to school.
http://www.vidmax.com/index.php/videos/view/3028
@Peter – Thanks for the catch! I feel like a moron, but instead of admitting it I’m going to blame it on the horrible education system in America! :-)
@Urbanist – thanks for letting me know. I’ve found another version and put it up, so check it out. Even though it’s pathetic, it’s also totally cool at the same time! :-)
John
there you go, a non polluting transportation system! i think the kids are having fun, i know i would of… but sad to see a community left back like that.
I saw this like 10 years ago, quite sad.
That is just insane, how can anybody let their kids use a death-trap like that…
Kim:)
Wow! I wonder who set that up – it looks fairly professional with regards to how taut the cable is, etc. Also the idea of using a simple stick as a brake.. is it just friction that stops them?
Little sister is very nice to big sister I imagine.. if I told my younger brother to “get in the bag”, he’d tell me to jump in the lake :P
Eric,
That is hilarious!
You know, what worried me was less the fact that the cable may be secured properly, and more the fact that there is no backup cable. If they would just run one more identical cable about 1 foot away from the existing cable then people could hook up their harness to both cables simultaneous. Then if there was a failure on one cable you’d have the secondary cable as a backup. This would also effectively double the weight carrying capacity.
I understand that the government won’t pave a road or build a bridge, but they could send a couple of engineers out there to improve the existing system for these people…
John
I’m involve with in the zipline buissness ajnd i can tell u those are not ce certified zip pulleys.
Omg that is some real crazy stuff. I’m a complete adrenaline fueld thrill-seeker and I don’t think I could ever push myself to do that.
I wish i could have travelled to school on something as cool as that…
Its all well and good but how do they do the hardest bit, getting back up the hill?
James,
As I understood it, they do have two cables. One “downhill” going each way.
Of course, they need 2 going downhill each way for redundancy… but I guess it’s too costly.
John
Then if there was a failure on one cable you’d have the secondary cable as a backup. This would also effectively double the weight carrying capacity.
As a child I would think that thing was fun, as an adult I’d think it was efficient. I am guessing the cable could hold hundreds of pounds but I’d be more worried about a bearing seizing up or some sort of debris on the line or some failure of burlap or my stick brake.
There’s danger in every society. I’d almost prefer a zip line to drivers juggling a latte, cell phone and a 6000 pound SUV while drifting into my lane.
Seriously, have any of you ever been to Colombia??? 1. It’s not “the world’s most terrorist afflicted nation”. Actually, it’s only #13 on the list with the U.S. close behind at #18. 2. Though these people may be poor, they are happy with their lives and have learned to adapt. This is simply a mode of transportation that they’ve grown up with. For all we know, they may be more concerned about riding in buses or on motorcycles.