A Death-Defying Commute
The second hidden wonder of South America.
"Dude, don't do it," I told Dylan. "This is stupid."
But before I could stop him, Mario had fastened their tandem rope to the roller, and before Dylan could stop Mario, he had hurled the two of them over the cliff and into the 1,200-foot abyss. The line whirred with a high-pitched squeal as the friction from Mario's wooden yoke slowed their descent. When they reached the opposite side, they crashed safely into two large tires that were there to cushion the landing. Dylan was shaking and pale and seemed to be on the verge of vomiting. Mario looked down at his white shoes and screamed a Spanish expletive. One of them had picked up a spot of mud.
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GoPro provided the travelers with some camera equipment free of charge.
For more on the world's wondrous, curious, and esoteric places, check out Atlas Obscura.
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In addition to being the co-founder of the Atlas Obscura, Joshua Foer is the author of Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, which grew out of a story he wrote for Slate.
Music in the "El Cable" video is "Gran Pecador" and "Villera Mistica" by Chico Trujillo.