

The flying men of Yungas valley - NonEUCitizen
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/2011/05/20115811409577464.html

======
tentonwire
As someone who lived in coastal ecuador for 6 months, and also visited Costa
Rica for 2 months, I'd like to confirm the unbelievable absence of the "seven
deadly sins". Most of the people in the rural areas live with the sole purpose
of bettering the future of their children and community, and the concept of
exploiting others for personal gain is completely alien to them. I feel that
the subtitles do not do Severo's character justice both when he is talking
about why his family lives in La Paz and also when he sees his family for the
first time in a month.

Also, tourists may ride these cables in Costa Rica, where they are referred to
as ziplines.

------
thangalin
Anyone know how to get a mailing (shipping) address for the flying men of
Yungas valley, or their families in La Paz?

Looks like they could use new harnesses, clips, and pulleys.

------
BasDirks
The way he routinely ties the knot to the bag his kid's in, and then calmly
takes off (around the 3 minute mark).. I guess one can get used to anything.

~~~
babo
His boy is not really pleased by the idea...

------
tep
Risking it all - Bolivia <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZEN-qA0e94>

------
Luyt
This is all very interesting and such, but using a simple, basic aerial
tramway is _not_ the same as flying.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_tramway>

+1 for the YouTube movie link [1], very illustrative. This is a documentary
well worth viewing. I was surprised that the _cocaleros_ remain a good sense
of humor despite their dangerous (and subsistent) living style.

[1] <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZEN-qA0e94>

------
StavrosK
By the way, aren't coca leaves, apart from being chewed by the locals as a
narcotic, also used to make, you know, cocaine?

~~~
rayval
Coca leaves are not a narcotic, when consumed in the traditional form (chewing
or in brewed tea). Caffeine, tea, and tobacco are more addictive than chewing
coca.

As you point out, coca leaves can be processed and refined to make cocaine.
Analogous to how corn can be refined into high fructose corn syrup. Chewing
corn all day won't give you diabetes, but drinking high-fructose corn syrup
regularly will have negative effect on your health.

~~~
StavrosK
Oh, I know, a friend of mine worked in Bolivia for a summer and they chewed
the leaves. I think they induced a sense of euphoria, but nothing too
dramatic.

~~~
dts
Having chewed coca leaves quite a bit travelling through Bolivia and Peru I
can say the effects are generally quite mild. Done correctly with a small rock
of compressed ash (usually from banana peels) your mouth and throat will numb
and you will have a slight "buzz". It helps with altitude sickness a bit, but
nowhere near as helpful as plenty of rest, water, and time.

