Every time someone at the Guideposts office comes back from vacation, I feel inspired to start planning a trip of my own. I’m not sure yet where I’ll travel to next. Portugal? Holland? The Holland Tunnel to New Jersey?
Until I figure it out, I’ve decided to take a little mental vacation instead. To Ecuador, where amidst the mountains outside the city of Baños, you’ll find a pretty wondrous sight. One that might even make you feel like a kid again.
It’s the Swing at the End of the World. A simple swing that hangs from Casa del Arbol, a tree house and seismic monitoring station that overlooks the active Tungurahua volcano. According to AJ+, the swing was built by Carlos Sánchez, who keeps an eye on the volcano from the tree house in order to keep the people of Baños safe.
“It helps me relax,” he says of the swing. “I feel like I’m a child again.”
Carlos survived a 2006 eruption of the volcano from the tree house. “If this tree could speak the truth,” Carlos says, “it would tell so much about how it helped me stay alive.”
You can journey to the Swing at the End of the World and learn more about Carlos in the video below. Happy travels!
