By looking at the roadside milestones we knew that we had walked some 13 miles uphill. But we didn't know how high we had managed to climb. We asked some locals. It was strange, none of them knew. A young lad said that he had a gadget in his car that showed our exact altitude. He checked, returned and said proudly: 33 miles. Ah, sure, 33 miles... We thanked him and moved on. Later we learned that we were shivering about a mile above sea level (some 1600-2000 meters). Downhill it was easier, but since the movement worked on different groups of muscles, after a while it hurt the same.
They call the forests we saw near the pass, and every forests alike: humid rich, full of springs and tree-ferns, cloud forests. These cloud forests are under national protection.
From a gardener's perspective it was an interesting experience to see what local farmers grow. Apples, peaches, strawberries, even first-class vegetables! After another seven miles we were down in the semi-desertic valley again; full of hopes that we wouldn't have to climb another behemoth like this. How much we miss the plains. :)
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