18. Mountain hike.

Herbert who lives here and I went on a strenuous morning hike through the rain forest. Of course the hike provides an unparalleled, unique glimpse into what "rain-forest" actually means. He is from Austria and has the mountains and the hiking in his blood, he is also used to the 100% relative humidity around here. 

I am not. 

No image can convey the splendor of this natural setting, the majestic trees, the many waterfalls, and the flora and fauna, and, the steepness of the terrain.

We left at 8 a.m., the hike which leads up steep terrain, down again to the water streams, and up again, is supposed to last four hours, but we made it in a little less than three.

Relatively short into the hike one is completely soaked, wet all the way down to the skin, including the hat. Upwards trails are physically demanding, the downwards path is more dangerous, since you have to be careful on the slippery, leaf-covered track. If one should fall it would be a long descend down slippery slopes; I don't want to contemplate the consequences.

After coming back, Herbert told me that he -partly- broke his fibula (small lower leg bone) last year when coming down, and he had to walk back the ten kilometers to the valley. Thank you very much for telling me!

Animals in this part of the forest are mainly rats, who also love to run on top of my bungalow roof at night, a kind of squirrel, and rarely seen, a gibbon.

There are also snakes but they disappear when they hear the noise.

It is a gift to have the experience of such a hike, a thought, however, which arrives only after one comes back to the bungalow.

Beautiful plant, fruit, flower?

At higher elevations the hike is through constant mist, hiking in a green house. The mist provides also excellent conditions for growing tea, done in this area.

This program doesn't like portrait format images, note to myself. Rotate left 90 degrees.

The first fifteen minutes of the hike are along a mountain road with zero traffic.