The road climbed steadily and was one of those classically windy Mexican highways that I am now used to. The country is so mountainous that driving from the coast inland just about anywhere will result in half a day or more of constant left-right-left steering for the driver, and almost certain nausea for any passengers!
On the climb up, the country stayed quite arid (mostly scrub and pine trees at higher altitudes.) up to about 2700m in altitude. Then it was into the clouds and the vegetation started to change rapidly. It wasnt technically "cloud forest" but it got a lot greener.
Then it was down the other side of the mountains to the Gulf coast, and you can tell that this side of the mountains is where all the rain falls.
Very rapidly, the scrub became temperate forest, and things smelled damp and alive.
Pretty soon I was descending (with the same old left-right-left steering game) through very lush forrest. And the plants just kept getting bigger and bigger.
There was grass that was 2m tall, and Bracken ferns that were 3m tall, and huge tree ferns that were 10m tall... I was beginning to feel a bit like a Lilliputian from "Gulliver's Travels".
There were some "Taro" like plants that were enormous... The up side for the military is that if you need camouflage, then you only need to use one or two leaves rather than the whole plant :)
I couldnt quite figure out how to attach one of the leaves to the motorbike.... It would have made a great sun shade :)))
The descent continued and the temperatures climbed and the forest became jungle... I dropped from nearly 3000m altitude down to about 30m altitude and that equates to 25degC of temperature change or more... So I was really sweltering by the time I got to the bottom. If you stand still here for more than a few minutes, something will try to either eat you or grow on you. The jungle is a "ferocious celebration of life and diversity".... Everything is huge and growing or moving rapidly.
There was something moving across the road at one point, so I stopped to look at it.... HUGE tarantula with a pretty orange abdomen.... As I was trying to frame the second picture with my hand in it, the damn thing made a "run for it"... right across my hand!... I havnt seen my own hand move that fast since I was desperately trying to slap a hand hold on a 5.11b rock climb with my last piece 3m below! (Sorry, lotsa rock climbing jargon there for those who dont climb).
I rode on, and the jungle seethed around me :)))
