The mountain ranges continue drawing nearer and nearer to each other, and the woods become thicker and more luxuriant.

The various creeping plants are indescribably beautiful: not only do they entirely cover the ground, but they are so intertwined with the trees that their lovely flowers hang on the highest branches, and look like the blossoms of the trees themselves.

But there are likewise trees whose own yellow and red blossoms resemble the most beautiful flowers; while there are others whose great white leaves stand out like silver from the surrounding mass of flowery green.
Woods like these might well be called "the giant gardens of the world." The palm-trees have here almost disappeared.
We soon reached the mountain range we had to cross, and on our way often ascended such elevated spots that we had a free view extending as far back as the capital.

On the top of the mountain (Alta da Serra, sixteen miles from Mendoza) we found a venda.

From this spot the distance to Morroqueimado is sixteen miles, which took us a long time, as the road is either up or down hill the whole way.