Rosy Cheeks

Lowlanders know you are from Baguio when you come to their place because you have “rosy cheeks.” That is because highlanders’ blood is richer in hemoglobin and their hearts and chests are larger in order to process the thinner oxygen supply found in the mountains. I don’t know about chest size but heart size is true. We are more loving and emphatic. That is why climbing Mount Pulag is so easy but watch when the Manila people go up there. They experience fatigue, insomnia, headaches, stomach cramps, rapid pulse and chronic dehydration. This is known as mountain sickness. Also because higher means colder, there are other differences. They made a study among Eskimos and those living in much colder climes are stockier with shorter limbs, longer torsos and rounder heads. I don’t know if this is the reason why many of those in Buguias look like Eskimos. Hmmm. The less body surface exposed to the environment, the greater the conservation of body heat. Also the metabolism of someone living in colder areas is higher than the beachcomber. Those living in hot climes have the lowest metabolism because they need fewer calories to keep their body warm. That’s why they feel the cold more intensely than a Baguio boy.