The effect of altitude change

Did I just walk 7km uphill in 45 minutes? That can't be right. According to the road sign, that's the distance between Dharamsala & McLeod Ganj. However I'm suspicious about this figure. According to Lonely Planet, the distance by walking is 4km, and that feels more like the correct distanace to me.

Having lived in places with altitude higher than 3000~4000m for about a month, back in places under 2000m, I feel like superman. Ok...not quite, but people who know me well would know that my walking speed uphill had always been dramatically slower than my average walking speed, but now in Dharamsala, I can keep up the same pace all the way uphill, without getting out of breath. I didn't even have to drink any water, even though I sweat a lot during the walk.

It's good to feel fit and well.