If you’re in the flower industry and have never been to Latin America, or if you’re a flower lover who is quite certain that you will be sick and tired of cold, grey weather by February, listen up. There’s a tour of Ecuador’s flower industry coming up in February, and it’s worth checking out.
I found Ecuador to be heartbreakingly beautiful. Really, there is something about this country that will just touch you profoundly. It is elegant and mysterious and enthralling.
When I was there in 2004, I was surprised to see that Ecuador has no tourism industry built up around its flower farms. Holland has its legendary bulb fields, its flower auctions that are open to the public, and its floating flower market in the heart of Amersterdam. But Ecuador has none of that. The flower farms are off to themselves outside of Quito. In some ways, I love it that this country is still authentically itself and not hyped up for the tourists. But if you have an interest in flowers, it would be difficult to find them on your own in Ecuador. So a tour like this one is helpful.
Remember, this is the country that produces baseball-sized roses on six foot long stems. What’s not to like? Ah–Ecuador. I wish I was going back myself. But please, check it out. I would love to see this sort of thing take off.