Rose Plantation and the Ice Man

Here are pictures and details of more side trips from the Train trip.

This rose plantation is one of the largest in Ecuador.  It sends over 60,000 roses to market A DAY.
The daily numbers TRIPLE for the big flower holidays, Mother's Day, Valentine's, etc.
Hard to wrap your head around those numbers...

Our guide told the story of the business and gave us a tour of the massive operation. 

We learned that most roses sold around the world are from Ecuador.  Russians prefer exra-long stems, the longer, the better.  Roses do exceptionally well here at the equator, with the sun right overhead. The stems grow straight and the buds are HUGE. 

 

 

Sorting and measuring, trimming and packaging.

Multi-colored roses!

Green roses, too.

Colorful garbage smelled great!




http://www.nevadoroses.com/










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Another highlight of the trip was having the opportunity to meet the last Ice Man of Ecuador.  He harvests ice from the volcano by hand to sell in the market.  He is  part of the Patrimony of Ecuador.
He only speaks Quechua, so his daughter translates to Spanish for him.  (Then a guide on the trip translated to English for those who needed it.)

He showed some harvested ice from the volcano.  It was almost crystals.  Stunning.

He once traveled to the US.  He says the women are tall!  And, bananas were very expensive, almost a dollar each.  He liked the trip, but prefers to be here working.

It was an honor to meet him and shake his hand. 

You can read more here:

http://natgeotraveller.co.uk/destinations/south-central-america/ecuador/ecuador-last-ice-man/

http://laughingsquid.com/the-last-ice-merchant-documentary-about-an-ecuadorian-man-who-harvests-glacier-ice/


The gift shop was selling special ice cream made from the ice.  It was pretty good!