Orchids blossom but not sold in Guatemala

Rare orchids blossom but can never be sold in hills of Guatemala (15 Nov 03) "In Coban they say it rains 13 months a year," said Juan Flores, stopping to admire a delicate pale pink bloom. "I was born on a coffee finca on the Pacific coast where we used to have beautiful sunny days, so at first it was very hard to move here, but the orchids seem to like it."

It is 23 years since Otto Mittelstaedt, the finca owner, brought Mr Flores, whose surname, fittingly, means flowers, to this quiet hillside in Alta Verapaz state in central Guatemala. They are now home to the largest nursery for orchids in central America.

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