The Isle of Flowers

It's actually an understatement to describe Martinique as beautiful, it's like calling New York kind of big. This southern Caribbean island stunned me from the first glimpse outside my plane window. The mountains are sweeping, the water a crystalline turquoise and then there are the flowers. The original inhabitants of the region, the Arawak Indians, called the island Madinina, or island of  flowers.  Blooms dot the landscape everywhere and Martinque is especially noted for nearly 100 orchid varieties. Unfortunately, orchid season on the island is March and April but I was treated to a variety of exotic flowers during a visit to Balata Botanical Garden.

This flower comes in red and pink and is called Porcelain rose. It's a popular export flower because it lasts for weeks.

I thought these long stemmed blossoms looked like flamingos peeking out of the greenery.

These striking blooms reminded me of golden dandelions. Of course, they're taller and more elegant with rolling hills as a backdrop.

The cone shape of these flowers recalls pineapples, which also grow on the island. Another nickname for Martinique is Pays des Revenants or Land to Which One Returns. As you can gather from just these pix, it's not the sort of place that you want to leave..