Ode to the orchid

Orchids are my favorite flowers. I chose them for one of the most special days in my life, I enjoy orchid bouquets and having orchids at home.

Orchids are the world’s largest family of plants. The variety of these flowers is amazing: there are over 25 000 different species. Vanilla is also a type of orchid.

In Thailand, often called the land of the orchids, the flowers are everywhere – at the airport, at hotels, in temples, on the street. Orchids in ”Barbie doll” boxes are available to buy at the airport. Labels assure that they have passed an agricultural inspection. Orchids immortalized in resin, orchid jewelry, and other eye-catching souvenirs tempt travelers at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The air in the orchid farm around Bangkok is hot, humid, and heavily fragranced. Pink, yellow, purple, bloody red, blue…I get dizzy from all the colors and shapes. To my surprise, not only look orchid species completely different from each other but unlike other flowers, each one of them smells differently. Chocolate? French perfume? The scents are captivating. I am tempted to bring a flower pot with me home but I quickly reconsider – the flowers are so delicate that I don’t want to hurt them during transportation.