Huahine saw things this way:
Overall
4
Don't miss Montreal Gardens, December 23, 2015
Reviewer: Huahine
Pros: Touring the breadbasket of the island.
Cons: n/a
The Garden of Eden tour began with a scenic drive through the Mesopotamia Valley, or Marriaqua Valley, of St. Vincent, often called the islands breadbasket. Banana plantations, nutmeg, cocoa, breadfruit, coconut and a variety of root crops have thrived here for generations. Near the highest point of the island, at about 3,000 feet, stands one mans dream, Montreal Gardens. As Ingrid, our guide, lead us through the lush tropical foliage owner Timothy Vaughan, in work clothes and boots, stepped onto our path to say hello. The Welshman told me he came to St. Vincent on holiday and was so taken with the terrain and the lifestyle that he bought an old fruit plantation and has spent the last 20 years transforming 7.5 acres into a show garden. He sells flowers to offset his costs. We passed beds of bright red anthurium like those gracing dinner tables on the Royal Clipper. Paths were lined with variegated coleus and stands of wild ginger. An African tulip tree and nutmeg tree prompted several in our group to pull out cell-phone cameras. Ingrid held up the leaf of a trumpet tree and explained its medicinal properties. Good for sufferers of diabetes and high blood pressure, she said. On the way back to port, Ingrid continued her lecture on the health benefits of St. Vincents fruits holding up photos of each. Mangoes, high in fiber, good for the colon and beneficial to men with prostate cancer. Pineapple, good for eyes. Road apple (also called plum rose) for digestion. Star fruit to lower cholesterol and cure hangovers and prickly heat.
