Valentine's Day roses save Colombians in thorny situation

Tabio, Colombia

VALENTINE'S Day is a crazy rush for Colombia, one of the biggest flower exporters in the world, resulting in huge demand for labour in greenhouses near Bogota.

That's how Rubiela Mendez and William Perez found themselves shivering in a cold they'd never known, preparing roses in a hangar 500km from their hometown of Cucuta, on the jungle-steamy eastern border with Venezuela.