Stephanie's Discussion #2

Nancy Farmer has done a wonderful job on providing excellent visuals in her writing. I would have to say one of my favourite quotes from the book regarding the setting would be "The poppies, now blue in the long shadows of the hills, stretched away in all directions." For me, this quote really paints a visual image in my mind. I can see fields of white. However I am confused because I have always thought that Mexico was like a desert.  So they must be growing poppies for opium specifically.  I imagine a hostile place filled with sand, dirt and too dry to support any life or greenery. Yet, poppies still grow there so, then again I think that there must be some sort of greenery.