My Urban Escape to Mong Kok

by Kathleen Thompson

I had the pleasure to travel to Hong Kong earlier this fall for a two-week vacation. I have been to Mumbai before, but I had not toured any parts of Eastern Asia.

To say that Hong Kong is crowded is quite the understatement - there are people everywhere. Subways, streets, restaurants and markets teem with people day and night. A friend told me it’s difficult to take a breath, not referencing pollution, but the quick pace and the masses of people. He said driving to less populated areas and parks was a weekend tradition - to get back to nature and some open green space. 

I saw a few parks, but they were more of the playground or blacktop kind. I think this is why the flower markets selling vibrant colors in a multitude of shapes and sizes are so popular. The Mong Kok Flower Market (one of my top ten sights on my must see list) is the largest and busiest and the afternoon we visited, I walked slowly past stands and into flower shops to fully surround myself with the beauty of blossoms. 

The U.S. dollar is much stronger than the Hong Kong dollar and the prices for huge bouquets of freshly cut flowers or blooming plants was astonishing. For example, countless varieties of orchids were about $2-3.00 U.S. Here at home, that same plant could easily sell for seven times the amount. 

While inexpensive for a visitor, that price is not necessarily so for a native. But in the apartment homes I visited and in businesses across the city, greenery or flowers of some sort were prized enough to have a place. It is a universal feeling, I am sure, much like when winter comes to North Texas and I purchase cut flowers for our table or stop to admire even a simple green ivy near the window, just to see a bit of color and breathe in my appreciation of flora. If you are a Grapevine Garden Club member, I know you know what I mean.

More photos of my trip to Hong Kong can be found at http://bit.ly/KT_HongKong

(Article submitted by request to the Grapevine Garden Club on my HK trip.)