The annual Hong Kong Flower Show is a must to see, if you don’t mind the crowds. It is held in Victoria Park, a public park named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The park is located in Causeway Bay, on the north side of Hong Kong Island. This annual flower show is a rich profusion of potted plants, floral arrangements and gorgeous landscape displays, all a delight for the senses. The show is sponsored by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to promote horticulture and awareness of greening.
Our day started off with a ferry trip across the Causeway Bay to Hong Kong Island. The ferry travels frequently between these two ports during the day, and it was a fast and inexpensive. After disembarking from the ferry we took a short walk to a bus which would drop us off at Victoria Park. During our walk to the park entrance we noticed many women sitting along the sidewalks around the park. Apparently the park has long been one of the gathering places for the 300,00 domestic workers that Hong Kong has and on Sundays, their usual day off, they gather here to socialize. Since the park was hosting the flower show, they were not able to congregate inside and instead sat on the sidewalk surrounding it. All of these women, and there were probably hundreds of them, were sitting on blankets, talking and eating. Since the early 2000′s helpers from Indonesia congregate around the western end of the park and Philipina domestic workers do the same around Statue Square in Central.
I would imagine that Sunday would be the busiest day to take in the Flower Show, but that was the day we had slotted it for, and believe me, it was busy! From getting into the park, to navigating through it, it was a challenge. Some of the displays it had were phenomenal, though. There were 8 foot or bigger animated animals covered with flowers, many were Easter themed, a series of flower covered arches were particularly beautiful. Primula was this years theme and the flower could be seen everywhere. There was also some entertainment, such as dancers and singers, that were quite amateurish.
A tented area featured plants and arrangements that had been in competition and many had ribbons showing their placement. Some were very unusual and colorful drinking straws and thin plastic tubes were a frequent focal point. There was something for everyone to see, from the very young to he very old, a very nice way for a family to spend the day. My only complaint would be the bathrooms, not only was there always a long line up, but they were also squat toilets and not very clean. Yuck.
After leaving the park we decided to take a tram in the opposite direction we had initially come from, just to see a bit more of Hong Kong. Along this route were what seemed like hundreds of high rise buildings, mainly apartments and condos. We ended up going to the end of the tram route and got off not knowing exactly where we were or where to go next. We tried asking a bus driver directions, but either he did not know English or did not know where the subway was either. Fortunately a nice lady nearby heard us talking to him and gave us the directions we needed. We had a bit of a trek ahead of us, and ended up walking through a small market selling fruits, veggies and meats, kind of interesting and there were mainly locals here.
Eventually we did make it to the subway and back to our hotel. Carl by this time was exhausted and all he wanted to do was rest. The Dengue Fever and intestinal problems seemed to have sapped a lot of his energy and he tired easily, plus he still wasn’t eating normally. I guess I’ll be eating by myself again this evening, oh well. Hopefully he will feel better tomorrow.
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- View from Ferry
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- Domestic workers enjoying day off
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- Entrance to flower show
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- Piano made up of flowers
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- Orchid
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- Flower bear
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- Beautiful bonsai
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- Archway line-up (don’t know the people in front)
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- Crowds of domestic workes at and around the park
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