From Miss India To Motherhood

Moving from Mummy time to 'Me' time

  • Being Mummy
  • Family Time
  • ME time
  • My Many Moods
  • Miss India
  • And More
  • Reviews
  • Giveaway
  • Contact Me
  • About Me

Happy in Happy Valley

April 2, 2013 By: Mehroocomment

This post was featured on The HK Hub, a one-stop site for expats in Hong Kong on May 4, 2013.  http://thehkhub.com/i-live-here/explore/happy-in-happy-valley/   

Early one Saturday morning, desperate for an extra bit of wink time (late night celebrations for his recent rugby victory), my husband delegated the task of taking my son for his football practice to me. Being an early riser I did not mind the change in duty and I happily accompanied my son to his football class which is is beautifully located amidst lush, green grounds of the Happy Valley race course. I had a different agenda in mind!

It was almost 7:30 am when I dropped off my son to his pitch and as he ran ahead to join his team mates and coach, I proceeded towards the race course track looking forward to a good one-hour run! The morning was quite peaceful and sun hidden behind the clouds as I joined the other joggers, walkers on the jogging path. The first round was a bit slow, took me ten minutes as I leisurely absorbed the sights and sounds around me. Actually that’s when I decided to write this post too. The second round was a bit faster deciding on what photographs I would click, while my mind had already started working on the captions.

Early 1900 Happy Valley race course

This first photograph of course is not taken by me. I did a bit of research after coming back home. Apparently in the early settlement period, Happy Valley was a marsh land covered with paddy fields and unsuitable for residential living, so in the year 1848 the British decided to convert this flat piece of land into a race course. The Cantonese name for Happy Valley is ”Pau Ma Dey” which literally translates to Horse Racing Ground.

A full view of the race course

This picture below is of the stands from where one can watch the races. Towards the evening I have seen this place get packed for social events, so race or no race this city sure knows how to party!

Viewer stands

The next one is the complete opposite of the glamour and glass façade seen earlier. This is the other side of the rich and the famous. People who stay in the background and earn their living by maintaining this lovely real grass track. Tough, back breaking job, specially in the summer heat.

Workers caught on lens

This photograph is of the Hindu temple which today serves about a 100,000 Hindus and followers of Hindu religion from South, South-East and Far East Asia. My husband visits this temple quite often and I have been inside a couple of times too.

Just adjacent to this temple lies the lesser known Parsee cemetery, which is not visible in this photograph. As the history of Happy Valley goes, in 1840, the British had set up a military camp in this area but following an increasing number of soldiers and civilians falling ill or dying due to an unknown fever, the valley became a burial ground for the dead and was renamed ‘Happy Valley’ as a euphemism to the number of cemeteries. So besides the oldest Catholic cemetery in Hong Kong, one can also find Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and like I mentioned the Parsee cemetery. Parsis migrated from India to Hong Kong during the early colonial rule and despite their small number influenced life in Hong Kong to a big extent. The more famous Parsis were Sir Hormusjee Mody and Mr. Dorabji Mithaiwala who with their philanthropic activities helped set up The University of Hong Kong and Star Ferry – both icons of Hong Kong today!

A land of cemeteries – Happy Valley

This one is of a playground that we used to frequent when we lived in Happy Valley. I remember buying fresh bread or biscuits from the bakery opposite the road and then enjoy a peaceful afternoon while the kids had fun on the slides. Lots of good memories of this one…..having got badly bitten by an army of mosquitoes on a hot summer’s day is certainly not one of them!

Playground – couldn’t take a better photo as the access is from the opposite side
A striking contrast of the old vs the new made me take this photograph. Happy Valley is one of those few places in Hong Kong where you do get a choice of staying in an old low rise building vs a swanking new high rise one, the latter taking over the former at an alarming rate as demand for new housing increases.
Lower Happy Valley – old v new
This is the part I love about HK. No matter how densely populated this city or how tall the buildings, one is never too far from a mountain trail, a beach or in this case a big chunk of greenery amidst concrete.
Lush mountains overlooking the valley
Happy Valley enjoys a great location nestled between the commercial districts of HK – Wanchai, Central and Causeway Bay visible in the background.
Finally…..having come back a full circle the last photograph is of my son’s soccer class as the boys are made to do a last round of their warm up exercises. Their match is about to begin and I quickly head back to the football pitch happy with my morning session. Happy in Happy Valley!

Related Posts

  • Life in the ‘new normal’Life in the ‘new normal’
  • Coronavirus – Useful Hints & Tips from a Hong Kong MumCoronavirus – Useful Hints & Tips from a Hong Kong Mum
  • From Pokfulam to Kowloon PeakFrom Pokfulam to Kowloon Peak
  • Trick Eye Museum Hong Kong – a reviewTrick Eye Museum Hong Kong – a review

Related

Comments

comments

Share this article:

Comments

  1. Neo Prady says

    April 2, 2013 at 11:42 am

    Thank you for the invitation to your blog. i am absorbed. My high five to ur son for having such a great mom. And ur captures cajole me to be in that place of earth.

    http://neoimaginations.blogspot.in/

    Reply
  2. seb powen says

    April 2, 2013 at 11:45 am

    beautiful pics. and informational post.

    Reply
  3. Brad Dugg says

    April 3, 2013 at 5:05 am

    Nice article….good insights

    Reply
  4. Mehroo Turel says

    April 3, 2013 at 5:25 am

    Thank you Neo Prady…hope you keep visiting my blog!

    Reply
  5. Mehroo Turel says

    April 3, 2013 at 5:26 am

    Thanks Seb…glad you liked it.

    Reply
  6. Mehroo Turel says

    April 3, 2013 at 5:26 am

    Thank you for your first visit Brad. Hope you come back for more.

    Reply
  7. Vishal Rathod says

    April 4, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    Mehroo

    Nice pictures and good narration with smooth flow. liked it

    Travel India

    Reply
  8. aliasgarmukhtiar mukhtiar says

    April 4, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    lovely captures

    Reply
  9. Mehroo Turel says

    April 4, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    Thank you. Am happy that you visited my blog.

    Reply
  10. Mehroo Turel says

    April 4, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    Thanks Vishal. Keep coming for more.

    Reply
  11. Reena says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:43 am

    Hi Mehroo! Lovely post! I remember saying to my brother before he visited here that we are 'happy in happy valley' so your post made me smile 🙂
    I didn't know about the Parsi cemetery near the race course, thanks for sharing all the information.
    Love
    Reena

    Reply
  12. Mehroo Turel says

    April 8, 2013 at 3:28 am

    Hi Reena,
    Yes, I was Happy in Happy Valley and used to say that often too while living there. Actually I could have gone on and on about it, but restricted myself from boring people too much :)! I have been inside the Parsi cemetery once when someone in the community died. It is amazing how the traffic noise suddenly dies down and peace and calm takes over once you are inside.

    Reply
  13. Mehernaaz says

    April 10, 2013 at 3:26 am

    A great read Mehroo

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s get connected

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Updates on Blog Posts, and more !

Search

Popular Posts

  • School is over for today Its 3 o'clock and the school bell's loud ring is foll...
  • Miss India and all that jazz! So here it is...after months of waiting... the post...
  • Aashiqui 2 – Love Makes Life Live I can't say I am a movie buff and yet every evening aft...
  • A visit to the Wet Market This post was featured on The HK Hub, a one-stop site...
  • “Sorry ya, the line got cut!” "Jis vyakti se aap sampark karna chahte hain, woh vya...

Recent Comments

    No recent comment found.

Instagram

mehrooturel

Mompreneur | Coach | HK 💕
It’s Christmas! I am sitting in my cozy home wat It’s Christmas! I am sitting in my cozy home watching the twinkling lights on my Christmas tree🎄 drinking hot chocolate ☕️ or mulled wine 🍷 depending on the time of the day 😉 and listening to Christmas songs🎵 

Sharing my all-time favourite Christmas songs with you! 
❄️ Winter wonderland
❄️ Santa Claus is coming to town
❄️ Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! 
❄️ Deck the halls
❄️ Do you hear what I hear? 
❄️ Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Add to the festive spirit of joy And togetherness and share your favourite Christmas songs in the comments below! 

#christmassongs🎶 #christmascarols #christmassongs #christmastimewithfamily #familychristmas #christmasphotoshoot #christmasplaylist #christmasplaylists #christmasinhk #christmashongkong #christmashk #christmasyulelog
2020 was an "eventful" year. Our MAP Team of 'momp 2020 was an "eventful" year. Our MAP Team of 'mompreneurs' came together for this MAP CHRISTMAS COFFEE VIRTUAL MEET to share our thoughts, learnings, ups and downs for 2020, gaining from each other's strengths and carving a positive and productive path ahead for 2021! 

Loved the honesty, positive vibes, kind words and the support shown for each other and the group as a whole! Here's to many more!

#christmasmeet #womensupportingwomen 
#mumsatplay #momlife #mompreneurlife #hkmoms #womenentrepreneurs #womenentrepreneurship
It's ok to feel down sometimes. 🙁 But the impor It's ok to feel down sometimes. 🙁 But the important thing is to jump back up! 😍 
Easy said than done, I know, which is why I have made this list handy for you to have anytime you are feeling low and need a bit of motivation to get out of it!

What else do you do when you are feeling low? 🙄
Add it to comments here so we can all learn and try out new things to lift our mood! 🤩

 LIKE SHARE SAVE

#coachingforlife #mindsetchange #peacefulmindpeacefullife #staypositivealways #coachinghelps #lifecoachforwomen #coachingformoms #lifecoachformoms #icfcoaching #powerofcoaching #careercoach #careercoaching #innerpotential #businesscoach #businesscoachforwomen 
#powerfulquotes #inspirationalquotesoftheday #inspirationalquotesforlife
2020 - A year of extraordinary changes and challen 2020 - A year of extraordinary changes and challenges. 

How are you ending 2020? 

#mondaymotivation #stayfocused #staypositive➕ #keepitgoing #becauseyoumatter #lifecoachhk #lifecoachingforwomen
Catching up on some IG INSIGHTS. 👉🏻Here are Catching up on some IG INSIGHTS. 
👉🏻Here are my Top posts for the year! 
👉🏻Interesting to see what kind of posts attract more engagement and likes. 
👉🏻Here are some emerging themes
#fitness 
#motivation 
#hongkong🇭🇰 
#changeisgood 
#lifestyle
#buildingconfidence 
#workingduringcovid 

If you are an IG enthusiast and wish to inspire and motivate the right kind of people with your feed, spend some time looking at your insights to move in the right direction. 

#instagraminsights #insights #insightsdiscovery
The power of a HUG! 🫂 Do you know why hugs ar The power of a HUG! 🫂 

Do you know why hugs are so powerful? 
🤗 Hugging is a way of healing. 
🤗 Hugging relieves stress, anxiety, loneliness and tension. 
🤗 Hugging releases oxytocin “love hormone” resulting in the “feel good” factor.
🤗 Hugging offers a sense of protection and safety.
🤗 Hugging boosts self-esteem, increases our capability to self-love. 
🤗 Hugging offers a chance to exchange energy, encourages empathy and nurtures relationships. 

🙋‍♀️ So who have you given a hug today? Write in comment below. 

❤️LIKE  SAVE  SHARE for others to spread the power of a HUG! ❤️

@mehrooturel @lokithepoppycat
Friday thoughts.... I captured this beautiful sun Friday thoughts....

I captured this beautiful sunset on my iphone and I still could not do justice to the beautiful sun setting in front of eyes....too beautiful to captured on the lens ...posting my best shot. 

"Every sunset is an opportunity to reflect and reset" - What do you think?

#sunsetphotography #sunsetlovers
THANKFUL THURSDAY Take a minute to be grateful fo THANKFUL THURSDAY

Take a minute to be grateful for what you have today. Because even the smallest thing counts. 

#begratefuleveryday #thankfulthursdays❤️ #bethankfuleveryday #smallthingscount
Coaching? What? Why? When? I am often asked these Coaching? What? Why? When? 
I am often asked these questions by well-meaning family and friends as they learn about this new phase in my life. It prompted me to rewind time and write about this journey.

👉Coaching: Let’s start at the very beginning.... 

🖋Capturing the moments and memories of this beautiful new phase in my life.

End-January 2020: With corona virus spreading across Hong Kong and number of cases rising, schools were asked to shut down. We were in Mumbai over Chinese New Year and what had been a short 5-day trip to the city for a family wedding turned out to be a month-long extension as we postponed our flights intending to “stay safe” in Mumbai.

February 2020: While I was I happy that we were relatively safe and I could enjoy a longer holiday, the working bug in me started biting within a week. Business was slow through the previous months of protests in Hong Kong and had now come to a grinding halt. My mind started racing. What next, what can I do to keep my business going? In retrospect the actual question to ask was “What can I do to keep myself going?”

March 2020: After some trials and errors on new ideas for my current business, I realized that this was not the solution I was looking for. After starting my career in corporate sales and marketing, followed a fulfilling role as a stay-at-home mom to my boys and the last few years of being a “mom-preneur” running an exciting clothing and events business, I felt that I needed something different – something that I love and something that is sustainable over a period of time. I started researching on the internet, looking for an answer. My searches were quite random and pretty general. ‘Flexible job from home, rewarding job for women, inspiring jobs, etc.’ I am not sure how or when but along with the other answers that came up, what struck my attention and curiosity was the word ‘Coaching.’

To read my full blog visit http://frommissindiatomotherhood.com. 

Cover Photo by Danielle MacInnes on @unsplash
Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

My entrepreneurial ventures!

My entrepreneurial ventures!

Labels

After school activities birthday cake birthday party Birthdays christmas Christmas presents Christmas shopping christmas tree christmas with kids Cooking corona corona virus covid-19 dogs drama class family holiday family outing Faust Festivals Giveaway grey hair growing up hair colour Hiking Holidays Hong Kong India Kidsfest motherhood Movies Mumbai Mumtrepreneur Nostalgia Parenting Parsi Pets Poems raising kids Reviews Role change School Stay-at-home-mum SUMMER teenager Zoroastrian

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · frommissindiatomotherhood.com · contact · TOS & Privacy · Made by Kaushik

Subscribe to our newsletter!

x