Mussoorie has been on my “wish list” of places to visit/re-visit for some time. We decided to make a trip to the “queen of the hills”, as it is known. The trip was nice and the place beautiful. But here are five things I wish for after getting back:
1. I wish getting there was easier.
I know the journey is as important as the destination and all that, but when we had to do a 2.5 hour taxi ride after landing from Delhi in one of the propeller planes that I absolutely hate, the trip didn’t seem as glamorous as I had imagined. One tip for those arriving by air – take the bypass road from Dehradun, not the highway. The driver gave us a choice, and we being clueless, opted for the highway as the bypass has a “kuccha” road for the first 3 km. But this easily added half an hour taxi ride time because of traffic in the city.
2. I wish it was easier to get around Mussoorie.
All taxis in Mussoorie are part of a “taxi union”, and thus charge exorbitant rates, e.g. a 5 min ride costing Rs. 300. Yet we also found different taxi drivers quoting different rates. Cycle rickshaws I suspect have some kind of union of their own, because their prices were not any less!
3. I wish the mall road was not as crowded.
I found the mall road very dirty and congested, with none of the charm or peace of mall roads in other hill stations.
4. I wish places within Mussoorie were not quite as commercial.
Everywhere carries an entry fee, and has a whole lot of touts and such people around. We finally visited only two places – Soham Heritage Centre, and Camel Back Road, and by the end, were done with sightseeing for good. It just gets to you.
5. I wish places like Landour around Mussoorie remain unspoilt.
For real serenity, we went up the slopes to Landour, which is as yet much more pristine and unspoilt. A visit to the Landour Bakehouse was like stepping into a different era altogether. I do hope for selfish reasons that it remains hard to get there, because once tourists reach, the purity of these small towns will also be destroyed.
I first went to Hong Kong in 2010. The seamless confluence of the hills, the sea and the land made me fall in love with the city. Although there were many places I visited with my husband and 2-year old daughter, we did not manage to visit the “Peak” that time. I promised to myself that we would be back if only for the Peak. They say always leave that one thing that will take you back to a place…? Maybe this was it.
So here we were, night of 28 May, 2018, this time with a 10-year old daughter and her 7-year old excited little brother, off to another visit to the same magical city. We enjoyed the second visit too, and it was different and special in its own way. Here are the “must see” places we experienced this time.
1. Ocean Park – a full day required
Ocean Park is a marine park/animal theme park/amusement park located in the Southern District of Hong Kong. It’s quite easy to get there now, just change to the light green line (the South Island line) of the MTR at Admiralty, and it’s the first stop on this line with direct access to the park. The park is interesting, and big, with lots to do. What troubled me was that it seems to be getting dated, with a bit of everything, I enjoyed much more on my last visit, with a lot of live performances and a carnival atmosphere. Maybe it’s the age, or the heat, because this time we were out to Ocean Park on one of the days with a “very hot” weather warning. It was just cruel being out in a huge park on such a day although what probably saved us was that being a weekday, queues were not long anywhere. I would probably visit the Panda enclosure which is right at the entrance first, then take the cable car up to the summit while the crowds are still less and you have shorter queues for the cable car. Up there is where all the rides are. We did the “rapids” at the “rainforest”, and it was utter bliss getting wet in that weather! Look for the North Pole encounter with the giant walruses which are simply stunning. We didn’t visit the South Pole enclosure with the penguins but I believe that is good too. The dolphin show which has as its narrative preserving/saving dolphins, is good, but a bit repetitive, if you’ve seen similar shows before.
Tip: Reach sharp at 10 am (not early, no place to sit outside).
2. The Peak – a half day trip (or less, depending on how early you make it there)
I was really excited about this visit as we missed it the last time. I had heard so much about the terrifying queues for the Peak Tram, and the scramble for seats on the right-hand side where all the views are, that we rushed to make it very early to the station. The Peak Tram actually starts running at 7 am and we were there before 8. It’s a Funicular railway, in that it uses a cable traction for movement on a steep slope. One of the fun parts is that passengers riding on the Peak Tram will experience a visual illusion: when going uphill, the high rises on the right ride of the tram appear to fall toward the Peak. Now, as we were early, we didn’t experience any queues for the tram and managed to get our seats on the right-hand side, witness the illusion, and the ride, while short, was pleasant enough. Once at the Peak, we missed the usual crowds but got some spectacular views at the Lion’s Pavilion. While it was a hot and humid day in Hong Kong, the Peak was slightly cooler, though it was far from chilly. Maybe rainy days get cooler here. One downside of making it up so early was that we missed the usual bustle and the shops. There was just one Chinese shop open at 9 am. That said, I would still recommend reaching the Peak early. After the ride back in the Funicular, we also had time for a short visit to the Hong Kong Park, a hidden gem just off the Peak Tram station. It has a children’s park, an aviary, beautifully maintained gardens and fountains, and even a waterfall. As it’s quite shaded and on the way to the MTR station, you also make it back there in a relatively unruffled condition.
Tip: Don’t miss the Peak Tram.
3. Ngong Ping – a half day trip
Ngong Ping is a highland in the western part of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It hosts Po Lin (Precious Lotus) Monastery and Tian Tan Buddha amidst the hills. Reaching there is pretty easy on MTR, just get off at MTR Tung Chung Station Exit B, then take the Ngong Ping Cable Car. Queues for the cable car are long, but shorter if you book through Klook. You can opt for the normal cable car or the crystal bottom one, unfortunately with our booking we didn’t have the option for crystal bottom, but I think it would be worth the experience. I think this place is worth visiting just for the cable car experience, which is phenomenal. You get some amazing views of the airport, the highlands, and a first view of the Big Buddha. When at the Ngong Ping “Village”, the place, while tranquil, is pretty commercialized I felt. It’s nice buying one of the touristy pictures/snow globe of your family in the cable car just when you get off, if you only mind the exorbitant $300 tag, but it’s cheap of them when they give you a free photo to collect from one of the shops up ahead, where you are made to pose in 6 different poses, hoping you would be motivated to buy more. The walk up the 268 steps to the Big Buddha is exhausting especially on a hot day (yes, we landed up there on another “very hot” warning day) but once up, the atmosphere is spiritual. So irritated was I with the long trudge up that I ended up splurging a further $150 on a rose quartz bracelet, and I only hope it’s worth the price!
Bottom-line: Go here for sure, for the cable car experience.
4. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort – at least a full day
Now I haven’t visited any other Disneyland resorts around the world so I really can’t compare, but from what I read based on others’ reviews, the park is relatively small. That doesn’t mean however that you do not need to plan, if you want to visit more than one “land” in an efficient manner. We ended up on another “very hot” day (phew!), and that too a Sunday. Queues everywhere were long, but especially for the customary picture with Mickey and Minnie near the entrance (which took over an hour of standing and waiting, not worth it especially if you are staying at one of the Disneyland hotels nearby where you would anyway get to meet the characters at breakfast) and the Winnie the Pooh ride, which was kind of repetitive, especially after “It’s a small world”, an amazing boat ride past a joyful congregation of singing children from around the globe, which has excellent queue management. We ended up kind of going back and forth the park, which was pretty exhausting. By the time we made it to the Lion King show in Adventureland at 4.30 pm, we were exhausted, at least I surely was, and my son looked as if he had nearly caught a heat stroke. Happiest place on earth? Wasn’t for me, at least not this time!
Bottom-line: Carry lots of food and especially various kinds of drink.
Some last tips on Hong Kong in general?
Tip 1: HKG offers a variety of modes of transport, which are all very good and worth experiencing. Do ride the double decker bus, the MTR, the Peak Tram, the Hong Kong Tramways (Ding Ding) (this one we missed), and the Star Ferry, each of which has a charm its very own. I was particularly impressed to see people who were going to work, riding the Star Ferry boats from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon and back even though they could quite easily use the MTR. I guess many people take the ride not just for an up-close look at the beautiful harbour, but because, even after a century, Star Ferry is still a highly reliable and efficient form of transport, something that India is trying to emulate. Do not miss it!
Tip 2: HKG’s climate is sub-tropical, tending to be hot, humid and sunny, with occasional showers and thunderstorms. We were there during a particularly hot and humid week, and the high humidity levels certainly made it feel much hotter. The week we were back, I checked back and found that a tropical cyclone had hit Hong Kong, bringing heavy rains. Carrying an umbrella is a must to protect from both the sun and the rain. Do not also forget the sun screen, which sometimes lies forgotten in our bag on a holiday.
Tip 3: For the weather, download an app called MyObservatory. I found it very useful for its real-time weather predictions and warnings for HKG. Look for the red and yellow coloured sign saying “very hot” and avoid going to a resort/outdoor trip that day!
Tip 4: Shopping? All places are good. I did not think much of Ladies market, a street market in busy Mong Kok (described as the busiest district in the world by the Guinness World Records) which ended up being rows and rows of cheap, fake stuff, but maybe it’s good for cheap souvenirs you forgot to buy before, if you can haggle. Our hotel was connected to Langham Place, Mong Kok, a Hong Kong shopping hot spot and one of the major malls in HKG. Other malls – Pacific Place, Olympian City, and International Finance Centre, which is high end – were all good. Causeway Bay gets crowded on weekends, but it has an IKEA, and a SOGO (department store). The Toys R Us we saw there last time has closed.
Tip 5: Prepare to be sad when you leave this place. HKG kind of grows on you and calls you back. Now I was just wondering when I could go to Hong Kong again. I think we missed “A Symphony of Lights”! 😉
“Sometimes you learn the most profound lessons from the least expected places.”
My usual routine after the kids get on to their school bus is to go for a walk, which importantly includes a trip to the fruit seller. Each time I go, which is nearly every day, I learn something new about how to delight your customer…the fruit-seller way (but applicable in nearly any other environment). Here are the things I’ve observed and learnt from.
1. Feel for your customer and it will come back to you one day. One day it was raining heavily, and it was that unusual, winter rain that can catch you unawares and really chill you. There was this lady and her daughter getting soaked in the rain and trying to take shelter under the fruit seller’s big umbrella that was shading his regular fruits. This guy immediately took off a smaller umbrella that was shading his other fruits (strawberries etc.) and handed it to them – “yeh le jao”, not once thinking of his own fruits. The lady and her daughter in turn said, no no bhaiya, we will go, we don’t want your fruits to get spoilt.
Just a little goodness put into the universe, but it will surely come back to him, or at least add to his goodwill bank. I don’t know if it did that day, but I’m pretty sure he built some more loyal customers.
2. Trust is a bigger thing than money. There was this once I didn’t have enough to pay for my bill. He immediately said, “kal de dena” (give it tomorrow). The next day he didn’t even remember, I reminded him, don’t you want your money back? He said I forgot, so many people come every day.
But I see that this trust does not make him lose money, it just gets him more and loyal, sincere customers. As he’s not relentlessly pursuing money, it comes back to him naturally.
3. Have all the regular ingredients of a good seller, and more. He keeps quality fruits, his prices are the lowest around, he’s lightning quick with his calculations (“hisaab”), and he always has a smile. If your fruit is ever rotten, he will replace it for you the next time, no questions asked. In fact, you don’t need to ask at all. You will always get more, not less.
4. Be respectful to all, whether the elderly, children, or others in the middle. For the elderly, he happily keeps their bags with him while they go for a walk or shopping elsewhere. Or helps load them onto their cars. I once saw an elderly lady who was afraid her car had got locked. I saw genuine concern and willingness to help on the fruit seller’s face. Thankfully, the car was not locked in fact. But he was there to help.
Once, my dad was with me for my fruit shopping and told the fruit wallah – “this is my daughter, please take care of her whenever she comes”. To which he didn’t say a superficial “yes, yes”, but instead replied thoughtfully, “uncle, I take care of everyone, regardless of who they are – even if a child comes to me and doesn’t have the money, I take care of them too”.
My dad said, this is the essence of a good seller and more importantly, a good person.
I often tell him, bhaiya stop keeping plastic bags. He says didi, people just don’t listen, what do I do?
If he really does that, I think he will become a true “model” fruit seller in my mind. But even if he doesn’t (and for that he needs cooperation from us too, no?), he’s doing a great job.
I think we should all stop a moment and take a lesson from (also thank and salute) such workers, so tirelessly striving to make an honest living in a world that is not always good to them.
Psst….if you want to meet him, he has a small wagon just outside deer park on the Safdarjung enclave side in New Delhi. Do stop by if you are ever that side!
1. I wish getting there was easier.
I first went to Hong Kong in 2010. The seamless confluence of the hills, the sea and the land made me fall in love with the city. Although there were many places I visited with my husband and 2-year old daughter, we did not manage to visit the “Peak” that time. I promised to myself that we would be back if only for the Peak. They say always leave that one thing that will take you back to a place…? Maybe this was it.
