Of course we love the Star Ferry. But as we settled into Hong Kong we discovered it is far from Hong Kong’s only ferry service! With 240 islands, the city of Hong Kong is almost a mini-archipelago, and boats are as important here as cars, busses and trains--probably more so. Even before the British came, vessels of all sizes provided the main form of transport in this region....
It's been the greatest joy of our 2019 season--sharing the daily life of Peng Chau island with a select group of Little Adventures in Hong Kong's guests. Peng Chau is the smallest Hong Kong island connected by a major ferry service to the mainland. It gets few tourists, has even fewer obvious attractions, and has basically been left to itself for decades. This is what attracted us to start running walking tours on the island two years ago, and it's what led our director, Daisann McLane, to pack up her belongings after 14 years living in Central Hong Kong, and take a chance on a quiet place that's only accessible by boat crossing from anywhere. A year and a few months after her move, Daisann's only regret about moving to Peng Chau is that she did not do it sooner....
Hong Kong tea shop Fukien Tea Company is exactly what you imagine a Hong Kong tea shop should be. Dusty, peeling tin canisters decorate the shelves. A chubby white cat stretches upon a checkerboard tiled floor. Faded black and white photos line the walls. It is as if you've walked through a door that time travels you back into 1963....
When you book a Wontonathon food walk with Little Adventures in Hong Kong you're not just buying a ticket for any old Hong Kong food tour. You're signing on for a private session with a top Hong Kong food expert....
For years we have been wondering about the 70s-style "resort" that you can spot on Lantau Island's south coast when you are taking the ferry from Hong Kong. A bit of research and we discovered the poignant story of Sea Ranch, the Hong Kong luxury beach retreat that has been nearly abandoned for 20 years. Only accessible by ferry (or a very strenuous hike--read on for more about that!) On a beautiful early June day, we decided to try to have a look at the place for ourselves. We heard there were still a few people living in the complex and that was a private ferry running to the complex from nearby Cheung Chau island. Just as we reached Cheung Chau from Central, we saw the Sea Ranch ferry and hopped right on. No one seemed to mind, and soon we were chugging our way towards the mystery beach with its...
Happy year of the Goat! Or Sheep! Or Ram! Or whatever! The Chinese character (羊) for the holiday's Zodiac symbol can mean any one of them. At Little Adventures in Hong Kong we have no problem with that--we're happy to have all our favorite Fuzzy Ruminant Animals around in Hong Kong for this Lunar New Year 2015.
Every year Hong Kong’s stores, malls and shops bring on the major bling for Lunar New Year. We set out on mission to find the good, bad and the fugly of this year’s Ram-bunctious displays.
Happy year of the Goat! Or Sheep! Or Ram! Or whatever! The Chinese character (羊) for the holiday's Zodiac symbol can mean any one of them. We have no problem with that--we're happy to have all our favorite Fuzzy Ruminant Animals around in Hong Kong for this Lunar New Year...
We're extremely lucky to have the multi-talented Paul Karl Lukacs on our Little Adventures in Hong Kong team. Paul's an entertainment lawyer who also happens to be a fan and thoughtful critic of international cinema (which includes classic Hong Kong film, of course). How big a fan is Paul? Well, let's just say that some of us choose a Hong Kong neighborhood to live in based on its transport and shops, but Paul chooses where he lives based on the proximity of a good movie theater!
...
Janice Leung, our Little Adventures in Hong Kong colleague and host extraordinaire, is also a food writer and a walking database of information on Hong Kong, Cantonese, and regional Guangdong cuisines (among other things!). We learn something new and insightful about Hong Kong's food and culinary culture every time we go out walking the markets with her.
Janice has just published a superb, authoritative article in the Australian magazine, Gourmet Traveller, about one of our favorite subjects: the classic old Hong Kong Cantonese dishes that have almost disappeared from restaurant menus. Not only does Janice track down and find modern-day versions of these great, rich, labor-intensive masterpieces of the Hong Kong culinary lexicon--she gives a terrific cultural history of these lost foods through her own research and interviews with top Hong...
Our good friend Hana sends this photo from her recent Sunday dim sum at Fu Sing restaurant in Wan Chai. When we stoppped spitting Hong Kong milk tea all over our keyboard, we emailed her to find out what happened here, and she told us, "This is what arrived when we played Dim Sum Roulette."
