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16 WHEREHONGKONG I NOVEMBER 2011
Daisann McLane specializes in obscure details. Take the tour she planned for bartender Mark Jenner, who was visiting Hong Kong from his job as manager of the Coburg Bar at the Connaught Hotel in London and wanted to mix up some cocktails with local ingredients. McLane, a travel journalist who has worked out of Hong Kong for a decade, researched local fruits, herbs and pickles and took Jenner on a scouting tour of Sheung Wan’s markets. They came up with sour plums, pickled red ginger, wolfberries and more.
She has taken the head legal counsel for a top international corporation to a session of the Nancy Kissel murder trial at the High Court, arranged whirlwind local eating tours for foodies with only a few hours to spare and curated private dinners
for groups that involved collaborating with chefs, designing the menus and attending the dinner to explain the dishes as well as Hong Kong’s intricately layered food culture and restaurant scene.
“I have taken urban planners through public housing estates in Kowloon City, history buffs on walks through abandoned villages in the New Territories and jewelry traders on shopping expeditions,” McLane writes. She works with her clients to customize tours for their specific interests, needs and time frame.
A former writer of the New York Times’ Frugal Traveler column and a current writer for National Geographic Traveler magazine, McLane sees the world through writer’s eyes—forever asking questions, noticing nuances and placing an emphasis
on understanding Hong Kong culture in context. She founded Little Adventures in Hong Kong three years ago to offer visitors an intimate, authentic experience of the city she’s fallen in love with. That’s why McLane, who’s also an excellent Cantonese speaker, limits her tours to three people.
“It’s just hard to blend in and have a pleasant, informative and serendipitous experience in Hong Kong,” she says. “I’m trying to give [visitors] a crash course using the benefit of what I’ve learned from seven or eight years of hanging out in Hong Kong [with locals].”To book tours with Little Adventures in Hong Kong, email [email protected]. $775 per hour with a three-hour minimum; tour participants are responsible for their own food costs and transportation fees.
A longtime Cantonese-speaking journalist tailors tours to visitors’ tastes.
The Hostess of Hong Kong
INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS
Because Hong Kong has the most
number of residents living or
working above the 14th floor than
any other country, it’s the world’s
most vertical city. Learn about the
city’s unique skyscrapers—like the
Bank of China Tower, with its sharp
angles and jagged exterior meant to
look like bamboo, and The Center,
which features in the harbor light
show. Registered architects from
the HK Institute of Architects take
you on a three-hour tour of Central,
Hong Kong’s busy heart. Tours are
conducted Saturday mornings.For more information, visit www.hkia.net, call 2805-7085 or e-mail [email protected].
YWCA
For a tour with a more local feel, look
no further than the English Speaking
Members Department at the YWCA.
Upcoming events include a walking
and photography tour on the 26th
of November in Sheung Wan, Hong
Kong’s westernmost and oldest
district. Check out the antique shops
for a great selection of international
trinkets and
artifacts.
There are
many stores
selling
Chinese
furniture and
ceramics,
such as Buddha sculptures, vases and
wooden lacquer screens. Established
art galleries are abound there, too,
such as the Schoeni Gallery, which
features Chinese contemporary art.
Lastly, pay a visit to the dried seafood
and herbal medicine shops.Members pay $300 while non-members pay $360. Visit www.esmdywca.org.hk, call 3476-1340 or e-mail [email protected].
Feature Nov11.indd 16 21/10/2011 10:32 AM
