BigBody, Author at Pale Ale Travel

What Currency Does Hong Kong Use? A Complete Guide to the Hong Kong Dollar

January 11, 2025January 11, 2025Asia, Hong Kong, Travel, Travel Tips, Tricks, & Resources BigBody Leave a Comment

Hong Kong is a special administrative region (SAR) of China that has its own currency, which is called the Hong Kong Dollar.

Below, I’ll explain what Hong Kong’s currency is called, provide an overview and brief history, its names in both English and Chinese/Cantonese, and how it’s identified in local and international transactions (denominations, symbols, abbreviations).

My Fourth Month’s Earnings on Mediavine Journey to End the Year [December 2024]

January 6, 2025January 6, 2025Travel, Travel Tips, Tricks, & Resources BigBody Leave a Comment

Well, that’s a wrap for the 2024 season of blogging. There were highs, there were lows, there were befuddlements, and there were lessons learned.

You can find the earnings reports for my previous three months on Mediavine Journey here:

Once again, I recommend checking out Part 1 (September) if you want a breakdown/easy explanation of the metrics and terms I use in every earnings report.

So, without further ado, here is exactly how much my travel blog earned in the month of December on Mediavine Journey.

Taipei vs. Hong Kong For Expats: Which City is Right For You?

January 4, 2025January 9, 2025Asia, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

Hong Kong and Taipei are two popular cities that emerge as top contenders for expats considering moving to Asia thanks to a mix of thriving professional opportunities, personal and social growth, and a plethora of other practical considerations (I’m looking at you low tax rates!).

Having lived in Taipei, Taiwan for over 3 years and Hong Kong for nearly 7 years (hint: I’m currently living in HK) both cities have been incredibly formative both professionally and personally for me, with each providing distinct and unique (and memorable) experiences, vibrant cultures, and unparalleled advantages that have ultimately made my life richer and more fulfilling.

However, they differ significantly in key areas such as cost of living, professional industries, lifestyle, and overall environment. And, in my humble opinion, they cater to two very different types of expats.

Below, I’ll break down the key factors you should consider when asking yourself if Hong Kong or Taipei is the best fit for you.

So, whether you’re drawn to Hong Kong’s solidified and storied reputation as a global financial hub or Taipei’s eclectic blend of modernity, tradition, and island charm, this article will help you evaluate critical aspects that may be most important to you.

So, without further ado – Hong Kong vs. Taipei for expats – which city is best for you, your career, and your family? Let’s find out.

Factors	Hong Kong	Taipei
Cost of Living	One of the most expensive cities in the world.	Affordable across the board, specifically housing and necessities.
Professional Opportunities	A leading global financial hub that’s home to high-demand sectors like banking, law, and insurance, with no cap on professional growth.	A foreign job market underpinned by English teaching and other jobs in education, with a growing tech and entrepreneur scene.
Quality of Life	A high-pressure and demanding city that comes with long hours but surrounding nature and no shortage of activities to mitigate.	A more balanced and relaxed existence where you can clock-in and clock-out to enjoy surrounding nature and cultural events.
Education	World-class competitive international curricula that can cost a pretty penny.	An ideal destination for families seeking Mandarin immersion along with high global standards.
Expat Communities	The most eclectic expat community in Asia (and a top global city).	A small but inclusive expat community that is primarily centered around Anglophones and native English speakers.

9 Picturesque Runs in Europe That Kept Me From Looking Like Grimace

December 30, 2024December 30, 2024Europe, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

This is not going to be a particularly targeted post. It’s somewhat of a hodgepodge collection of runs that I strapped on my ultra-wide New Balances while traveling in Europe for 3 months this past summer to avoid looking like Grimace.

This trip wouldn’t have been as memorable as it was without taking some time to stop and smell the grass (and pavement?) via a handful of scenic runs. Not only did these runs allow me to “burn some cals” before a night out, which inevitably involved slugging 12 ‘light’ European lagers, but they also helped me get to know the city (and country) I was staying in better.

If anything, I hope this post provides a launching point for all the runners (of all skill levels) who find themselves in Europe for their next adventure.

Maybe, just maybe, you’ll end up in one (or more) of the cities on this list. In that case, you at least have one run in your back pocket to get out there and experience the area in a completely underrated way.

Here are 9 runs in Europe that not only kept me in shape during my 3 months in the Old Continent but emphatically made my trip the best one of my life and made me feel a part of the social fabric of each country.

It goes without saying BUT all of these scenic running routes also make for great walks too!

Pale Ale Travel Note: For easy scannability and reference, I’ve just grouped the runs by the country that they are in. I’ve also included my personal Strava maps for each run to give you an idea of what the exact route looked like. Finally, to keep things simple, all route lengths are provided for in kilometers.

Always DTF at Din Tai Fung (DTF) With the Dawgz

December 28, 2024December 28, 2024Asia, Food, Hong Kong BigBody Leave a Comment

I’m always DTF with the dawgz. Get your mind out of the gutter, ya filthy animal. I obviously mean ‘Din Tai Fung’.

You know, the beloved Taiwanese restaurant chain that has swept the world and put a smile on millions of faces thanks to its piping hot, delicate, juicy, steamed pork dumplings (aka ‘xiaolongbao’ – 小笼包).

I’m in the midst of trying to start a movement. No, not one of those move down to South America in furtherance of establishing a religious commune/utopia and have 90% of the movement drink cyanide type of movement.

Mine is a xiaolongbao empowerment (and education) movement. One where nobody ever falls victim again to their own gluttony by scorching their taste buds and damning themselves to subsequent weeks of everything tasting like rubber.

Some might say that’s more ambitious and delusional than starting a cult in Guyana.

I digress.

The point is, Din Tai Fung is the absolute cat’s pajamas of Shanghai-style dumplings, noodles, and soups. So, consider this a call to action to assemble your crew, prep your taste buds, and make your way over to your nearest Din Tai Fung to slurp back some of the most revered soup dumplings in the game.

What Tourists Need to Know About Poland’s Legal Drinking Age

December 27, 2024December 27, 2024Beer & Breweries, Europe, Poland BigBody Leave a Comment

During my three months in Poland, I may or may not have consumed enough alcohol to kill a bull elephant. The only comparable time in my life was when I spent 3 months in Japan and tossed back nama beerus (draft beers) with the best of them…nightly.

To be fair, it was somewhat of Poland’s doing, as it was home to some of the best beer and hard liquors I’ve ever had the pleasure of tossing back. So, a Poland bacchanalian was inevitable. The boozing prophecy had been written well before my brother uttered the words ‘Poland trip’ to me just 5 months prior.

The variety of beer, liquors, wines, and other spirits across Poland is a force to be reckoned with. From the countless innovative (and quirky) craft beer bars that lined the streets of most old towns, to regional smoked beers and ever-so-drinkable lagers, clean and crisp vodkas, and even plum brandies, if you can dream it, you can drink it in Poland.

Poland has garnered particular acclaim and attention (justly so) from tourists over the past decade, becoming a Central European hotspot for living the dolce vita. Frankly, after my 3 month “hot boy summer” in Poland, I still consider it one of the most underrated travel destinations in the world. It’s an absolute gem.

And what better way to experience this vibrant, resilient country (and culture) than by tossing back some local booze over a plate of pierogi, schabowy (schnitzel), steak tartare, or other delicious Polish staples?

To ensure that you don’t miss out on Poland’s highly revered and full-bodied drinking culture, as a tourist it’s important to cross your drinking t’s while dotting your i’s by familiarizing yourself with the legal drinking age in Poland and other laws and/or potential faux pas you should be mindful of.

So, whether you’re a university student making the pilgrimage for a debaucherous weekend, a couple on their honeymoon looking to elegantly sip fine European wines at a rooftop bar, or someone in between (like me), here is everything you need to know about Poland’s drinking age and important alcohol laws everyone should know.

Pale Ale Travel Note: Get your free Poland travel itineraries delivered right to your inbox when you subscribe to my newsletter!

Get Yourself Some Siu Mei Excellence at Chukfo Taipan

December 23, 2024December 30, 2024Asia, Food, Hong Kong BigBody Leave a Comment

Something washed over me when I was out of Hong Kong for three months this summer. And that was a realization that I eat far more Asian food than I thought. Since I returned home, I’ve been eating Cantonese and Chinese cuisine like it’s going out of style.

One style of Cantonese cuisine, in particular, has dominated this gastronomic reunification and reawakening – ‘siu mei’, aka ‘Cantonese BBQ’.

This has led to me revisiting classic roast goose and BBQ pork (char siu) haunts that have served me well over the years and exploring revered institutions that I’m ashamed to have never feasted on during my nearly seven-year Hong Kong tenure.

One Hong Kong-style roast meat restaurant had oddly eluded me over the years – my ‘siu mei white whale’ some might say – Wan Chai’s very own ‘Chukfo Taipan’.

So, in the lead-up to my self-imposed 1.5-month moratorium out of Hong Kong, I called up my Farjar (father) for one of our Friday lunch “constitutionals” and told him we were eating all of the meats.

He obliged.

Sometimes You Just Have to Crush a Narita Airport Ramen

December 20, 2024December 20, 2024Asia, Food, Japan BigBody Leave a Comment

If you’re reading this, I’m already in the U.S., home for the holidays to see family, drive the icy backroads that saw me intrepidly eat Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches while on the way to Catholic school homeroom, and catch up with old friends.

All of this is great. However, there’s one glaring gastronomic problem in my small New England state – an egregious lack of authentic and quality Japanese cuisine.

So, on my route back from Hong Kong, stopping in Tokyo Japan at Narita International Airport for a 4-hour layover, you know I had to get one final Asian cuisine fix before touching down in the land of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chicken tenders, and lite beer.

And, with my stomach bloated and gurgling from the previous night’s undigested gyros, I knew I had to go with old faithful – ramen.

Sometimes, you just have to crush a Narita Airport ramen – especially when that ramen is by Ginza Kagari.

Seoul Noodles: a Dish Best Served Cold at Park Chan-wook’s House

December 19, 2024January 2, 2025Asia, Food, Hong Kong BigBody Leave a Comment

The Koreans are taking over Hong Kong and you know what? I ain’t even mad.

Everywhere you turn, it’s a Korean BBQ spot this, a pocha haunt that, a gaggle of suave-looking men rocking a two-block haircut with bangs and clean, minimalist semiotic getup that makes you realize just how much of a slob you are in comparison.

And now, a traditional Korean noodle and rice soup shop.

Even as I sit perched at the Nood Kinwick countertop overlooking the escalators, deep in reflective thought on what exactly the previous weekend’s 5 AM credit card charges at Bar 42 were for (hint: terrible things), I see a group of 40+ Korean tourists being shuffled through SoHo by a stern yet informative guide.

Recently, a top dawg and I, both donning our finest suits and craving sustenance before a legendary bacchanalian Zuma night brunch, stopped by the 2024-inaugurated Seoul Noodles on Stanley Street (Central) to confirm whether Korean gastronomic excellence only extended to the meat and booze realm in Hong Kong or if noodles were done justice as well.

Well, I’m here to confirm that the Koreanization of Hong Kong is fully underway and it’s goddamn delicious. So, where you gonna be when the sun falls, brother (or sister)? Hopefully slurping down a hearty bowl of soul-warming (Seoul-warming? Zing) Korean noodles with your ride-or-dies. You can bet I’ll be doing the same.

Here is why ‘Seoul Noodles’ in Hong Kong absolutely needs to be on your eating radar.

9 Practical, No Upfront Cost Hong Kong Side Hustles to Stack More HKD

December 9, 2024December 9, 2024Asia, Hong Kong, Travel, Travel Tips, Tricks, & Resources BigBody Leave a Comment

Hey. It’s me. Big Body. Your friendly neighborhood blogger who just so happens to live in one of the most prohibitively expensive cities in the world – Hong Kong.

I get it. This is a tough city to be impecunious in.

Rent is exorbitantly priced, cocktails cost an arm and a leg, and the overall value of what you’re able to purchase seems to be dropping off quicker than your freshman-year GPA after you discovered Popov vodka, Swisher Sweets, and long-cut Grizzly Mint pouches.

Note: I’m American so you’ll just have to picture whatever the Hong Kong university experience equivalent of that is. Also, Tai Lopez is a huge bozo so don’t think that me including him in the feature image is an endorsement of this grifter.

Either way, you need to make some extra skrilla and you need to make it now. You know, dough, doll-hairs, cheddar, clams, shekels, Versace lettuce, Hong Kong pesos. As the Wu-Tang Clan so famously rapped, ‘Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M. get the money, dolla dolla bill y’all.’

Here are 9 Hong Kong side hustles you can do to earn some extra skrilla so that you have some breathing room when the financial stress of this city inevitably feels like it is getting to be ‘too much’.

Pale Ale Travel Note: My goal is to provide you with practical side hustles that you can theoretically do with minimal setup. I’ve read other Hong Kong side hustle and passive income articles that were, frankly, offering up dangerous advice – like investing in cryptocurrency (note: I’m a huge Bitcoin/crypto proponent but there’s still an inherent gamble/risk in doing so). Further, many of the side hustles suggested require you to already have a significant amount of money to get started. This is from the ground up.

The Best Paella in Hong Kong is on Lamma Island – Say What!?

December 6, 2024December 6, 2024Asia, Food, Hong Kong BigBody Leave a Comment

As ‘Asia’s World City’, one where roughly 10% of its population is classified as ‘non-Chinese’, you’d be hard-pressed to ever encounter a Spaniard in your daily routine. If one of my OG friends in Hong Kong weren’t a Mallorca native, I wouldn’t even believe they exist, mentally classifying them in the same category as the Chupacabra and Abominable Snowman.

This means that there is a glaring lack of Spanish restaurants in the city, the few and proud that exist primarily being concentrated in the Sheung Wan/Central biodome of personally and professionally underachieving expats – myself included.

I’m not entirely sure how it took me so long to write a post about this Spanish restaurant and gem out on the most Bohemian of all Outlying Islands in Hong Kong.

Mea culpa. Well, it’s here now.

In the not-too-distant past, several top dawgz and I had a day out on Hong Kong’s third largest yet most-spirited island – one filled with a brisk walk from the Yung Shue Wan Ferry Pier and swim down by that one power station which now makes me glow in the dark at night, capped off with an unsuspectingly authentic and bangin’ paella that would have a Spanish abuela howling in delight.

Here’s your new go-to spot in Hong Kong to snag you a bite of this vibrant, flavor-packed Spanish staple and why it emphatically puts the ‘yay’ in ‘paella’.

Is Hong Kong Expensive to Visit?

December 4, 2024January 7, 2025Asia, Hong Kong, Travel, Travel Tips, Tricks, & Resources BigBody Leave a Comment

“Is Hong Kong Expensive?” is a common question I receive from readers, specifically those contemplating and/or planning a trip to ‘Asia’s World City’. Without sounding too much like a clickbait YouTube thumbnail (and failing), the answer might actually shock you, as Hong Kong may be more affordable than you initially might think.

However, that doesn’t mean you’re completely out of the weeds as several key expenses can ‘break the bank’ (so to speak).

Below, I’ll walk you through the cost of travel in Hong Kong, using anecdotes and personal experiences from my nearly seven years living here. You’ll walk away with a sound understanding of prices in terms of specific items but also experiences, things, and other categories of travel essentials.

You’ll also get a rough feel of exactly how much your trip to Hong Kong may cost. So, without further ado, how expensive is Hong Kong?

Pale Ale Travel Note: As people from all over the world are reading this post, I’ve decided to use Hong Kong Dollars (HKD/HK$) as the main currency for all costs – just to keep things simple.