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21 Date Ideas in Hong Kong to Avoid Becoming “The Boring Couple”

December 21, 2023February 19, 2025Asia, Destinations, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

I’ve been there before. You mindlessly scroll Reddit on your phone next to one another in bed, being intimate hasn’t been on the table since your mother-in-law moved in “just for a few weeks,” you look over at your partner and see them doing the same. Something snaps and you look at them, “Babe, have we become ‘the boring couple?”

“We’re not boring, everyone’s like this.” “Do you remember when we went whitewater rafting in West Virginia? Or snorkeling in The Maldives?” You smirk, “Or the time we did…on top of…while there were people nearby…”. You raise your eyebrows and give them a playful nudge. “This weekend, what say you and I get out and try something different?” Your partner’s eyes widen as they abruptly sit up in bed and begin to visibly shake with excitement.

“How about we ask ‘so and so’ and get a few drinks before?” “I said ‘try something different’ not ‘try someone different’.” “Oh. Alright. Then l know just the list of date ideas to choose from.”

Without further ado, here are 21 certified, tested, fun date ideas in Hong Kong for couples that want to avoid being referred to as “The Boring Couple” and reclaim a bit of spontaneity (without destroying your marriage) – or who just want to get away from their in-laws.

8 Christmas Date Ideas in Hong Kong to Unlock Your Own Winter Rom-Com

December 9, 2023February 19, 2025Asia, Destinations, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

‘Tis the season for requited love. Or unrequited love. Or that unspoken “group love” that your parents partake in every year in their late 60s when they go down to Jamaica for ‘Hedonism 47’ with ‘Aunt Sally’ and ‘Uncle Jim’ – who you only found out when you turned 18 weren’t related by blood. Whatever the case, love, tinsel, gingerbread cookies, and your local middle school’s rendition of ‘The Nutcracker’ are in the air – and it’s time to celebrate.

I have to be honest with you. Up until several years ago when I moved back to Hong Kong, Christmas was one of my least favorite holidays. Something about the shove-it-down-your-throat consumer and brand tribalism, needing to shovel my car out of several feet of snow regularly, and the fact that I literally could (still can’t) never figure out who the ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’ was in the Nutcracker until post-intermission, all were major factors that fueled this “bah humbug” mentality.

Now, I can’t get enough of it. Not because of the LED flatscreen televisions that sync with your frontal lobe and can be purchased via Amazon with a single click of a button, or the catchy Christmas jingles (found in every major Hong Kong mall) that bury themselves deep into your brain to the point where you end up in a content, infantile stupor like Danny Devito (aka ‘Martini’) in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, or Hong Kong’s weather finally being palatable and not requiring you to take three showers every day.

What’s the Legal Drinking Age in Hong Kong? (2025)

November 28, 2023February 19, 2025Asia, Destinations, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

If you’re coming to Hong Kong (or in the midst of growing up here) and looking to get your alcohol fix at one of the city’s countless (timeless) British pubs (for a cheeky quiz night), world-class cocktail bars or lounges, raucous and sweaty night clubs, communal 7-11s (which are an institution in their own right), or other bustling watering holes, you might be wondering what the actual legal drinking age in Hong Kong is.

As someone who moved to Hong Kong at 21, coming hot off of the United States’ archaic drinking and liquor laws, I was in awe at just how different this city was from my hometown and how nothing was off-limits (for better or worse).

Find out everything you need to know about drinking alcohol in Hong Kong.

What Are People From Hong Kong Called? Learn This Before Traveling Here

November 15, 2023February 19, 2025Asia, Destinations, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

If you’re traveling to or moving to Hong Kong, you might be unsure of what exactly to refer to the local Hong Kong population as and want to avoid offending someone by accidentally referring to them as ‘Chinese’ or ‘British’. That’s completely understandable due to confusion over Hong Kong’s Special Administrative Region (SAR) status, previous positioning as a British Colony (up until 1997), and its official 1997 “return” to China.

What’s New in Hong Kong November 2023 Events You Should Check Out

November 5, 2023February 19, 2025Asia, Destinations, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

Maybe it’s just me. But I don’t really ever get too excited for November. That may be the reason why I’m several days late with this. It’s both November and February that I always find to be two months where I mentally exist in limbo. For me, I attribute it to burnout from October festivities (I’m writing this trying to expel the liters of Oktoberfest Lowenbrau I threw back), the cold reality hitting me that November is a month of buckling down work-wise, and knowing that Thanksgiving just doesn’t taste as sweet when you aren’t sharing a green bean casserole with your mother.

However, I’m trying to turn that around and start giving November the credit it’s due. After all, November was my month of birth on my fake Ohio ID in college (for which I chose the Greekest name possible – I’m also set to celebrate my fake 36th birthday on the 21st), the month I learned how to make a pumpkin pie courtesy of Martha Stewart tutorials when I was a stay-at-home-son (at the ripe old age of 24), and the month my ex-girlfriend gifted me the coziest flannel I’ve ever worn (only to steal it back 9 months later).

Is There Uber in Hong Kong? Guide to the World’s Most Popular Ride-Sharing App

October 25, 2023February 19, 2025Asia, Destinations, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

Reporting live on the ground from Hong Kong, this is Big Body with your evening news. Tonight’s story, “Is there Uber in Hong Kong?” This is a common question I’m asked by friends (and the occasional reader) traveling from the U.S. to Hong Kong.

If you’re like me, you don’t always carry cash on you and want to ensure that you have a backup means to get around in case you forget to stock up on some cold hard $HKD. Or maybe, you just prefer the solitude and cleanliness of a fully manicured Uber Black. Or maybe you’re a crypto evangelist who got demolished on 100x leverage DeFi moonshots, has turned to UBER call options, and is now trying to personally inject some pennies into the bottom line by Ubering to work so that your fiancé doesn’t leave you and take the dog with her. Been there, done that, got called a “loser” (actually worse) on r/WallStreetBets, and picked up the t-shirt along the way.

Whatever the case, it’s a reasonable question to ask.

10 Pros and Cons of Living in Mid-Levels, Hong Kong

October 10, 2023February 19, 2025Asia, Destinations, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

When moving to Hong Kong, it can be difficult to know exactly what district or neighborhood will suit your lifestyle requirements before you even arrive. The city comprises countless districts, neighborhoods, and pockets, all of which boast their own benefits and drawbacks (and charm) – some you might not believe exist in the same city due to the stark contrast to one another.

Maybe you are more of a beach bum, looking to start your day off with Vitamin D and a morning surf, then Sai Kung might be your little slice of heaven. Or maybe you want a raucous, vibrant maze of both new and old Hong Kong (with fantastic street food), then Mongkok or Jordan might be right up your alley. Or maybe you’re in need of a quiet, residential neighborhood that is only a stone’s throw away from your office and the hustle and bustle of the city. Well, then Mid-Levels might be your place.

As someone who has lived in Mid-Levels for all six-plus years that I’ve existed in Hong Kong (I’m just a creature of habit), here are 10 pros and cons to paint a better picture of what you can expect should you decide to stop, drop, and open up shop in this surprisingly large area. Keep in mind that most of my observations are coming from someone who has lived in Mid-Levels Central.

36 Pros and Cons of Living in Hong Kong as an Expat

October 9, 2023February 19, 2025Asia, Destinations, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

Analyzing the pros and cons of living in Hong Kong can be difficult before you even step foot in the city. Typically, my approach is a bit of a haphazard one where I just show up and hope that it works out. Luckily, that has worked out in almost every single city (and country) that I’ve lived in. It worked out so well in Hong Kong that it is somewhere I’ve called home for the last three years (and six-plus in total) – with no intention of leaving (at least for now).

This isn’t a symmetrical pros and cons of living in Hong Kong type of list, where I list a positive and then counter with a related negative. It’s strictly just a list of pros and cons that have come to the top of my dome, with several thoughts, anecdotes, and tips to accompany each. Each pro and con could be a blog post in itself but for the sake of brevity, I’ll keep it (relatively) digestible.

So, if you’re curious about what I love most about living in the aptly named Fragrant Harbor and what I’m not as enthusiastic about, then here are 36 pros and cons of living in Hong Kong as an expat.

How to Access ChatGPT in Hong Kong

October 4, 2023February 19, 2025Asia, Destinations, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody 2 Comments

This is a bit of a different article but it seems apropos given that OpenAI just announced the rollout of voice and image support for ChatGPT-4V, an iteration of the AI-powered large language model (LLM.) that has taken the tech world by storm in the last year. From deploying ChatGPT in personal and professional textual applications such as content creation, translation, and even conversational use, to programmatic tasks, data collection and analysis, and other core business operations, such as coding (albeit limited) and customer service support/chatbots, there’s not much that’s off-the-table when it comes to finding a use-case to meet your specific needs.

But for those in Hong Kong (and more than a handful of other countries which some may argue are under totalitarian control – other peoples’ words, not mine), even accessing this free AND paid service can be prohibitive and is not particularly intuitive. That’s why I’m here to break it down into easy-to-understand steps on how to access ChatGPT in Hong Kong (with visuals).

October 2023 Events That Should Be on Your Radar

October 2, 2023February 19, 2025Asia, Destinations, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

I’m a few days late with this as I had a hectic end to the month with client work and then may or may not have found hope at the bottom of a mango cider or seven as I rang in 33. Thanks to a self-prescribed vacation until the 11th, today is the first day the mind, body, and soul have felt unencumbered, (temporarily) unshackled from the banalities of everyday life.

Now that I think of it, isn’t that what Halloween is for once you become an adult? A chance to suspend disbelief and untether from the reality of spreadsheets, water cooler pleasantries, and Tim from HR telling you about how he’s training for his first Hyrox competition.

With a heart full of pumpkin spice and woe, here are some hand-picked events, festivals, restaurants, and things to do this October 2023.

Should You Stay at the Bishop Lei International House?

September 16, 2023February 19, 2025Asia, Destinations, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

If you read any of my other posts on Pale Ale Travel then you know for the first 6 months of 2023, I was located between Saigon, Bangkok, and Osaka (the latter being my new favorite city on earth). Prior to leaving, my apartment lease ended so coming back and getting resituated was a bit of an arduous and overwhelming process.

However, providing refuge in the quest for my reclamation of stability in Hong Kong was the Bishop Lei International House. Located at 4 Robinson Road, in the prestigious Mid-Levels, Bishop Lei is a convenient, affordable, 3-star hotel that is perfect for budget travelers and those wanting to immerse themselves a stone’s throw away from all the action of Hong Kong Island.

Having lived in Hong Kong for six-plus years, all of it on Robinson Road (until recently), I’ve inevitably stayed at the Bishop Lei more than a handful of times – with my most recent stint clocking in at just under one month. While it definitely is not the sexiest or most luxurious hotel by any stretch of the imagination, Bishop Lei does hold its own when it comes to hospitality, amenities (outdoor pool, restaurant, and exercise room), and convenience (I can’t state this enough).

Here’s a little bit about my most recent stay in the Bishop Lei International House and what I particularly enjoyed (and what I didn’t).

P.S. If you couldn’t already tell, the feature image of Hong Kong’s skyline was taken from my room at Bishop Lei.

What’s New in Hong Kong: September 2023 Events You Should Check Out

August 31, 2023February 19, 2025Asia, Destinations, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

September is hands down my favorite month of the year. Maybe it’s because I’m a Libra and both my old man and I were born in September. Maybe it’s because I have fond memories of peacocking around my home state in my best flannel while sipping apple cider. Or maybe it’s because the killer Hong Kong heat and humidity begin gradually abating (I’m kidding, that’s not until November).

Regardless, I love this month and you should too. Don’t “wake me up when September ends,” because there’s a lot of life to be lived this fall.

Here are some hand-picked events, festivals, restaurants, and spots to check out this September 2023 in Hong Kong.