Asia Archives - Pale Ale Travel

The Best Way to Get From Hong Kong Airport to the City Center

November 20, 2024November 20, 2024Asia, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

Look, I know it was a long flight to Hong Kong. You didn’t sleep well. They only had 3 random episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm teed up on the TV. You sat next to that one dude with a long mole hair protruding from his face and would awkwardly lean on your shoulder whenever he fell asleep. And you had some questionable jellied meat and petrified eggs that may or may not put a damper on your first day in the city.

How do I know this? I’ve been there before. Got the T-shirt. Thrown out my underpants. Embarrassingly called the hotel front desk to ask if they could send up a plunger. Hid my face as I awkwardly grasped said plunger from the hands of hotel staff. Experienced the unabating headache. Started the trip out already feeling like it wasn’t on my terms.

There are a lot of variables when it comes to traveling, some of them well within your grasp, others far outside.

While you can’t control whether or not the plane hits a stretch of turbulence on your way to Hong Kong, turbulence so devastating that it has you typing out “love you” messages to everyone you can think of, including your high school sweetheart Maria, who is married and happy now and still thinks you’re a loser because you lived at home with your mother for an extended period while you were figuring things out – fortunately, you can control how you get into the city center.

No dilly-dallying. No pitstops along the way. No B.S..

Here is the best way to get from Hong Kong Airport to the city center so that you can start your trip off in ‘Asia’s World City’ on sound footing.

Is It Worth Visiting Hong Kong Disneyland as an Adult?

November 19, 2024November 19, 2024Asia, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

Frankly, this Big Body never revisiting Disneyland after his chunky 12-year-old self stuffed his portly frame into a Mickey Mouse t-shirt, his finest New Balance shoes (yes, I was a New Balance guy even at 12), and athletic shorts, armed with his autograph book, and made the trip with his father and brother one sweltering summer.

Side Note: It was actually a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, which I Googled and learned there’s a difference between the two – Disney World being far larger and a complex of numerous parks, resorts, and on-site transportation systems. But I digress.

However, in the last four years in Hong Kong, I’ve been to Hong Kong Disneyland twice.

Count it. Twice.

As a single man in his early to mid-thirties (depending on how you look at it), I always assumed that my prime Disney days were behind me. That I was washed up and past my peak, that I’d look extremely out of place. I also imagined suspicious glances from parents and park employees, ready to call up the boys in blue to throw me in Disneyland jail, or worse, escort me out and toss me in actual jail.

But thanks to two of my top dawgz in Hong Kong, one male dawg and one lady dawgette, that mental barrier was broken down for Big Body – leading to what I’d consider two of the most memorable days of my past four years in Hong Kong.

Here is why you should completely shed any sense apprehension about visiting Hong Kong Disneyland as an adult, suspend disbelief for a day, and dust off and toss on a pair of those Mickey or Minnie ears you keep in that one box under your bed and wistfully glance at when trying to rustle up old receipts for tax season.

But first, let’s dig into some of the practical deets about getting to the most magical place on Lantau, what day(s) to book tickets, and several other administrative formalities that all adults should mentally prepare for (especially if you’re making the pilgrimage with children).

5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Moving to Hong Kong

November 18, 2024November 18, 2024Asia, Hong Kong, Travel, Travel Tips, Tricks, & Resources BigBody Leave a Comment

“I wish that I knew what I know now…” Hong Kong is my home. My best friends are here. My company is here. My family is here (my ‘Fahza’). It’s where I feel most at peace, most productive, and most secure. But it has taken quite a long time to even feel marginally like I have my sh!t together here. And I use that phrase loosely.

Moving back at the height of quarantine and lockdowns in 2020 (after 6 years away) wasn’t all peaches and cream for Allen Iverson and me. Coming back as a newly minted 30-year-old came with its own challenges, delusions, and realizations.

Here are 5 things I wish I knew before moving back to Hong Kong in my 30s with some favorite pictures of mine from these last 4 years sprinkled throughout. Granted, it was extremely formative coming to these realizations and having these reflections the hard way and I wouldn’t trade anything for it.

I think there’s something to be said about sometimes needing to touch the stove just to know for yourself that the burner is actually on, so I don’t wish I had known ‘them’ before moving to Hong Kong. I’m glad I touched the burner and my palm ended up like Harry’s from Home Alone after Kevin McCallister heated the doorknob to an estimated 700 degrees Fahrenheit – but I’m also thankful I didn’t take a blowtorch to my already disastrous hairline.

Now, these are my confessions (reflections) – cue Usher’s soothing, sensual voice to take you into things.

6 of the Best Korean BBQ Restaurants in Hong Kong For the Meat Gang Gang

November 17, 2024November 17, 2024Asia, Food, Hong Kong BigBody Leave a Comment

Korean BBQ, aka KBBQ, has become somewhat of a storied pastime for the dawgz and me. It’s the de facto Thursday through Saturday night dinner option when we want to get a few drinks in us, put the ole Marks & Spencer belt to the test, and cut loose without losing anywhere close to the amount of dignity we would at Maggie Choo’s trying to parle Français with Parisian models while double-fisting the cheapest bottled beers on the menu.

It’s also somewhere I find myself going on one-on-one “bro dates,” where we abstain from alcohol and focus on the other two important things for men in this cold, cold world – meat and emotionally opening up to your dawg. Something about several platters of marinated short ribs and pork belly just primes the soul for heartfelt reflection and armchair psychoanalysis of everything from the ages of 5 to 8 that has led to your emotional immaturity at the ripe old age of 34.

The point is, “I just want to go to the rooftops and scream, ‘I love Korean BBQ!.’” If you caught where that quote draws inspiration, then props to you (hint: Superbad). I can’t think of a single style of cuisine in Hong Kong that delivers on so many fronts – the quality front, the camaraderie front, the booze front, the vibe front, the front front. The latter, I’m unsure of what it means but if it’s a thing then KBBQ delivers.

Korean BBQ is the adult equivalent of having your very own backyard campfire, minus the mosquitos and having to share a tent with Aidan, something I think most of us have forgotten in this bizarre Never-Never Land big city delusion and pursuit of milk and honey.

So, without further self-deprecation, here are 6 of the best Korean BBQ restaurants in Hong Kong that you need to add to your eating Rolodex ASAP – all of which I’ve eaten at a dozen times over (each).

Pale Ale Travel Note: Look, I could spend four paragraphs on each restaurant describing the exact taste of the marinated beef or pork belly and the emotions, physical reverberations, and memories it imparted to my taste buds but that’s not going to get us anywhere. These are the cold hard marinated, flame-grilled facts about each restaurant. I’ve also included my “must-order” items.

Why Nan Lian Garden & Chi Lin Nunnery Need to Be on Your Hong Kong Bucket List

November 12, 2024November 12, 2024Asia, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

If you read my recent post about eating at the popular Singaporean-originated Shanghainese chain ‘Paradise Dynasty’ in Kai Tak the other week with my Old Man, then you already know that it was one of my favorite Hong Kong days ever.

And that’s because it wasn’t just any typical lunch. It was one with purpose.

That’s right. It was time to go be a tourist in my own city and revisit an area that honestly, I hadn’t stepped foot in since several years prior when I was still playing baseball and probably 15 kgs lighter – enter the iconic Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden in Diamond Hill.

Here’s why the Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery need to be on your Hong Kong bucket list…as of YESTERDAY!

The Best Airport Lounge I’ve Ever Had the Pleasure of…Lounging At

November 9, 2024November 9, 2024Asia, Europe, Travel, Travel Tips, Tricks, & Resources BigBody Leave a Comment

This Big Body lives a relatively unglamorous lifestyle. As I currently pen this article, I’m wearing a faded t-shirt that I ordered on Amazon for $8, athletic shorts with several BBQ sauce stains, and a pair of tan boat shoes that have holes at the bottom, letting water seep through any time it rains.

It’s a life devoid of fancy watches and chains, Hi-So club memberships and debutante balls, and Beluga caviar and bottles of Dom. I also don’t even have curtains for my apartment, and I’ve been living there for over a year now. But it’s my life and I quite enjoy it.

But now and then, I get a thirst for how those on the other side live. I think it’s to make up for the fact that I never had a quinceañera. And because of my frugality at most points of the year, I’m able to occasionally splurge. Most recently, I kicked off my three-month stint in Europe with a flight from Hong Kong to Amsterdam via Turkish Airlines, with a six-hour-plus layover at the Istanbul Airport. Oh, and I did the same thing again for my return flight back to Hong Kong.

Normally, I’d spend this time sitting at my gate, staring at the board, slugging a handful of Coke Zeroes, going to the bathroom every 15 minutes because of the aforementioned Coke Zero slugging, contemplating paying for WiFi, talking myself out of paying for WiFi, and wishing I brought I book. Rinse and repeat.

But that wasn’t the case this time as I posted up in the Turkish Airlines International Business Lounge for the bulk of my layover, consuming more baba ganoush and nutty rectangles of baklava than any man should in a single sitting, mixing in several power naps to rest this weary traveling soul of mine, and tossing back countless double espressos in an attempt to counter the jetlag (which I’m pretty sure was ill-advised).

Note: If you are a tenant of the building across from me and have to see me looking like a naked Bigfoot every night, arms swinging in that distinct cryptozoological walk as I walk to the fridge for a late-night swig of water, then please feel free to shame me in the comments.

This post is not meant to be braggadocious or self-aggrandizing, it’s simply written to provide a little nugget of information that could (possibly) make your next layover in Istanbul a memorable and less painful one. Funnily enough, this trip was booked several months prior, in a state of pure ignorance (and bliss) of what was about to come – a financial reckoning due to losing my biggest client the month before departure to the Old Continent.

Here are 5 reasons why the Turkish Airlines International Business Lounge is hands down the best airport lounge I’ve ever had the pleasure of…lounging at.

Is There Uber in Vietnam? This Other Ride-Hailing App Puts Uber to Shame

November 6, 2024November 6, 2024Asia, Travel, Travel Tips, Tricks, & Resources, Vietnam BigBody Leave a Comment

Vietnam isn’t what I would consider to be a destination for first-time travelers. It can be chaotic, loud, raw, unpredictable, and in your face. But that’s also why it’s addictive and one of my absolute favorite places. Once you prepare yourself to mentally and physically feel vulnerable, step outside of your comfort zone, and keep an open mind, there’s undoubtedly an enchanting character, environment, and depth that can be found in every pocket of the country, making it surprisingly more sustainable and comfortable than you might have first imagined.

Having spent over one year living in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon), Vietnam, with regular month-long stints mixed into my yearly travels in subsequent years, I was one of the biggest ride-hailing app proponents in the country. It’s part and parcel of everyday life in Vietnam, for both locals and foreigners and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t used the country’s most popular ride-hailing and delivery service at least once.

However, if you think I’m talking about Uber, you’d be completely wrong. Uber is not available in Vietnam. Instead, almost 50% of the Vietnamese population uses the Southeast Asia-based ride-hailing service ‘Grab’ to get from Point A to Point B. I assure you, it puts Uber to shame with how comprehensive, affordable, and convenient it is.

Since Uber’s exit from the Southeast Asian market in 2018, Grab has overwhelmingly snagged the top spot as the region’s top ride-hailing app and service. It is a ‘one-stop-shop’ for everything you could want – from convenient and affordable transport to food delivery services, insurance and financial services, and even the ability to send packages and documents. I refer to it as a ‘super app’. In fact, most of Southeast Asia uses this app, so if you’re planning on making a trip, this is a must-download on your phone.

Here is everything you need to know about using ride-hailing services in Vietnam, alternative transportation methods available, and key scams and safety considerations to keep in mind when navigating this incredible country.

Pale Ale Travel Note: Don’t forget to check out my entire archive of Vietnam content here.

Enter the Dragon State Kitchen

November 5, 2024November 7, 2024Asia, Food, Hong Kong BigBody Leave a Comment

In Hong Kong’s storied and cutthroat Cantonese BBQ game, one chock-full of glossy, sweet, crackling, roast chunks of meat candy – a term that has also been used to describe the all-male interactive adult revue the ‘Thunder From Down Under’ – there aren’t many who gastronomically shimmy, shake, and gyrate in unison better than the good folk of Dragon State Kitchen.

Having posted up work-wise in Sheung Wan for several years, primarily just ‘Keyboard Cat’ typing away to seem busy and tryin’ to get rich while dyin’ tryin’ the 50 Cent way, Dragon State Kitchen quickly became a staple of my post-work char siu pursuits. My charsuits.

What’s not to love about fatty candied savory slices of vibrant red pork over a king-size bed of rice and an ice-cold lemon tea to wash it all down, all for HK$60?

Toss in a wide range of siu mei (Cantonese meats typically roasted on spits over an open fire), service so efficient and brusque that it would make a Waltham Dunkin’ Donuts cashier’s head spin, and a carved-out position less than a 3-minute walk from the Sheung Wan MTR, and it’s obvious why Dragon State Kitchen is continuously a name thrown out there with the legends and likes of Earvin Johnson Jr., Larry Bird, and early 20th-century Purdue University basketball coach Ward Louis “Piggy” Lambert.

Because it makes magic with dem birds and piggies.

Honestly, I’m surprised by now that I haven’t made a Bruce Lee reference. So, without further ado. It’s time to Enter the Dragon…State Kitchen.

I Ain’t Talkin’ Bout No Empire, I’m Talkin’ Bout a (Paradise) Dynasty

October 29, 2024October 29, 2024Asia, Food, Hong Kong BigBody Leave a Comment

I’ve said it ~~once~~ countless times and’ll say it again, Fridays in Hong Kong are sacred for this Big Body. In such a cold world, real cold world, it’s incumbent on oneself to do what you know makes you happy while minimizing the things that ultimately cause you internal vexation and strife.

Staring down the face of an unrecognizable man while pensively (yet thoroughly) brushing your teeth come Monday morning isn’t a great feeling, especially knowing you spent the previous several days deep in the throes of indulgent, ephemeral experiences, vices, and relationships.

At the ripe old age of 34, I’m getting better at choosing real happiness instead of the illusion of real happiness. For me, it starts with “Friday hangs” with my Farjar, aka my Fahza, aka (aka) my father. “Fahza Fridays.”

Recently, we switched things up from our usual stomping grounds of Tseung Kwan O (TKO) and ventured out to the now elephant graveyard of one of the most iconic and technically demanding airports in the world – Kai Tak Airport. As of 2024, Kai Tak is (essentially) a dusty sandlot of former glory undergoing ambitious governmental redevelopment efforts, taking a similar shape to many previous cultural centers and their not-so-pernicious shedding of Hong Kong’s heritage.

That’s right. It has its own 1.9 million square foot mixed-use commercial development now. Which is really just a fancy word for a ‘mall’.

When is the Best Time to Visit Hong Kong? Recommendations From a Man on the Ground

October 25, 2024October 25, 2024Hong Kong, Travel, Travel Tips, Tricks, & Resources BigBody Leave a Comment

As someone who has lived in Hong Kong for nearly 7 years now (and is still here), I can emphatically state that there are certain times of the year that I recommend traveling to Hong Kong and steering clear of the city altogether.

However, things aren’t always as straightforward as ‘X month’ or ‘X season good’, and ‘X month’ or ‘X season bad’. There’s nuance to it and if you ask me, every point of the year in Hong Kong has its advantages and disadvantages.

It all boils down to what you prefer. It also boils down to timing, feasibility, and affordability. Unfortunately, the holy triumvirate of harmonious circumstances is rarely on the table.

That said, I recommend visiting Hong Kong in either fall or winter, as the comfortable weather undoubtedly allows you to tick off the most items on a Hong Kong bucket list – specifically outdoor activities and exploring. However, if you’re on a budget and don’t mind unpredictable weather, spring is the time to go!

Below are the pros and cons of visiting Hong Kong during each season, including when I would plan my trip to Asia’s World City (if possible). I’ll also break down what you can generally expect in Hong Kong each season of the year, including weather, events, budget-wise.

My Hong Kong Packing List: 10 Items I Wouldn’t Touch Down in Asia’s World City Without

October 23, 2024October 23, 2024Asia, Hong Kong, Travel, Travel Tips, Tricks, & Resources BigBody Leave a Comment

You’re currently reading an article written by the king of traveling somewhere and realizing halfway through the flight that they forgot nearly every essential item to ensure the trip goes off without a hitch. How can someone spend so much time just trying to remember to bring their $25 Amazon seat cushion (aka my ‘butt pillow’) yet forget the undergarments that they wear every single day?

That’s me. Hi. I’m Big Body. Spelled with the same ‘B’ that you use to spell ‘Bozo’.

Having lived in Hong Kong for nearly seven years (I’m currently here), I’ve been around the block or two. Been there, done that. “Gotten” several T-shirts. Traveling to and from the city, packing and unpacking, making hectic and spur-of-the-moment runs back and forth between Japan Home Centre and wherever I’m staying. Rinse and repeat several times.

So, I know a thing or two about what you absolutely need to pack for your trip to Hong Kong and what you can feasibly pick up at one of the many electronic stores, beauty chains, or one-stop destination retail chains.

Luckily, nearly every item and amenity you (probably) need for your trip is easily accessible in “Asia’s World City.” However, just to be safe, there are several things I’d make sure to definitely include in my Hong Kong packing list.

Here they are…

Is There Uber in Thailand? Your Ride-Hailing Questions Answered & Practical Tips

October 22, 2024October 22, 2024Asia, Thailand, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

Known for its pristine turquoise beaches, unparalleled and vibrant nightlife, world-class gastronomy, and bustling cities, it’s no surprise that Thailand isn’t just one of the most visited countries in Asia but the world – seeing an estimated 29 million international tourist arrivals in 2023 alone.

With millions of tourists arriving each year, many visitors use ride-hailing apps and services to navigate and traverse the “Land of a Thousand Smiles,” myself included. Globally, Uber has become synonymous with ride-hailing and sharing, and is typically the first app that pops into your mind when it comes to comfortably and conveniently “getting around.”

However, tourists traveling to Thailand, expecting to hail an Uber with the ease they do back home, may be surprised to learn that Uber is not available in Thailand.

While Uber did attempt to permeate the Thai market in 2014, garnering considerable momentum and popularity, its presence was ultimately short-lived due to cultural factors, regulatory barriers, and intense competition – primarily the more localized (and already established) Southeast Asian ride-hailing provider Grab.

Today, Grab is emphatically…I repeat…emphatically, the number one ride-hailing service and app both tourists and locals alike use to efficiently and affordably get around Thailand (and get food delivered).

Below, I’ll walk you through in greater detail everything you need to know about navigating Thailand, your transportation options available, some pitfalls to avoid while doing so, and a bit about my experiences using Grab in Thailand.