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Weather around Yunnan

goldie122 (645 posts) • 0

It rains everyday. Some days it only rains for 15 minutes. Some days it rains for 2 hours. Some days it rains for 30 minutes then stops and rains again 3 hours later. If you come here, it will rain.

HFCAMPO (3062 posts) • 0

My suggestion is to come to China and leave your plans intact. Just be prepared to make changes as needed because of weather.

Hugo's Travel Rules:

1 - never book rooms in advance - there will always be rooms to be had and when you purchase from abroad you pay more anyway. Reservations can not be changed and you will lose money because REFUNDS do not happen in China.

I once saw some fools in Lijiang with their usual double backpacks in Old town. They were looking for a particular guesthouse I never heard of before. I told them to pick any along the way because they are all the same. They said they already paid (stupid). 2 hours later, after my wife and I already got a room and were walking around and relaxing we saw the same double backpack fools still looking for the mysterious guesthouse.

Reservations means I have to be at a certain place on a given day. That means I can not alter my itinerary along the way because I can not get my money back. In the end I pay twice. In 12 years I have never made a reservation in China or in Yunnan and there is always a room for me. I usually pay anywhere from 150-200 Yuan for a room.

Travel is meant to be enjoyed. Do not limit yourself and put so many restrictions on yourself.

I am a Marine and trekking means walking, hiking, or as we Marines call it, humping. I can walk, hike, trek in Lijiang Old Town for hours and get lost in the many small alleys along the way. I can also trek along the many mountains and with many beautiful views on a sunny day. I do not have to walk, hump or trek specifically at Tiger Leaping Gorge on a specific rainy day.

It is all a matter of choice and more choices makes travel more fun. Be prepared and be flexible and you will not have any problems.

sanguojia (27 posts) • 0

Hugo,
Thank you very much of all your recommendation. I will follow them. Only i want to know if in China is possible to buy a ticket plane 2 days advaced departure as I will go depend on weather make my own decision.

HFCAMPO (3062 posts) • 0

In China, same as any other place in the world, you can buy a ticket at any time - provided there are empty seats and you are willing to pay the price the airlines ask for.

Alien (3819 posts) • 0

I second what Campo says, would only add that in most of the places I've been in Yunnan I can get a room for less than 150rmb per night. My hotel room in Jinghong was 60rmb - not lux, of course, but everything more or less worked, including the tv & air conditioner (which you do not need).

Geezer (1953 posts) • 0

@sanguolia: I am going to disagree with Campo and Alien. Both have more than 10 years in China. Both, I am sure, have knowledge of how things work in China and the ability to speak some Chinese. Campo travels with his Chinese wife which makes travel much easier and cheaper.

From your questions, I would say you may not find dealing with hotels, taxis and airlines quite as smooth as they. I have traveled to more than 90 cities in China and it is, at times, a real pain.

Rain is the least of your troubles unless there is flooding. Knowing where to stay, avoiding touts and being over charged is the key.

Money talks in China and if the money in your pocket is limited, knowing where to use your ATM card becomes critical. Having RMB to spare solves a lot of problems.

With Chinese friends traveling by car we arrived in Dun Huang, Gansu, at 5am after driving for nearly 48 hours. After 5 hours of trying to find a hotel, being guided by touts, and arguing prices, 200/250 was too much during a holiday week, for cheap, dirty rooms, I paid 800 for 2 rooms in the best hotel in town. Exhausted, those clean rooms and hot showers, to me, were cheap. My friends still laugh at my extravagance.

When you arrive, be it by train, air or bus, you will get many offers of help in finding a hotel. Beware.

You should ask, "When I get to _____, where is the best to get advice for hotels, local sights?" You pay a little more but you will get something decent. In Jinghong, Xishuangbanna, go directly to Meimei Cafe, or Mekong Cafe. Just about every tourist destination has some place than can get you a room.

You are going to need local help. Find out where to get it.

goldie122 (645 posts) • 0

Finding a suitable hotel can often be difficult. I have tried not booking hotels ahead of time and winging it but that can be a big hassle as some hotels don't take foreigners, are often hidden down side streets or not visible from the road... can be a huge waste of time. Of course if you are travelling with a Chinese person and money is not an issue than there would be no problem. It is often cheaper to book online than in person.

Alien (3819 posts) • 0

There are things I don't like about Lonely Planet but they do have practical info about seasonal weather and cheap places to stay that is useful.

nnoble (889 posts) • 0

These days you don't need the hard copy Lonely Planet since they're available as downloads. Save money by downloading only the chapters you need. Treat them like Wikipedia and they are worth having to hand.

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