@smiletome, I believe they tend to eat either lajiao coated kaorou or barbecued meats, mixian or spicy rice noodles (which we now know that BillDan is not very fond of) then again, neither am I though I am able to eat them occassionally as a light lunch or snack, or guoqiaomian or cross the bridge noodles, which can be surprisingly good. However, do try to only frequent brothers jiang or a similar chain as they presumably employ higher hygiene standards than local eateries (and since you are cooking your own ingredients in broth you don't have to worry about re-used oil).
Although they do become a bit boring after a while (and not healthy either if eaten too often), but undoubtedly western fast food chains such as McDonald's and KFC, as well as sit down pizza restaurants such as Pizza Hut and Papa John's surely employ international hygiene and food safety standards. You can't go wrong eating occassionally at these places. Or you could always shell out like $10 for a ham and cheese croissant from Starbucks. I didn't mention Burger King or a host of other international chains as I don't think you'll find them in Kunming (at least I haven't seen any) though Burger King has some outlets in Shanghai and Guangzhou (and probably Beijing too, though I haven't been to Beijing so I don't know).
What I don't understand are some of the exorbitant prices they charge for western or any other imported food in Kunming. It's almost as if retailers are reluctant to sell international food, but have to, because in an international economy you can't just sell your products and not buy anything yourself (or at least something like that). For example, Kambly cookies from Switzerland cost an exorbitant 85 Yuan at Nanpingje, which is like $13 and probably about the most expensive in the world. By comparison, the same cookies cost about 99 Baht or just over $3 in Bangkok and about 60,000 dong or $3 in Ho Chi Minh City. Exactly how that extra $10 price tag is justified I don't know.
If you look around, there is a decent variety of international food or just plain old imported food (i.e. milk from Australia, New Zealand or Germany) which tastes better and is not tainted like some local milk has been. Sure, it's about 15-18 Yuan per 1L bottle, or about $2-2.50, which gets you at least 2L of milk back home, but it's either that or potentially dangerous and just plain disgusting tasting Chinese milk, which I can't drink because of it's awful aftertaste.
Once you round up your breakfast cereals, curry pastes, cookies, Thai rice (the local rice is inedible) or occassionally Indian or Pakistani Basmati rice, cheeses etc. that leaves local and imported fruits and vegetables, which are actually very cheap in most cases (well the local fruit and veg anyway). I usually go for chicken or fish as my choice of meats since Yunnan beef tastes pretty weird. All in all, it can get a bit pricey but like many locals, due to my discerning palate you have to spend in order to buy decent food. Sure, it always ends up being around $50 every time I go shopping, but I just imagine I'm in Bangkok or Sydney or LA and then I forget just how much I really spent.
I've met some interesting people at the English corner next to the green lake, although I've also met some annoying people who ask the same old boring questions. Everytime you go it's a bit different, but in general I only go about once every 3 months or when I'm feeling in the mood and have time. Since there are a lot of people there, once it gets interesting you may find yourself losing track of time and before you know it, there are still 20 people around you and it's 11pm.
It's more interesting for everyone if you bring along a friend or two, although what tends to happen is that a group of locals will crowd around each foreigner, meaning that there ends up being a circle of like 10 locals smiling and waiting for the foreigner to speak. Each person then asks a question and the conversation really starts. If the conversation is dull (about half the time) you excuse yourself and move to another group, or just leave. Otherwise, you can find yourself being ping-ponged between different people.
Oh, and steer clear of the train driver that repeats everything you say under his breath. That guy is a bit creepy.
There is an article right here on gokunming.com about different construction projects in Yunnan, one of which is the train line from Kunming to Hekou on the Vietnamese border. Once complete, it will be possible to travel by train from Kunming to Ho Chi Minh City via Lao Cai and Hanoi (although that's a long haul).
A friend of mine worked on the rehabilitation of the Cambodian line from the Thai border towards Phnom Penh. Steady progress means that line could be open within the next 2-3 years or so. Finally, a missing link from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, a distance of only 220km by road and probably similar by rail would complete a rail link from Europe via Russia, Mongolia and China to Singapore via Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia although very little of it is high-speed rail for now. Still, incomes in Vietnam and Cambodia in particular are many years away from affordability for high speed options, which is why the Vietnamese government recently rejected a plan to build a high-speed rail link from Saigon to Hanoi and beyond. Thus completing an overland rail link, even if it's not high-speed is the best option for this part of the world for now.
Haha...what a post! I wouldn't be surprised if half the male prostitutes in Kunming were Thai (given the large number of Thai men that are either gay, have had sex changes and/or are engaged in this scene), rather than local Chinese though. Ask around if you're into that scene, I'm certainly not.
This is crazy! Sounds like the kind of thing you hear about happening in the US, not China. Anyway, they were arrested quickly and yes, Liumingke1234, they can and most likely will be given the maximum penalty for their crimes. I believe in China 14 year olds can be tried as adults. It doesn't say how old these teenagers are, but my guess is they are certainly in their mid to high teens.
Very sad indeed...I hope the new tenant is also a foreigner who opens up a similar bar or restaurant to you guys. Good luck with the future and hope to visit you in Lijiang or Shangri-la. In any case, stay in China! Restaurants/bars like yours really make places like Kunming feel cozier.
@Peter99, I agree that there could be many more independent Chinese tourists in Chiang Mai, or indeed in many other parts of the world in the future.
I have seen many independent Chinese tourists, many travelling by themselves in places like Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. They usually have enough English to at least order from a menu though. It's kinda ridiculous for people like the young Chinese tourists above to not know what they "are ordering". If you ask me, except at Wenlie Jie and a few downtown areas, it's much more difficult to know what you are ordering in China!
Contrary to what is stated in this article, I don't think the Chinese can take away Thai jobs or properties because unlike in Laos, the Thais are fiercely protective of their rights and know what they are. Also, foreigners can't own land even if they become married to Thai citizens. With the exception of jobs requiring Chinese language skills, Chinese citizens wouldn't be able to find work in Thailand either and they can certainly forget about working in protected sectors like farming etc. so I think the fears raised above are unfounded unless Thailand opens up more but their restrictive property and work laws are probably in place to avoid such a scenario.
However, for now, the Chinese train project from Kunming through Laos connecting all the way to Singapore is not going to happen, but the Thais seem to be confident about a possible Japanese investment for some domestic HSR (high speed rail) lines in the near future. Personally, I would still put my money on the Chinese coming through eventually, but it might take 10+ years to happen so the original opening date of 2015 is now nothing more than a pipe dream given that the Chinese have now scaled back on HSR projects given safety issues, the resignation of the railway minister etc.
The road through Myanmar (Burma) from Mae Sai/Tachileik to China has too many restrictions on travel and since the Mae Sai crossing only allows travel to/from Mae Sai it can't be used by anyone planning on travelling overland between Thailand and China via Myanmar territory; thus Chinese and Thai/third party tourists/businesspeople etc. travelling overland between Thailand and China must go through Laos (or alternatively, Laos and Vietnam). I hope that with the recent positive developments in Myanmar that an overland route connecting Thailand and China and an upgrading of the Chinese/Burmese border post to an international one will happen, but until it does it won't become an option for anyone.
I wouldn't put my money on low-cost flight options to Kunming happening anytime soon, though eventually they should come through put this will depend entirely on demand for such services.
@invisible, the railway link from Kunming to the Vietnamese border has existed for like 100 years but only now does it look like it will reopen again after being closed for roughly 10 years now. As such, this will mean you can once again travel by rail from Kunming to Hanoi and beyond to Ho Chi Minh City. When it opens is unclear, but I'd say give it a year or so.
@pickley - hitchhiking is possible, but not really recommended due to the low cost of public transport and possible risk of things going wrong, though having said that hitchhiking is far safer in most parts of East Asia than in the USA for example. But you can still try anyway and it is surely a very interesting way of travelling.
I think Chinese truck drivers (starting in northern Laos, not far from the border) or Lao truck drivers (who wouldn't go much beyond Mengla) would help you cross the border, and then you could try flagging another vehicle to go further north. Alternatively, Chinese tourists driving themselves in southern Xishuangbanna or possibly in Laos itself might be willing to help you. It would be a good idea to offer some food, drinks or something for the ride and truck drivers often expect some payment anyway, but if you are nice and give them some food, cigarettes (if they smoke) or something else then that should make them happy enough without the need for monetary compensation. Every experience is different so you'll need to just try it out and see what happens.
@russell, it's Ji. There's a much faster way of translating English to Chinese these days and requires no travel outside of your own home: it's called google translate.
Anyway, from this itinerary it looks like the writer is about to enter Vietnam before he enters Laos, unless he backtracks first. Normally to travel from Kunming to Laos one would pass through Yuxi, Yuanjiang, Simao (Pu'er), Jinghong (Xieng Hung or Chiang Rung), Mengla (Muang La) and finally Mohan before reaching Laos. Of course while you can't cycle on the expressway, I have seen western cyclists on the highway between Jinghong and the border (there is currently no expressway there).
Therefore taking the backroads between Kunming and Jinghong would be the fastest way, but this cyclist's itinerary sounds more interesting and passes a more beautiful region of Yunnan - I too was very impressed by Yuanyang (hence my GoKM username right hehe), not to mention Lvchun and the Vietnamese borderlands before reaching Hekou.
What do you mean by "foreigners"? Everyone who is a non-citizen of Myanmar and wants to travel there is a foreigner. I doubt Burmese citizens require visas to return to their homeland.
Horrible tasteless, thick-crusted "cardboard" like pizzas that are a far cry from what they should be like. Way overpriced too. Wine may be good, but why bother when the nearby Prague Cafe makes much better pizza at a more reasonable price?
Great Mexican food and ice cream, excellent Raspberry smoothies and an overall good atmosphere. Can't do much about the low ceilings on the second floor, but the early closing time could be adjusted, after all, the nearby French Cafe closes at 1am.
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Chinese teens murder seven before arrests
发布者This is crazy! Sounds like the kind of thing you hear about happening in the US, not China. Anyway, they were arrested quickly and yes, Liumingke1234, they can and most likely will be given the maximum penalty for their crimes. I believe in China 14 year olds can be tried as adults. It doesn't say how old these teenagers are, but my guess is they are certainly in their mid to high teens.
The Box says goodbye
发布者Very sad indeed...I hope the new tenant is also a foreigner who opens up a similar bar or restaurant to you guys. Good luck with the future and hope to visit you in Lijiang or Shangri-la. In any case, stay in China! Restaurants/bars like yours really make places like Kunming feel cozier.
Chiang Mai's Chinese invasion
发布者@Peter99, I agree that there could be many more independent Chinese tourists in Chiang Mai, or indeed in many other parts of the world in the future.
I have seen many independent Chinese tourists, many travelling by themselves in places like Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. They usually have enough English to at least order from a menu though. It's kinda ridiculous for people like the young Chinese tourists above to not know what they "are ordering". If you ask me, except at Wenlie Jie and a few downtown areas, it's much more difficult to know what you are ordering in China!
Contrary to what is stated in this article, I don't think the Chinese can take away Thai jobs or properties because unlike in Laos, the Thais are fiercely protective of their rights and know what they are. Also, foreigners can't own land even if they become married to Thai citizens. With the exception of jobs requiring Chinese language skills, Chinese citizens wouldn't be able to find work in Thailand either and they can certainly forget about working in protected sectors like farming etc. so I think the fears raised above are unfounded unless Thailand opens up more but their restrictive property and work laws are probably in place to avoid such a scenario.
However, for now, the Chinese train project from Kunming through Laos connecting all the way to Singapore is not going to happen, but the Thais seem to be confident about a possible Japanese investment for some domestic HSR (high speed rail) lines in the near future. Personally, I would still put my money on the Chinese coming through eventually, but it might take 10+ years to happen so the original opening date of 2015 is now nothing more than a pipe dream given that the Chinese have now scaled back on HSR projects given safety issues, the resignation of the railway minister etc.
The road through Myanmar (Burma) from Mae Sai/Tachileik to China has too many restrictions on travel and since the Mae Sai crossing only allows travel to/from Mae Sai it can't be used by anyone planning on travelling overland between Thailand and China via Myanmar territory; thus Chinese and Thai/third party tourists/businesspeople etc. travelling overland between Thailand and China must go through Laos (or alternatively, Laos and Vietnam). I hope that with the recent positive developments in Myanmar that an overland route connecting Thailand and China and an upgrading of the Chinese/Burmese border post to an international one will happen, but until it does it won't become an option for anyone.
I wouldn't put my money on low-cost flight options to Kunming happening anytime soon, though eventually they should come through put this will depend entirely on demand for such services.
@invisible, the railway link from Kunming to the Vietnamese border has existed for like 100 years but only now does it look like it will reopen again after being closed for roughly 10 years now. As such, this will mean you can once again travel by rail from Kunming to Hanoi and beyond to Ho Chi Minh City. When it opens is unclear, but I'd say give it a year or so.
Kunming to Laos by bike: Part II
发布者@pickley - hitchhiking is possible, but not really recommended due to the low cost of public transport and possible risk of things going wrong, though having said that hitchhiking is far safer in most parts of East Asia than in the USA for example. But you can still try anyway and it is surely a very interesting way of travelling.
I think Chinese truck drivers (starting in northern Laos, not far from the border) or Lao truck drivers (who wouldn't go much beyond Mengla) would help you cross the border, and then you could try flagging another vehicle to go further north. Alternatively, Chinese tourists driving themselves in southern Xishuangbanna or possibly in Laos itself might be willing to help you. It would be a good idea to offer some food, drinks or something for the ride and truck drivers often expect some payment anyway, but if you are nice and give them some food, cigarettes (if they smoke) or something else then that should make them happy enough without the need for monetary compensation. Every experience is different so you'll need to just try it out and see what happens.
Kunming to Laos by bike: Part II
发布者@russell, it's Ji. There's a much faster way of translating English to Chinese these days and requires no travel outside of your own home: it's called google translate.
Anyway, from this itinerary it looks like the writer is about to enter Vietnam before he enters Laos, unless he backtracks first. Normally to travel from Kunming to Laos one would pass through Yuxi, Yuanjiang, Simao (Pu'er), Jinghong (Xieng Hung or Chiang Rung), Mengla (Muang La) and finally Mohan before reaching Laos. Of course while you can't cycle on the expressway, I have seen western cyclists on the highway between Jinghong and the border (there is currently no expressway there).
Therefore taking the backroads between Kunming and Jinghong would be the fastest way, but this cyclist's itinerary sounds more interesting and passes a more beautiful region of Yunnan - I too was very impressed by Yuanyang (hence my GoKM username right hehe), not to mention Lvchun and the Vietnamese borderlands before reaching Hekou.