Forums > Living in Kunming > Chenggong to house 2.3 million university students?!?! 2.3 million students in just one city (Chenggong) would represent about 30-40% of the entire student population that enters university every year in China. Such a number would be unprecedented and something for the guiness book of records.
Indeed, even if such a large number of students were possible in one place, why Chenggong and why Yunnan?!! Wouldn't you think it would make more sense for such a "university city" to be located in Shanghai or another one the economic powerhouses of China, rather than some relative backwater like Yunnan?
Forums > Living in Kunming > Buying airplane tickets online? Best websites in China? Also, when it comes to the best websites to purchase international flights, it will depend on where you are going and who is flying there. However, you will be better off purchasing from the airline's website directly than an agent if you fly with such major carriers as Dragon Air/Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways Int'l, Silk Air/Singapore Airlines etc. from Kunming.
I don't think agents can get discounts on these carriers and undercut them anymore like in the past, except for student fares, which are generally not available from China anyway (except perhaps in Shanghai and Beijing or Guangzhou but even then only from statravel or flight centre).
Forums > Living in Kunming > Buying airplane tickets online? Best websites in China? It's almost impossible to purchase anything online without a credit card anymore these days (or an equivalent debit card with the visa/mastercard logo) so I don't know how you go about purchasing air tickets online, geezer, but anyway good luck.
However, while we're on this point, elong makes a big fuss about scanning and sending confirmation of your credit card details to "verify" the card before processing your transaction and issuing your ticket. I used them over a year ago to purchase a ticket on Vietnam Airlines to Vietnam for a friend without a credit card. The reason I didn't use the Vietnam Airlines website, which wouldn't have required all these documents is that we only booked the flight less than 24h before departure and as such, the VN Airlines website doesn't allow that, but elong did. However, long story short they accepted everything after talking to me over the phone but I do have to admit the phone calls and emails were frustrating.
Forums > Living in Kunming > How can I get English Language Television TV T.V. ? Nah, internet is not the way. Firstly, internet in China is slow as...you can barely watch anything from youtube even with a VPN...that's how slow it is (a show that is supposed to be an hour in length will take you 3 frustrating hours to download and by that time the VPN will disconnect). Also, a laptop isn't an alternative to a big screen TV where you can watch the EURO2012, other sporting events or just a good movie.
Virtually every hotel in SE Asia features English and other foreign language programming so I don't see why China should be any different and why we should "act" differently here in regards to something as basic and common as cable TV. In Nha Trang, Vietnam I counted some 20 foreign cable TV stations including sports stations (no Chinese ones though), although in Mui Ne, there were two Chinese language stations. Both cities have Russian channels though, to cater for the huge Russian tourist market.
I will try Jackchen's service or another one to see what I can receive here.
Forums > Food & Drink > Vietnamese food Haha I know what you mean @senorboogiewoogie about Chinese travellers in Europe. I mean, if you're going to travel, why wouldn't you try the local food? Also, I heard that Chinese people from mainland China don't eat "kung pao chicken" even though that is the staple of Chinese food found in Chinese restaurants in all western countries.
BTW I always try to eat a combination of western and local food. I have lived in Vietnam and usually stuck to eating western food for most meals, mainly because the quality is so good (many restaurants and cafes are run by westerners and/or have western chefs) and because away from the tourist areas, local food, while good is served in places with no atmosphere, like on a dirty street corner where you have to sit on 1-foot high plastic stools that almost break if someone like me sits down on them. We were also served lunch at work, but the quality of the food was pretty bad. There were times I couldn't take it and spent 1hour out of my 90minute lunch break driving back and forth between work and the tourist area to get a decent western style meal.
BTW the food scene in Laos is pretty good. The bigger towns and cities have a good selection of western style restaurants and bars with about the same quality food you'll find in Thailand (and prices too). Local food is good too, though rustic: think whole grilled fish, salted and with all the little bones still inside eaten together with sticky rice, somtam (spicy papaya salad), other grilled meats and uncooked meat in blood with peanuts and last but not least: duck embryoes.
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.