Forums > Living in Kunming > Is Kundu safe? Haha...good point. Drunk people in clubs are naturally unpredictable, though I've always felt that drunk people in China just tend to act funny, start stumbling and within moments start to throw up, not really dangerous like in the west though. Note that I wasn't around when those incidents I described above happened...but I have to say I'm puzzled by what appears to be a large number of separate incidents. Also, apparently the police simply blocked off the area where that person died but didn't appear to be doing anything else, according to the people I talked to, who went to Kundu on Wednesday night.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Ban on smoking starts May 1st Do this: if you're a foreigner, point to a sign prohibiting smoking (in Chinese of course) to the next Chinese person you see smoking and see what their reaction is. If they don't react, ask them if they can read characters. If not (or even if they answer yes), tell them they are selfish and stupid.
Forums > Living in Kunming > exchange large amount of money I was told it was unlimited going from foreign currency to Yuan (well, there may be a limit like you guys say, but it's quite high) or 500USD equivalent per day when exchanging back to a foreign currency.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Visa run to honkers Phnom Penh is good, you can generally do everything through your hotel without even going to the embassy yourself, but this may also depend on your visa type. On the other hand, Phnom Penh is further away from Kunming than Bangkok or Hong Kong. Hanoi would be the closest and best, but that embassy sucks coz they only allow residents and locals to apply for Chinese visas...god knows why given that Hanoi is a major tourist city and not too far from China.
Forums > Living in Kunming > What the #*%$s wrong with the internet? My internet connection is generally quite good. Movies can be downloaded in about half an hour to 2 hours, which, while slower than in the west is good enough. Facebook, Youtube, etc. all work perfectly well with a VPN or freegate or something. Most other foreign websites work well enough even without a VPN or freegate. That's my experience, but basically, if you want to get a decent connection, get a good ISP, even if it costs 1000+ Yuan per month, which is OK I think, especially if you get a reliable connection and good speeds.
Getting Away: Luang Prabang
发布者@flengs, what do you mean by being fed up with the "foreigner-local" relations? Some of them seem quite superficial, but it depends on what level the relationship is. When both parties speak at least one of the other's languages really well, then mutual understanding will increase of course, however, this is rarely the case as few foreigners can speak Lao (except for a few words maybe) and few Laotians can speak very good English.
Major Kunming traffic arteries converted to one-way roads
发布者An interesting read. I first came to Kunming in mid-2009 and by then the changes were already made. I actually live just off xue fu lu and everytime I'm in a car or taxi (except late at night) we have to go the long way round starting on yi er yi, passing by hongshan bei lu and finally onto xue fu lu. In the reverse direction it's a straight route direct to yi er yi that takes all of 5-6 minutes outside or rush hour; in the original direction going back home it takes about double that. Good for taxi drivers (they get more money!), good for bus patronage but a little annoying for the average commuter affected by this everyday. Anyway, nothing wrong with it, it's just the way it is now - i never realized it used to be different before!
Getting Away: Jinghong
发布者Really nice city.
First-hand account: Setting up a guesthouse in Xishuangbanna
发布者Geezer, where did you hear this? Would be really sad if it was true. I too have thought about such a business and indeed have also considered xishuangbanna, which is one of the nicest parts of all of China. However, all things being considered, I find it much easier to set-up something in SE Asia.
First-hand account: Setting up a guesthouse in Xishuangbanna
发布者First of all, Thais are foreign tourists too if they are outside of Thailand. Anyway, nice article, I wish these people lots of success. I think it would be nice if there were more westerners (and foreigners in general) travelling in Xishuangbanna, because right now it's a world away from neighboring Laos and Vietnam. In fact, even though it's so restrictive, I find it easier to come across other travellers in Myanmar than in Xishuangbanna...why is that? I look forward to the day you can find a central backpacker district in Jinghong that looks like its equivalent in Laos filled with hundreds of western backpackers.