Tolls are expensive in Yunnan and China in general - the trip from Kunming to Dali is 129 Yuan each way, so 258 round-trip, more of course for trips to Baoshan and Mangshi, the city just after the expressway ends. BTW there are tolls on other roads, including between Dali and Shangri-la, though they are minimal compared to those on expressways; for example, a tollbooth somewhere south of Shangri-la wanted 4 Yuan and another time it was 8 or something. I didn't pay much attention, since those amounts were petty compared to the expressway charges. The price you pay for fuel, for the trip from Kunming to Dali, for example, also varies depending on a number of factors including your driving speed, the car's mileage (fuel economy) etc. but as John Xie has mentioned, assume 500+ Yuan to Tengchong each way including tolls.
@AlPage48, I see. However, in Asia there is generally no problem arriving earlier than the check-in time at a hotel, and they won't even charge extra. I have arrived at 5-6am many times and would only pay for 1 night that allows me to stay until 12pm or so the next day, even slightly later if I request late check-out.
I'm surprised about this - as Hong Kong is a major connecting point for flights from mainland China to other parts of the world. Have you considered flying with Dragonair instead? My understanding is that they offer daily or even more frequent flights from Kunming to Hong Kong. If you can't get a refund on your ticket or are unable to change airlines, then I'll recommend them for next time at least.
@samueljames, I agree about the "free" alcohol part, but don't go begging for booze and pissing in the DJ booth as one infamous Aussie did some months back, because this tends to get foreigners temporarily banned for a few weeks or so. In terms of free alcohol, if you stand around and act friendly, you'll be invited to share drinks with a group of locals...88 also offers free drinks to foreigners at times.
I was just going to say that the minimum registered capital of a company that allows foreigners to work for them should be 300,000. The OP probably didn't read the requirements carefully, because clearly, that would be an impossible requirement for an individual.
I'm surprised his car was still driveable and didn't end up with a zillion dents (or maybe it did). I wouldn't dare drive like that knowing that damaging my car is almost certain if I were to attempt that and secondly I have more regard for the safety of pedestrians than this bozo did.
Yep...though I'm more used to getting hassled than ignored. I thought we were all walking atms to these guys! Haha...anyway, it really depends though, because those taxi drivers that constantly pester you in places like Vietnam often rip you off, but if you go for the ones that are not specifically looking for fares they'll actually use the meters. Of course, taxis are better than motorcycle taxis though since they are less likely to rip you off. Also, you can almost always find a taxi or something else when you need one in those countries, even during rush hour. Something that's hard to do in Kunming and even Shanghai...
Also, apart from the occassional three-wheeled scooter or electric scooter driver willing to drive you somewhere, there are few alternative forms of transport in Kunming apart from the standard forms you'd see in the west: buses and taxis (and eventually, a subway). Only on the outskirts of town will you find motorcycle taxis who congregate around tourist spots such as the Nationalities Village, but these guys don't pick up fares inside town, probably because they aren't allowed to, I presume.
What i find that's totally bizarre to me is that in a developing country like China, no taxi driver follows a foreigner like would happen in neighboring Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia or elsewhere. In those countries, you don't look for the taxis, they look for you! In Kunming and China in general, you can walk down the street and no taxi driver will ever stop for you unless you want them to.
Tell the people to look at the signs and see what their reaction is! If they don't react, tell them that they can't read (which is what I would assume, if someone was just so oblivious to a sign right above their head).
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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Video: Kunming driver crosses pedestrian bridge
发布者I'm surprised his car was still driveable and didn't end up with a zillion dents (or maybe it did). I wouldn't dare drive like that knowing that damaging my car is almost certain if I were to attempt that and secondly I have more regard for the safety of pedestrians than this bozo did.
Still, this was an entertaining piece of news.
Kunming addresses taxi shift change troubles
发布者Yep...though I'm more used to getting hassled than ignored. I thought we were all walking atms to these guys! Haha...anyway, it really depends though, because those taxi drivers that constantly pester you in places like Vietnam often rip you off, but if you go for the ones that are not specifically looking for fares they'll actually use the meters. Of course, taxis are better than motorcycle taxis though since they are less likely to rip you off. Also, you can almost always find a taxi or something else when you need one in those countries, even during rush hour. Something that's hard to do in Kunming and even Shanghai...
Also, apart from the occassional three-wheeled scooter or electric scooter driver willing to drive you somewhere, there are few alternative forms of transport in Kunming apart from the standard forms you'd see in the west: buses and taxis (and eventually, a subway). Only on the outskirts of town will you find motorcycle taxis who congregate around tourist spots such as the Nationalities Village, but these guys don't pick up fares inside town, probably because they aren't allowed to, I presume.
Kunming addresses taxi shift change troubles
发布者What i find that's totally bizarre to me is that in a developing country like China, no taxi driver follows a foreigner like would happen in neighboring Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia or elsewhere. In those countries, you don't look for the taxis, they look for you! In Kunming and China in general, you can walk down the street and no taxi driver will ever stop for you unless you want them to.
Yunnan preparing warily for China smoking ban
发布者Tell the people to look at the signs and see what their reaction is! If they don't react, tell them that they can't read (which is what I would assume, if someone was just so oblivious to a sign right above their head).