I feel a lot of what sgnguy is saying as far as his criticisms of asian cities. These kind of deep problems and also all the inconveniences can weigh on you. At the same time, as AllPage said, it is a matter of personal taste and of priorities.

For example, I for one totally despise central and western Canada (anglo Canada) as the most culturally barren, socially cold, spiritless, stingy, and generally boring places. I have been (particularly Vancouver). People there may have more freedom, but it seems to me that they do nothing with it. In fact, people immigrate there from all over the world, every language and background is represented. But they seem to just kind of leave it all behind when they immigrate, trading it in for exciting activities such as shopping, aerobics, watching tv and walking their dogs.

More than that I found communication in Canada hard to navigate, kind of passive aggressive, like in some parts of Asia. Sorry, to be so blunt but it just goes to show that "one man's treasure..." etc
That said, I am sure that if you fell down on the street in any Canadian city, people would help you without a second thought.

This is from an ex-pats view, but anyone welcome to chime in.

How do you compare the pros and cons of living in Kunming to other cities?

Chengdu? Qingdao? Xiamen? Nanjing? etc.
Or the big 3 (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou)
And how about versus cities in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, etc?

I would say that Kunming is less snobby than some of the big 3, as well as having cleaner air, and easier access to outdoors and small towns.

It is also less expensive. That said, it is way more boring and isolated.
I guess I would say it is less friendly than the big 3 as far as people being comfortable with foreigners and people being social with strangers on a deeper level (conservative here), but still more friendly in other ways.

Compared to Chengdu, people here are more scared of or deal less with outsiders (including Chinese outsiders), and the ex-pat community is smaller, less jobs, worse food,and it has less resources.
But I would still rate Kunming higher because of superior weather, less sprawl, less air pollution, and a bit more spirit in the people.

The main issues I would warn prospective expats about here would be lack of job opportunities/low pay, ugly architecture (except green lake area etc.), all the normal china issues, and general boredom.

But I would recommend this place to people who really value good weather, manageable level of urban sprawl, slow pace of life, moderate cost of living, and would like to know more about ethnic minorities.

Swedish guy,

Its time for some tough love (and we do love many things Swedish).

What the hell are you doing letting your pregnant wife eat any Chinese fish on a regular basis, let alone from Dian-chi lake?!!!!?!!!

You have a responsibility for that babies life and your wife's health too.

This thread shouldn't be necessary!!

Scout out some decent sources for fruits, veggies, meats, dairy around Kunming. You may have to pay a bit more, but why risk your family's health?

I am wondering if this thread might lead to some crazy laowai opening up the first healthy, paleo-style, restaurant in Kunming. Can you imagine, organic yogurt? grass fed beef? salads with several kinds of hearty greens and a dozen veggies in them? Berries? Squash lasagna and sauteed mushrooms? Breads made with almond or walnut flour instead of wheat?

That would be pretty amazing. Usually owners like to equate vegetarian with healthy because it cuts down on costs, and is easier to prepare while keeping things sanitary. Also there is still the myth that vegan and veggie diets are better for the earth, so this is a big marketing point.
Meanwhile, white rice, beans, corn, flour, lettuce and other less than nutritious staples make up the bulk of those overly starchy dishes labelled vegetarian.

Maybe just relaxing about this problem will make it go away after awhile. Trying different roles (active/passive) and different positions might be good too. Sometimes guys worry too much about performance and if the woman expects the guy to just get on top of her and do everything than this can make this worse- both people should be active unless they know they prefer otherwise. Again, this seems like it often goes away as the couple gets more comfortable over time and finds their rhythm .

Ok, this counseling session is over, now pay me 500 rmb cash, or, we can bill your insurance..