"I Love Sports" is 800 yuan/year, never packed and on the lower end of Kunming gyms in terms of upkeep - bathroom and changing area is a little malodorous and there are no showers. That said, their weights are as heavy as any other gyms and they have a nice little green area with a good view of Kunming where you can stretch and relax. Not bad if you're into cheap/no-frills.
I've been also been to Powerhouse and Impulse, both of which are part of international gym chains. Both are cleaner and more pleasing to the eye than I Love Sports, and both of them cost a little more... can't remember off the top of my head exactly how much for a year. Tianhao is along the same lines but rather small.
What area do you mean when you say 'northwest part of town'? Kunming's big enough that most of the gyms listed could be considered in the city's northwest. The most northwestern gym listed would be the Kunming Municipal Gymnasium Fitness Center on Huancheng Xi Lu near Jiaoling Lu. Hope that helps.
I don't know if Kunming can be compared to Shanghai very easily... if you're looking for nice green surroundings, chances are you'll want to check out the Cuihu/Green Lake area or Beichen in the north. Younger foreigners tend to favor around Cuihu and families tend to live in Beichen, but more families are beginning to move the Cuihu area.
Dongfeng Lu, Renmin Lu and Beijing Lu are slightly similar to Huaihai Lu and Nanjing Lu in that they're developing into Kunming's CBDs. These streets will add more amenities and conveniences in the coming months/years and are already better than most other parts of the city in terms of transportation. Newer residential developments on these streets tend to have more green spaces than the average Kunming xiaoqu.
Congratulations to Michelle He and Zhong Yue, who were the first two readers to correctly answer that Ashima (阿诗玛) was the Yunnanese heroine who legend says became one of the pillars at Stone Forest.
Thanks to Canaan Day Spa for providing the hand treatments and to all the women who responded. Look out for more giveaways on GoKunming in the future!
We have just been notified by the Kunming Tigers that the match has been moved from Kunming Stadium to Tuodong Stadium at 99 Dongfeng Dong Lu. The match will still start at 2:15pm. Spectators should go to the stadium's second floor and enter through gate 14.
@voltaire: You're right, Shibao Mountain is deserving of a mention in any Shaxi travel piece. We mentioned Shibao Mountain in our earlier Shaxi travel feature:
@JLG: If coffee plantations do significantly reduce the amount of tea grown in Pu'er, it is likely to only lead to higher tea prices followed by increased tea planting and another tea bubble.
My favorite Tengchong-style restaurant in Kunming. Their ersi and erkuai are trucked over from Tengchong and are the real deal — Kunming ersi and erkuai do not compare.
The restaurant itself is a bit jumbled, but there are a couple of tables outside in the courtyard that are nice to sit at when the weather's pleasant.
Don't believe them when they say they don't have lufu.
Giveaway: Hand treatments at Canaan Day Spa
发布者Congratulations to Michelle He and Zhong Yue, who were the first two readers to correctly answer that Ashima (阿诗玛) was the Yunnanese heroine who legend says became one of the pillars at Stone Forest.
Thanks to Canaan Day Spa for providing the hand treatments and to all the women who responded. Look out for more giveaways on GoKunming in the future!
Rugby: Kunming Tigers vs Chengdu Pandas
发布者We have just been notified by the Kunming Tigers that the match has been moved from Kunming Stadium to Tuodong Stadium at 99 Dongfeng Dong Lu. The match will still start at 2:15pm. Spectators should go to the stadium's second floor and enter through gate 14.
Interview: Jiang Li
发布者Thanks beckyld. As you may already know, GoKunming interviewed Clare Ye Sheng from PSI's Kunming office in 2008:
www.gokunming.com/[...]
Keep up the good work!
Snapshot: Shaxi
发布者@voltaire: You're right, Shibao Mountain is deserving of a mention in any Shaxi travel piece. We mentioned Shibao Mountain in our earlier Shaxi travel feature:
www.gokunming.com/en/blog/item/1937/getting_away_shaxi
I'd have included photos of the grottoes in that post, but as you know, taking photos there is not allowed.
As the "Snapshot" in the title of this post suggests, this piece is more of a short photo essay than it is a comprehensive travel feature.
Starbucks' thirst for Yunnan coffee growing
发布者@JLG: If coffee plantations do significantly reduce the amount of tea grown in Pu'er, it is likely to only lead to higher tea prices followed by increased tea planting and another tea bubble.