I'm sure there may be some threads on this somewhere but wanted to see if anyone has recent/current experiences with the Chinese programs at Yunda. I'm planning to be in Kunming this summer (I'm a semi-resident of Yunnan for at least a few months every year as a graduate student conducting research). This summer I have a grant from my university to take language classes at Yunda for six weeks, though I've has some trouble getting any definitive info out of them about their programs.
Their website clearly states that even during summer vacations they regularly offer 1-1 student to instructor lessons in Mandarin and that one can request such instruction at any time. However when I sent them application paperwork they responded after I indicated my desired study period was from June through August that school is not in session in in July and August and they would only invite me for the one month in June. That part is not a problem since I have plenty of colleagues at various places who can invite me for an F visa. But, what concerns me is whether or not Yunda's Foreign Studies school will actually live up to what they say and allow me to register for 1-1 lessons after June because my grant is predicated on me actually taking Chinese classes for a total of six weeks while in China? Anyone have experience with them on this? When I wrote back to the office there after their explanation regarding my application and explained my intentions I simply got no response and when I had a colleague from a research institute at the university call them for me they told her that they were not going to accept my application unless I altered it to be for only one month since there are no formal classes in July. Any thoughts? Seems like the typical Chinese bureaucracy I've come to know after many years but I just want to have some idea that I won't show up in June and then have them tell me that they don't offer any mandarin lessons or something to that effect.
Per my previous post try Expedia's U.S. site rather than Elong (which they own). Unlike Travelocity and others more often than not they also won't charge a service fee and your credit card will be directly billed to the airline. Plus good prices of course.
Assuming you mean expedia.com, elong.net is actually an expedia company now, so it serves as their China based website. The real Expedia is actually my website of choice for travel in China now because they have the same prices (in USD) as elong and you can pay with a US credit card and not pay a service fee for using an international card as you would with elong. I just get to expedia through my VPN (also for secuity with credit card use) but I'm sure you should be able to figure out some way to get to the US based site.
I get the same type of build up occasionally which I have to get cleaned out, hereditary from my mom I'm afraid. The last time this happened I happened to be down in Chiang Mai actually and there it seems the hospitals all have standard ENT clinics with the pressure washers. If you really want to be safe about it, Thailand would be a good bet.
The doctor I saw in Thailand was actually pretty funny about the whole thing (though he kind of stereotyped me). When I mentioned I seem to get this problem occasionally and that it comes from my mother he actually then said in his experience wax build ups are a problem for western people but not something he typically saw in Asian patients.
Seems you're already there but I definitely recommend Rent-A-Room Hong Kong in the Jordan area for future trips, which can be booked on Expedia. It is about the price of a Best Western and while the rooms are small (typical anywhere in HK) they are immaculately clean and the staff is also very friendly. Free Wi-Fi, business center computers in the lobby area, and plenty of great food nearby.
Thanks Patrick for the update! Planning to revisit the site of the Moet winery and lodge in the next couple weeks, perhaps after I get back to Kunming a new blog style update for GoKunming on my work out here will be due...
Great article and write up Dan! Ever since first visiting Liming in 2007 I knew it would be great for climbing so it's wonderful Mike has put it on the map and spent so much time developing the area. Having gone on two multi-day hikes and another trip with several day hikes out of Liming, I can reiterate that indeed with some gear the possibilities for other hiking and trekking are endless and fantastic. The valley alone is worth the visit, but some of the high mountain areas with alpine lakes and some of the best rhododendron forests anywhere are also very much worth the trip.
Hi Matt,
Mandarin should be able to order it for you, the owner Liu Feng is a casual friend and has special ordered a lot stuff for me but the regular staff don't know how to do this. If you want let me know and I can send you his email offline.
I don't believe I ever actually used the terminology distill in this interview, but it was over a year ago so I may have forgotten. Indeed I recognize wine making is quite different from distillation, though in fact in Cizhong many households partake in both practices and in fact distill liquor both in the traditional method with barley but also with the discarded grape skins and seeds left over from wine making. This makes a pretty powerful baijiu indeed!
It looks like Thai has only reduced flights by one day a week; they're just not flying on Mondays anymore. China Eastern has also increased capacity to two flights per day to BKK instead of one on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. However I'm not necessarily a fan of China Eastern as I know many of us aren't, and what I would really like to see is Thai bring back their old twice weekly service to Chiang Mai, which I used to fly regularly up through 2008 until it was cancelled. China Eastern being the only non-stop option to Chiang Mai for several years now has not been fun, and considering the explosion of Chinese tourists there now I'm surprised Thai hasn't resumed the route, especially since it was the regular Bangkok flight that just made a stop off twice each week...
评论
还没有评论
Cookie Preferences
Please select which types of cookies you are willing to accept:
Moët Hennessy to debut Yunnan wine this fall
发布者Thanks Patrick for the update! Planning to revisit the site of the Moet winery and lodge in the next couple weeks, perhaps after I get back to Kunming a new blog style update for GoKunming on my work out here will be due...
Climbing Away: Liming
发布者Great article and write up Dan! Ever since first visiting Liming in 2007 I knew it would be great for climbing so it's wonderful Mike has put it on the map and spent so much time developing the area. Having gone on two multi-day hikes and another trip with several day hikes out of Liming, I can reiterate that indeed with some gear the possibilities for other hiking and trekking are endless and fantastic. The valley alone is worth the visit, but some of the high mountain areas with alpine lakes and some of the best rhododendron forests anywhere are also very much worth the trip.
Recipe: Dai-style pineapple rice
发布者Hi Matt,
Mandarin should be able to order it for you, the owner Liu Feng is a casual friend and has special ordered a lot stuff for me but the regular staff don't know how to do this. If you want let me know and I can send you his email offline.
Interview: Anthropologist Brendan Galipeau
发布者I don't believe I ever actually used the terminology distill in this interview, but it was over a year ago so I may have forgotten. Indeed I recognize wine making is quite different from distillation, though in fact in Cizhong many households partake in both practices and in fact distill liquor both in the traditional method with barley but also with the discarded grape skins and seeds left over from wine making. This makes a pretty powerful baijiu indeed!
Yunnan air routes a hot commodity
发布者It looks like Thai has only reduced flights by one day a week; they're just not flying on Mondays anymore. China Eastern has also increased capacity to two flights per day to BKK instead of one on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. However I'm not necessarily a fan of China Eastern as I know many of us aren't, and what I would really like to see is Thai bring back their old twice weekly service to Chiang Mai, which I used to fly regularly up through 2008 until it was cancelled. China Eastern being the only non-stop option to Chiang Mai for several years now has not been fun, and considering the explosion of Chinese tourists there now I'm surprised Thai hasn't resumed the route, especially since it was the regular Bangkok flight that just made a stop off twice each week...