Forums > Travel Yunnan > Suggestions for traveling to Laos 1 - Never get a visa on arrival - take the time to go to the consulate and get it done before you go. The subway station is directly in front of the consulate now so it is very convenient.
2 - The boat trips are nice but too long. The 1 day boat trip leaves you in the middle of nowhere and the 2 day trip is too long. However, if you go during non-peak season, the boat trip can be nice because the boats are not crowded. Go during peak season and its hell because you have no room and you are stuck with a bunch of drunken smelly backpacking laowais for 2 days and all you have is a wooden seat. I have done the boat trip from both directions (N-S + S - N). North to South is the most crowded. Avoid the crowds and do the boat trip on your way back north.
3 - If you go - then do it right and don't do the 4 countries in 1 month route like most nasty (cheap) backpackers do. Go by bus from China and cross the border and see and enjoy the entire country from top to bottom. The people are great and so is the food.
4 - I took the local bus which is slow and loud (music) but very enjoyable. The minivans are faster but the nasty laowais have 2 huge backpacks per person and they will squeeze everyone inside with their luggage.
The worst part of travelling to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia is the Nasty laowais.
Forums > Travel Yunnan > 2.5 Weeks in Yunnan Alone With no Mandarin Send me a private message (PM) with your email and itinerary for Yunnan (Word file) and the places you want to visit and I will let you know if your plan is doable.
Yes, you can travel in Yunnan without any language ability since you are a determined person. However, you can expect to pay a LITTLE more since you will not be able to negotiate and you do not know the average/standard rates.
Taxis and drivers will take you for a ride but buses will ask you to pay the same standard fare as everyone else (chinese and foreigner pay the same rates).
Hotels will also make you pay higher rates since you can not speak chinese or negotiate.
However, like all travellers in SE Asia you will definitely meet people along the way (other foreigners who speak chinese and chinese who speak english) who can help you so you will probably not have any problems.
I can give you some quotes of what a fare price is but this varies on the time (peak season) you will be travelling in China.
Forums > Living in Kunming > What's Next? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Glitter - Learn something new every day.
Peter99 you make some good points about Cambodia but you failed to give an example of where you think may be a good place.
All countries have bad people. For example, I have been to Kundu many times during the day but never been there at night when the problems occur. Same with Dali, many people go there for drugs but since I do not look for that, I dont have to interact with the bad characters.
I have a friend who has been living in Cambodia (not travelling) for several years and he does not have any negative reports. Again, because he does not live that type of lifestyle.
Escape plan for a single person is diff than an escape plan for a couple. For those who are willing to return to their native soil a visa is not necessary. Anyone living in China needs some type of visa. Same for most other countries.
Fuxian shampoo incident becomes national topic
发布者using online shame to, as the Chinese idiom goes, "kill a chicken to scare the monkeys".
A conversation with Sofitel Kunming GM Andre Erasmus
发布者What a waste.
New high-speed rail line to link Kunming with Dali
发布者Life in Yunnan just keeps getting better. A 2 hour train ride to Dali is a lot better then taking the 4-5 hour bus ride. Not to mention the delays when there is a traffic accident.
Earth's budget deficit at 160%, hope stems from trees
发布者Everyone needs to contribute - Now it begins - Yes, we must contribute but when the population does not make their deadline (Dec 31), we must pay - another tax coming just around the corner.
Just like life insurance in the good old USA, you will pay for it whether you want it or not. If you don't pay, they just steal it out of your bank account.
Agenda 21 - controlled by the UN (1 World Govt) will be in charge.
The Global Warming Lie has now conveniently morphed into Climate Change since the weather did not cooperate with the CO2 lies.
Funny how there is no mention of the real problems in the world. The EPA raises the safety limits on poisons every year so that the multinational companies can continue to pollute and make a profit. In the meantime, we get to eat, drink and breathe more pollutants.
Snapshot: Dali and Weishan
发布者There are several noodle shops that are still run by very old people. I saw a beautiful OLD noodle machine (at least 50-70 years old) in one shop and I would love to buy it (Keep an eye on the obituaries). It just needs to be cleaned up because it has decades of flour stuck on it and it will make a wonderful addition to a home museum.
Weishan has not been commercialized yet. Any smart foreigner with some business savy can buy up a lot of antiques very cheaply and make a great cafe/museum/information center/guesthouse like the one in Xishuangbanna; he has his fingers in every pot.
Lots to see in the surrounding area - great place to retire, still make an income, and be the #1 laowai of the town.
Heijing offers the same.