My my, if you fashion yourself a cosmopolitan gent, then you may decide to adopt a "when in Rome" tack. The local custom amongst many a resident of this fine Yunnan prefecture is to use water to dilute smoke in a device known in Chinese as "Yan Tong" 烟筒, or as uncouth Yankees know them, "bongs".
Many of them, as well as Arabian hookahs and all manner of exotic pipes can be located in the Bird and Flower market, a popular destination near Nanping street and Wu Yi Lu. The market can be found on the map of any Lonely Planet guide that mentions Kunming.
More traditional pipery can be found on Wen Lin street (文林街), amonst the Western cafes. Similarly, on that street you can find many popular brands of Scotch, but life here is difficult for true connoisseurs, so I defer to the judgement of other posters.
You might want to try these one-legged squats, since I have not found any squat racks in Kunming gyms. They think smith machines are better. I have seen hack squat and leg press machines, as well as a variety of benches and freeweights in gyms, notably Powerhouse Gym. There's the one mentioned above on Renmin Zhong Lu, and there's also another one near 945 Beijing Lu, almost directly across from the JunFa center (俊发中心). Once you get there, look across the street and you'll see a powerhouse gym on the 4th floor of a building, it's impossible to miss. Take the elevator at ground level up to the 4th floor. There's a Gomz electronics store in the same building on the 1st and 2nd floors.
Hey all, I'm a laowai living on Beijing Lu and teaching English at a University here. I was wondering if anyone had experience taking Kung Fu (gongfu/功夫) lessons and would be willing to recommend a place. I can speak moderate Chinese, but would have to be a bit flexible about time. I have a special interest in Sanshou/Sanda, and to fighting styles that stress utility and self-defense over traditional forms, but I would be willing to attend either style; the most important aspect is the quality of the master.
