On a nice partly cloudy day like the last few, rent/borrow/own a bike and ride to the west entrance of HaiGeng Park via DianChi and GuanJing roads. There is a wonderfully quiet and pretty back road that parallels DianChi if you're up for exploring it out. Go on a weekday and you can even sneak a ride on top of the tourist walkway on GuanJing for some pretty scenery. Once at the park, pay a 10rmb entrance fee and then go have lunch/snacks inside the park. Better yet, is to go as a group and rent a bbq slot or picnic on the grass. The water will most likely be smelly green now, but when it's not, HaiGeng is even nicer. You can ride out of the east exit and explore the nearby sports complex and then make you're way home on XingTi Rd.
The weather and ability to see blue skies is a big reason so many foreigners reside in a tier 2 city of this size. So I like to take advantage of the climate by taking in the pleasant parts of Kunming.
Pulling teeth is much easier, less painful, and possibly less bloody than trying to get cash back from a Chinese merchant.
Try for the 2nd repair. Albeit, they will try to charge you another 200 to 300 rmb for yet another screen/visualizer part. Here you will have to be very demanding and willing to make a scene. Bringing a friend(s) along wouldn't hurt.
If you went to the shop the next day after your faulty repair, you should have a good chance at obtaining a 2nd repair for free. If the problem didn't fully manifest itself till several days later or you waited to complain, then this is much more problematic. Essentially, this now becomes a tug-of-war between how willing you are to make a scene and the Chinese shop owner's obstinacy.
In Shenzhen, the repair shop I frequent for my iPhone would most likely take a 2nd look at it for free. They would repair it without charging me for another expensive part if I start and continue to badger/scream at them they used a crap/wrong part to start with. However, I speak fluent Chinese and have used this shop more than once.
As a practice, I wouldn't have my smartphone or Apple products repaired in Kunming except at an authorized repair shop or the big chains mentioned above. Of course those places all charge considerably more.
I went up to the roof of our complex a while back. 2 of 6 solar water tanks had pretty leaky pipes. I think your figure of 20-40L is right. The other 60L+ is waste cause water is too cheap and will remain so despite a drought.
That's a very good point. I forgot in the USA we don't even have highspeed rail, and the one planned in California will take decades, not years. I shouldn't complain too much.
Great update on all the planned transportation. I'll believe it when I see it, or in this case, I ride on it. Kunming subway is taking forever, so not going to hold my breath for that highspeed rail to somewhere.
Never gotten sick once at Sals. Their food is TexMex, so yeah, not authentic Mexican food, but pretty authentic as TexMex goes. Burrito wrap has improved a lot. Like the draft beer option now.
If you haven't had dairy products in a while, and do eat here, best forgo the sour cream. Nothing wrong with it, in fact it's the best sour cream in Kunming, but if you've eaten Chinese for month or months with no dairy intake, your system will react to sour cream or probably any liquid dairy product not so well. Maybe that's what happened with nailer and tallamerican.
It's now 5 working days for regular processing. So I submitted my application a bit before 5pm on a Friday and was told to pick it up next week Friday after 5pm.
Cost is now 400rmb for a single 30 day entry. Or that was what I was charged anyways. There are no posted prices and its cash only with no receipt except for your passport pickup. That's like $65 USD.
You can pay another 150rmb for 2 day or 100rmb for 3 day processing. For 400rmb, they should process it in three days like they used to before, but now you'd pay 500rmb. The office is still like deserted most of the time, so why does it take longer now and cost extra. If you opted for 2 day, thats like $90 usd. All other neighboring countries charge like $25usd.
The rest of and cope review is still good for hours and location.
The drought: Good and bad news
发布者I went up to the roof of our complex a while back. 2 of 6 solar water tanks had pretty leaky pipes. I think your figure of 20-40L is right. The other 60L+ is waste cause water is too cheap and will remain so despite a drought.
Interview: Deng Ling
发布者Interviews and Getting Away articles,; always some great reporting. Add this one to that.
Yunnan goes infrastructure crazy
发布者That's a very good point. I forgot in the USA we don't even have highspeed rail, and the one planned in California will take decades, not years. I shouldn't complain too much.
Getting Away: Nanning
发布者Nanning...still not so good.
Yunnan goes infrastructure crazy
发布者Great update on all the planned transportation. I'll believe it when I see it, or in this case, I ride on it. Kunming subway is taking forever, so not going to hold my breath for that highspeed rail to somewhere.