First a bit of background about my situation.

I moved to Kunming in September 2010 on a work visa. Since that visa expired in September 2011, I have had both business and tourist visas.

I am now preparing to return to Australia, and looking to ship a container of things. Apparently, one of the requirements for me to be able to ship my belongings is a copy of my expired foreign expert certificate - my residence permit and work visa is not enough. I am pretty sure that the school I worked at arranged this for me, as it is a requirement for the work visa. However, upon calling the school, I was advised that they destroy the teacher's records when they leave the school.

I called the foreign experts office with a number the school provided, and spoke to a petulant woman, who gave the impression that this was all a bit difficult, and said that she might be able to help if I go to the office. She was too impatient to give me the address over the phone. I have since baidu'd this and found a record for a place on Ru'an Jie.

I was wondering if anyone else had any similar experiences, and is able to share any lessons learned or advice before I make the dreaded trip. Cheers.

There is a Dai joint in a guys home in a laneway off Jianshe Road that cooks really spicy food, if you tell the laoban you want 特辣。The laoban's not actually dai though. I love the spice, particularly in the 炒米线, but the 小米辣 always kills me the next day, so i don't go there often anymore.

The laneway is close to the train tracks, and opposite a pharmacy if I remember correctly (left turn if you are heading north on jianshe). other people might be able to provide better directions.

The restaurant is cheap, and often dingy looking, but worth a look in i'd reckon.

fg hasn't been working for me for a while.

Thanks to grandpa wen's billions, i am unable to read this article at present.

One of my favourite restaurants in Kunming is a Dai place in a tiny lane off Jianshe Rd. The restaurant is in the house of a local guy and his family, who are all very friendly and charming, and makes generally delicious food at very cheap prices.

However, most times I regret going there the next day; ending up with a pretty bad case of the trots. Does anyone else have this experience at this restaurant? I think it must be the hygiene of the place, as I generally have a strong tolerance to chili.

Are there any other restaurants in Kunming that you have this type of love-hate relationship with?