Forums > Living in Kunming > renting a car in Kunming I've been using Shenzhou for a over a year, and I've only ever used my USA Mastercard. And when I've been with friends who rented with them, they always used American credit cards too.
Perhaps when you went there was some kind of miscommunication? Or it wasn't the same company? At the very least you go a person who gave you incorrect information.
"Zuche" is in the name of every car rental place. The actual name of the company with the website "zuche.com" is 神州租车.
Forums > Living in Kunming > renting a car in Kunming Zuche.com (Shenzhou Car Rental) is great. I've used them many times and always thought their service was above average.
Using an American credit card has always been hassle-free too. They pre-authorize the deposit, so there's no foreign transaction fee or anything for the deposit.
Rates are reasonable. I've rented cars online and picked them up at the location. I've also used them to rent cars in other cities in China with no problems.
They've even bumped me up to a nicer car when the one I had reserved was unavailable... in my experience that's a cut above most customer service policies in China.
PS Since you just got your license, you will need to go to their office and give them all your paperwork a few days before you actually plan on renting the car. They will need to send it in to their main office and set you up with an account before you can drive off in their car. It can take 2-5 days, but was really easy.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Driving in Yunnan. You get a card when you enter the toll-way and pay when you exit according to how far you've gone. From Kunming to Dali is around 130RMB. The highways are great, and you can go 100-130 kph most of the way. The trip to Dali takes about three hours. Currently the roads between Dali and Lijiang and Shangri-La are under construction, so plan for some delays there, but no tolls. If you're only one person, flying might be cheaper, depending on the ticket price. If you're two or more people, driving works out to be cheaper usually. Plus, as mentioned above, having a car once you get there is very convenient. Not having to deal with airports, taxis, or buses makes driving the best choice in my opinion.
Forums > Travel Yunnan > China Visa problems PLEASE HELP - URGENT!!! According to the OP, the visa expires "on the 20th of this month".
1. Tourist visas given out in SE Asia, regardless of where YOU'RE from are often for a duration-of-stay of 30 days. I'm inclined to think that's what she has. As many of the above posters pointed out, the VISA is good for a period of time, but you may only stay in the country XX number of days, either 30, 60, 90 or 120.
2. The part of her visa that "expires on the 20th of this month" is exactly where you read the validity of the visa, NOT the amount of time you are allowed to stay in the country. No Chinese tourist visa tells you which day you have to leave the country. Chinese tourist visas tell you what period of time you may enter the country (in other words the period of validity of the visa), and then how many days you may stay after you enter. Its up to you to do the math and know which "day" you have to leave the country.
That said, I have met border guards at the airport who had a hard time doing that math, so it is possible that you got one who couldn't and you are within your valid duration-of-stay. But from the sound of it, I'm guessing that's not the case.
Always read your visa carefully. When you get a visa, read it and understand it. When they stamp your passport, read what the stamp says. There's no excuse to overstay when its written in English right on the visa.
And yes, the fine is negotiable. Best to handle it sooner rather than later, so best to be nice, plead ignorance, smile and hope for the best.
Forums > Living in Kunming > best prepaid 3G iPhone simcard? China Unicom 3G card should cost less than 200 RMB and last you for your whole trip, unless you start streaming videos through their 3G or something.
For Google maps, checking e-mail, Skype chats, etc you should be fine. Coverage is fine in most places.
You should make sure your iPhone is unlocked, not locked to a certain carrier, like AT&T or anything.
Also, once you put the SIM in your iPhone, you will likely have to enter certain settings in order to connect to Unicom's 3G network.
Make note of these settings, and make sure your iPhones OS allows you to enter this info (not all do):
www.beijingiphonerepair.com/[...]
Scroll down to the China Unicom 3G section. You'll need to enter that in the settings of your phone in order to use their 3G.
