I have to agree in some ways thugh I do not hate KM and I do not think that is what you are saying either. But it is sort of depressing. I lived for three eyars in Beijing and now three years here and so I have some basis for comparison.
> The food here is too spicy and oily. KM people cannot cook. Of course I have found some nice little places to eat of course and I mean in general. All they can do here is BBQ on a stick and drench everything in red pepper or hua jiao. Also, if I say, in Chinese, that I do nto want spicy food that is what I mean. I do not want the cook to add red pepper becasue he thinks that is the only way it can be eaten. Any meal of BBQ or fired potatoes here is much oiler than a Big Mac meal at McDoanals, and my students eat that stuff all day whereas I do to McDonald once every 2 months, yet they are convinced I eat more junk food than they do.
2) The taxi system here is simply stupid and the taxi drivers (well all drivers) ahve no regard for traffic laws. They do not seem to know what a red light is unless there is a cop parked there... who would not do anything anyway.
3) The service here is abyssal. Grumpy, moody staff who cannot even look up from their cell phones when they wait on you. Pathetic at best.
4) Compared to Beijing (and it pretty abd there too) the problems with spitting here is much worse, as is the issue with grown men pissing anywhere they want.
5) The public restrooms in Beijing are free. Here you have pay and they stink more and have filthy floors.
6) How can people here be expected to drive when they can barely walk down the sidewalk. I have bumped into more people here who walk in a daze or simply decide to change course directly into than I have in my entire life total anywhere else.
7) And not to focus only Kunmingers the foreigners here are all stuck up and aloof. that whole crowd of alcoholic lao wai at Salvadors and the French Cafe are as rude and beligerent as any of the locals. Would it f**king hurt someone to say hi back! A woman went through such ludicrous extremes one time leaving a juice bar to make sure she did not look me in the eye or risk my nodding at her or saying hi. Jesus. Maybe she thought I'd ask her out or want to borrow money or something.
Ah that is all. I do not hate it here... but it can suck sometimes. And one more thing, the next I say it is cold on a gray, rainy winter day and I am wrapped in and shivering coats and scarves and some local goes "oh no, Kunming is the springtime city, never cold" I am going to push them in front of a bus!
Bill