Hey, I just got back from a visit to Baoshan, Tengchong, Ruili, Mangshi, (and Dali). Well, I would say that I enjoyed these places to the west much more than the usual Dali-Lijiang-ShangriLa tourist route - (and I liked them much much better than Kunming). The people were extremely friendly - none of that rudeness I seem to find in Kunming. Have a couple cups of Baijiu and everyone is happy! :)

Tengchong was definitely the highlight of the trip. Really beautiful place surrounded by mountains, volcanoes, and hot springs. Great place to chill out. I actually stayed there for about a week. There is also the new Tengchong International Youth Hostel (near the excellent Yu Quan Yuan restaurant) opening up there on March 9th - and I also had the opportunity to meet and get to know the new owners - Lota and Angelo. Anyone wanting to stay there can contact the owners by emailing them at tengchongyha2007@hotmail.com. One of the owners lent me her bike and pointed me in the right direction - the hot springs to which the locals go. Excellent to soak in after a long bike ride.

And what also surprised me about these cities were the absence of other foreigners - which I must say I truly enjoyed - and I had more of an opportunity to practice my Chinese.

However, I must say, if you absolutely need your cappacinos, Western food, and WiFi then I would definitely say forget it, dude - stick to Dali, Lijiang and ShangriLa (not the real one in my opinion).

yes, i think the hot springs in tengchong are the best. though a little bit far away, but worth.

I also like tengchong very much, not crowded and quite place to see the ethnic people wear cuditional cloth

I have also been to this area and have enjoyed it very much. However, there no reason to knock down other places that have more modern facilities.

You just can't leave your Wi-fi obsession out of anything can you? Your attitude towards people who happen to like cappucinos and the like is so condescending. Funny, I have often seen you in these you love to hate... You have this ''you are either with me or against me'' attitude that reminds me of a certain simpleton from Texas called George Bush. He likes to use this language too.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. I forgot to mention that I also have a distaste for pseuds obsessed with hiding behind pseudonyms and making ridiculous -- and rude -- comments to other peoples posts. :)

I was certainly not for dropping bombs on children or contaminating Iraq with DU (some things in my opinion are black and white) and if I remember correctly I was one of those few people willing to go out and actually participate in protests against that insane war. :(

Tengchong is indeed nice. It's growing in popularity -- I went there once five years ago and once about a year and a half ago and there was a big difference already between my two trips. I noticed loads of Chinese tourists there on my last trip, and at the time the airport, promising regular flights between Tengchong and Kunming, was being built, so I imagine tourism will grow substantial once it's complete (is it already?). Incidentally, being so close to Burma, Tengchong is also home to no small number of Burmese refugees.

Mostly Tengchong is known among the Chinese for the action it saw during the war with the Japanese. History buffs should certainly check it out .. there's a memorial to unknown soldiers -- thousands of unmarked graves -- at the cite of a major battle, complete with a war museum. The old Stillwell Road still exists in Tengchong and you can take it all the way out to the border of Burma. The volcanoes are cool, and the hot springs, while very touristy, are pretty impressive.

Interestingly enough, the village of Heshun just outside of Tengchong seems to be developing into a sort of Shuhe style "old town" (smaller than Lijiang or Dali) and is a great place to stay if you'd like to be based in someplace a little more picturesque than Tengchong proper. We stayed in a courtyard style guesthouse when we went in Jan. 06 and the village had only recently been developed into sort of semi- tourist center -- the paint was still fresh when I was there but it wasn't hard to imagine what would be coming. I wouldn't be surprised to see cappucinos and wi-fi there in the years to come, and why not? Better than Nescafe, no? It will still be a beautiful place nonetheless.

Prd34 you are an incredible man. A week without Cappucino and Wifi? How on earth did you do it? Did you use a GPS? I actually have a 10 feet umbilical cord that attaches me to Salvadors. Also I am getting a bleeping electronic anklet, lest I stray too far (100 metre radius) from the French Cafe, and my fetid, stagnant foreign bubble, which consists entirely of middle class whites from major western capital cities. I do not know any Chinese people at all, I am too scared too start a conversation, in case they propose a visa marriage or attempt to harvest my organs when my back is turned.
I carry a taser on the rare occasions I venture outside Wen Lin Jie, and always tell someone where I'm going.
You are an adventurerer of the first order, I propse we start a wikipedia page on you and your daring feats. There is a benefit concert for you in Speakeasy at the end of June, you can use the proceeds to fund your next adventure...
Yours in adulation,
Jk

Hey everyone-

Looks like you all are pretty well travelled in Yunnan. I am helping a friend build a new site that tracks travel adventures and builds a community to share and discover new destinations in China. Shanghai and Beijing have a lot of content but Yunnan is seriously lacking. You all would be great contributors. Check it out: www.hopstix.com/yunnan and leave your expert advice!

Cheers,
Nicole

Nicole