Hello everyone.
I am new on this forum, this is my first post.
First, I'd like to say that I really like your site, it's great and full of interesting stuff.
Then, before going any further, please let me warn you that this post may be a bit long, as I have a lot of things to tell you about.
Ok, so my name is William. I'm french-american.
I used to live in Kunming back in '96-97, when life there was still quite a bit off the beaten track. At that time, modernisation of the city had just barely started. But it was fun, a lot of fun.
I had come to kunming before too in 93 and then 95, before setting in the fall of 96.
I had then registered at Yunda's school of chinese studies for foreign students also called the Pink Palace. It was located on a narrow street that used to be called San Jia Xiang, also known as Tian Jun Dian lane.
The major hangout place then for kunming foreign residents was a cafe that was just at the top of San Jia xiang called Journey to the East, which was run by Stan, a US guy from Oregon.
A funny thing I'll always remember : along the alley past the building where the cafe was, there was an open small piece of garden where a few locals perhaps grew some vegies, and in the middle of that little piece of land grew a HUGE H..P plant that was perhaps 4 meters high and that had broken in two at mid-trunk. All of us Laowai would go and help ourselves whenever we ran out ! and by far it was the best you could find around.
I stayed at yunda for about a month, and then moved out and also started working... as a DJ. If not the first one, I was at least for sure among the first ever foreign DJs in Kunming.
I also think I was the first one to have ever organised a kind of Rave party in Kunming. Ok, not in an abandonned factory, warehouse or what-not you name it place, no, in a disco. It was then really one of the most popular discos in Kunming (not that KMG had so many anyhow !), called the Jacket Disco, which was on Baita lu, say about at the corner with Tuodong.
Anyway, Jacket disco used to close around 1 AM, and, along with a friend of mine, a young and crazy Auzie dude, we organised a real underground house and techno party in that place (they would normally play VERY cheezy dance of the 90's between 9PM till closure at 1AM) from about midnight till 5 in the morning that place was ours. Of course all the foreigners came, which was not a super huge crowd at that time, but enough to amaze the manager who then asked me to work as a resident.
I didn't stay long there, what I played was still way too ahead for the average chinese customer at that time. I Stayed in KMG until july 97, and then left to go play in Hainan and then Shenzhen.
All in all, I stayed for less than a year in Spring City, but I had the time of my life and did some really wild things there.
Well, is there anyone in this forum that was already in KMG back in those days and that remembers ?
OK now, I'm done with nostalgia... back to the present.
I came back to Kunming twice since then, but each time with very very little time to really do anything.
This time, I am staying at least two full days, maybe more.
Ok, I know it's not too long, but I wanna enjoy it at it's most.
That'll be on july 27-28th (a week end). So I'd like to know, please :
- What are the best clubs with the best sound - deep house, minimal, good trance or good progressive - ? I saw the Mask seems good, anything else ? Any possibility also to get a [small] turn on the decks anywhere ? I'd love it ! that'd be the cherry on top of the cake as they say in france. Just let me know if ever.
- is there an inetresting underground scene in KMG ?
- About accomodation : I went on eLong and other sites, saw a lot of interesting places, but can't make a decision. What do you think would be a good place to stay at that would cost between 150 and 250 per night, in the center downtown where all the fun happens (Please tell me if it's somewhere else).
How about serviced appartments ? Are these a good deal ?
- What are the best places to hang out (drink, eat) during daytime, where you guys go ? Where are the best night food stands (xiao kao) for after the club ?
- What are the best places for massage and foot massage ?
- Where would be a good har dresser with hair washing, massage, and haircut ?
As short a visit as it will be, I really wanna have a taste of it as if I was still living there. I just love Kunming.
Now for the tourist part...
Dali :
- Last time I was in Dali was in 2009.
I had then stayed in a nice guest house at the southeastern corner of Renmin and Bo'Ai (right side when at the cross looking downhill). Unfortunately I can't remember the name of it. Anyone here that could help me.
- Is there another nice and inexpensive guesthouse that you may know of and that is situated in the center of Gucheng ? Of course I saw a lot of those too on eLong, but I don't know which I should choose. And knowing how crowded Dali and Lijiang can be, specially during the summer, I want to make reservations, no way I'm spending half a day with backpack on looking for a decent and affordable guesthouse.
What are the best markets to visit nowadays around Dali ? Any itineraries that you'd suggest me to do around Dali ? Specific things, or off the beaten track.
Lijiang :
- Last time I had found the best place to stay at, a guesthouse on top of the hill with a great panoramic terrace to embrace the whole Dayan. But I think this time I'm gona head directly towards Shuhe, less crowded than Lijiang.
So, any place that you'd recommend to me in Shuhe ? Same budget as for Kunming.
Yuanyang :
- Never been there before. I know it's not the best season, but so it is.
any place that you'd recommend there ? Anyvillage that you perticularly prefer for the views, the buildings and the people ? (I have the sensation that the houses' architecture in Yuanyang is not as picturesque as those in Longji, am I wrong there ?).
- any place around yuanyang that are interesting to see ?
Lastly :
Would there be an area that you would perticularly recommend me to go to in Yunnan and that does not belong to the mainstream touristic destinations ?
Let me thank you very much if you have managed to read this post all the way through, and let me also thank you very very much if you can help me by answering to some of all my thousand different questions.
William