Nothing wrong with VPNs. Mine is free too. I wish there were a better way, but until or unless China removes it's firewalls, VPNs remain a necessity, though there are alternatives such as freegate (which is freeware).
As has been mentioned before, there is no need for a residency permit to apply for the driver license test, just a valid visa is fine (unless things have changed now, I doubt it, but you never know in China). When I originally registered for my test in late 2010, that's all I had and it was accepted. You could claim you are in the process of obtaining a residency permit or other type of long-term visa if pressed, even if you aren't, but this is unlikely to be asked. Apart from English, other languages are available too, including Russian, Korean, Japanese, German and French. I'm not sure how many of these are actually available at the Kunming location, but you can always ask if you would rather do the test in one of these languages instead of Chinese or English.
@danmairen, there are always much, much more Lao vehicles driving in neighboring countries than Burmese ones in my experience. Even near the Burmese border west of Jinghong I only saw one car that may or may not have been Burmese registered, but the rest were all Lao registered. Burmese cars probably aren't allowed to travel very away from their border, which is why I've never positively identified any Burmese cars driving in China (I haven't been to Tengchong though). When I was in Mangshi for example, I didn't see a single one. However, I hear that all you need to bring in a car from a neighboring country into China away from the border is by contacting a Chinese person who needs to vouch for the imported car as a guarantor - this would need to be done at immigration upon arrival and then the border guards print out a form that allows travel deeper into China than just the border area.
Anyway, aren't Burmese cars really expensive? Would make more sense to buy a car in China and register it with Burmese plates if you ask me.
It's easy enough to get an extension of stay once you're in China, for at least 30 more days beyond your original visa at any PSB office. However, I agree that a longer period than just 30 days is what should be requested given that China is a large country and 30 days (or even 60 in some cases) isn't enough time to explore the country in depth. In western countries 1 year Chinese visas are possible, but usually there is a requirement to exit the country every 60 or 90 days. I do agree however that it shouldn't be necessary to go back to Europe, the US or Australia just to get a longer validity Chinese visa.
Although it's not a big deal (in terms of the requirements to show hotel bookings etc.), but is the tightening of regulations a reason why so few foreigners visit China compared to SE Asia? For example, in Jinghong, we were the only visible foreigners visiting a particular temple complex in the south of town, although there were plenty of foreigners on the backpacker street (Menglong Lu) at night, but not a single foreigner was visible walking the nearby gem market or any other part of town other than that one street.
However, it should be pointed out that in western countries such as Australia, it is still easy to get a Chinese visa except that the visa application form is now quite lengthy. Individuals may be required to submit additional documents, but probably it's just a case of paying the fee, filling out the application form, providing a photograph and submiting the application like before. In SE Asia, this will vary but I'd say use an agent who will smooth things over even if they charge a bit more than the consulate directly.
@Geezer, it is not normal at all to be talked to at random by Chinese people (except at English corners, where it is expected and perfectly acceptable). Chinese people are very shy and even in a group they will only say hello AFTER you have walked past them, not while you are right in front of them. I doubt anyone could say you're rude for not talking to them, UNLESS they were asking for directions, in which case I might agree with them.
Case in point, a Lao looking man along with about 3-4 others got out of a Saiyabuli, Laos registered Toyota Fortuner just under the big bridge in Jinghong, along the Mekong River where all the bars are located (this was last Saturday evening). A Thai friend of mine simply wanted to ask for directions and started by asking the man if he was Lao, so they could continue in the same language (although I probably would have said "Sabaidee" first to start the conversation) and then that man promptly ran away from him!! Now that's rude (and odd!) coz we simply wanted to ask for directions. Fortunately, Chinese people don't do that, and incidentally, that has never happened to me personally, but yeah, it was odd.
No results found.
What do you mean by "foreigners"? Everyone who is a non-citizen of Myanmar and wants to travel there is a foreigner. I doubt Burmese citizens require visas to return to their homeland.
Horrible tasteless, thick-crusted "cardboard" like pizzas that are a far cry from what they should be like. Way overpriced too. Wine may be good, but why bother when the nearby Prague Cafe makes much better pizza at a more reasonable price?
Great Mexican food and ice cream, excellent Raspberry smoothies and an overall good atmosphere. Can't do much about the low ceilings on the second floor, but the early closing time could be adjusted, after all, the nearby French Cafe closes at 1am.
Chinese teens murder seven before arrests
Posted byThis is crazy! Sounds like the kind of thing you hear about happening in the US, not China. Anyway, they were arrested quickly and yes, Liumingke1234, they can and most likely will be given the maximum penalty for their crimes. I believe in China 14 year olds can be tried as adults. It doesn't say how old these teenagers are, but my guess is they are certainly in their mid to high teens.
The Box says goodbye
Posted byVery sad indeed...I hope the new tenant is also a foreigner who opens up a similar bar or restaurant to you guys. Good luck with the future and hope to visit you in Lijiang or Shangri-la. In any case, stay in China! Restaurants/bars like yours really make places like Kunming feel cozier.
Chiang Mai's Chinese invasion
Posted by@Peter99, I agree that there could be many more independent Chinese tourists in Chiang Mai, or indeed in many other parts of the world in the future.
I have seen many independent Chinese tourists, many travelling by themselves in places like Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. They usually have enough English to at least order from a menu though. It's kinda ridiculous for people like the young Chinese tourists above to not know what they "are ordering". If you ask me, except at Wenlie Jie and a few downtown areas, it's much more difficult to know what you are ordering in China!
Contrary to what is stated in this article, I don't think the Chinese can take away Thai jobs or properties because unlike in Laos, the Thais are fiercely protective of their rights and know what they are. Also, foreigners can't own land even if they become married to Thai citizens. With the exception of jobs requiring Chinese language skills, Chinese citizens wouldn't be able to find work in Thailand either and they can certainly forget about working in protected sectors like farming etc. so I think the fears raised above are unfounded unless Thailand opens up more but their restrictive property and work laws are probably in place to avoid such a scenario.
However, for now, the Chinese train project from Kunming through Laos connecting all the way to Singapore is not going to happen, but the Thais seem to be confident about a possible Japanese investment for some domestic HSR (high speed rail) lines in the near future. Personally, I would still put my money on the Chinese coming through eventually, but it might take 10+ years to happen so the original opening date of 2015 is now nothing more than a pipe dream given that the Chinese have now scaled back on HSR projects given safety issues, the resignation of the railway minister etc.
The road through Myanmar (Burma) from Mae Sai/Tachileik to China has too many restrictions on travel and since the Mae Sai crossing only allows travel to/from Mae Sai it can't be used by anyone planning on travelling overland between Thailand and China via Myanmar territory; thus Chinese and Thai/third party tourists/businesspeople etc. travelling overland between Thailand and China must go through Laos (or alternatively, Laos and Vietnam). I hope that with the recent positive developments in Myanmar that an overland route connecting Thailand and China and an upgrading of the Chinese/Burmese border post to an international one will happen, but until it does it won't become an option for anyone.
I wouldn't put my money on low-cost flight options to Kunming happening anytime soon, though eventually they should come through put this will depend entirely on demand for such services.
@invisible, the railway link from Kunming to the Vietnamese border has existed for like 100 years but only now does it look like it will reopen again after being closed for roughly 10 years now. As such, this will mean you can once again travel by rail from Kunming to Hanoi and beyond to Ho Chi Minh City. When it opens is unclear, but I'd say give it a year or so.
Kunming to Laos by bike: Part II
Posted by@pickley - hitchhiking is possible, but not really recommended due to the low cost of public transport and possible risk of things going wrong, though having said that hitchhiking is far safer in most parts of East Asia than in the USA for example. But you can still try anyway and it is surely a very interesting way of travelling.
I think Chinese truck drivers (starting in northern Laos, not far from the border) or Lao truck drivers (who wouldn't go much beyond Mengla) would help you cross the border, and then you could try flagging another vehicle to go further north. Alternatively, Chinese tourists driving themselves in southern Xishuangbanna or possibly in Laos itself might be willing to help you. It would be a good idea to offer some food, drinks or something for the ride and truck drivers often expect some payment anyway, but if you are nice and give them some food, cigarettes (if they smoke) or something else then that should make them happy enough without the need for monetary compensation. Every experience is different so you'll need to just try it out and see what happens.
Kunming to Laos by bike: Part II
Posted by@russell, it's Ji. There's a much faster way of translating English to Chinese these days and requires no travel outside of your own home: it's called google translate.
Anyway, from this itinerary it looks like the writer is about to enter Vietnam before he enters Laos, unless he backtracks first. Normally to travel from Kunming to Laos one would pass through Yuxi, Yuanjiang, Simao (Pu'er), Jinghong (Xieng Hung or Chiang Rung), Mengla (Muang La) and finally Mohan before reaching Laos. Of course while you can't cycle on the expressway, I have seen western cyclists on the highway between Jinghong and the border (there is currently no expressway there).
Therefore taking the backroads between Kunming and Jinghong would be the fastest way, but this cyclist's itinerary sounds more interesting and passes a more beautiful region of Yunnan - I too was very impressed by Yuanyang (hence my GoKM username right hehe), not to mention Lvchun and the Vietnamese borderlands before reaching Hekou.