@bosnian, well we could say that the original poster is implying that reverse discrimination is also evident in China, at least in the case of this club.
Also, as I mentioned before, China is not so bad when it comes to these things (at least not anymore). Although one poster mentioned discrimination occuring at a swimming pool (although that is not government sanctioned of course) although such practices are rare from what I've seen (apart from opportunistic overpricing, but that's a different story altogether). In any case, most businesses in Yunnan see so few foreigners there would be no point in trying to charge different rates, either more or less. Apart from the French Cafe, Salvador's etc. which receive foreigners everyday, the vast majority of businesses here have maybe 1 foreigner a day or less.
I find different pricing regimes based on nationality offensive, even if foreigners get in for free or for less than locals - generally it is the other way round, but even in this case it's not really acceptable.
Anyway, I second the comment above; I'd much rather go to a tourist attraction in China where I won't be charged extra by a greedy, racist government [like Thailand] that only sees tourists as dollar signs and which is why the only thing that matters to that government is that they can get as many tourists as possible —> this year the target is 19 million, next year maybe 25 and in 10 years perhaps more than the population of the country itself, who knows?
Anyway, I digress, so back on topic. Would I want to go to this club because I'm going to get a discount? Not necessarily...I'll just go to any club with my friends because either a group of people will invite me to join in their drinking parade and/or I might even offer to buy the second round of drinks for them. It didn't work last time, because everyone was so drunk by 4am that they weren't able to drink anymore, although at least I offered to pay, which was civil of me i guess.
Actually, at the foreigner's dorms at YUN although they feature paint peeling off the walls and damaged cabinets etc. at least you get a private bathroom with a hot water shower. The Chinese student's dorms just adjacent to the foreign student's dorms feature 8 students to a room and a shared bathroom for i don't know how many students with a stench you can smell 10m away. Privacy is an alien concept and it's only a bit better for foreign students who have 2-4 people per room (usually 4).
At Yunnan University there is a greater diversity of nationalities. There are more Koreans and more westerners than at YUN.
I think going overland would be a fun experience, though after factoring in all the costs, it may be cheaper (if only slightly) to fly to Mandalay or Yangon, both of which can be reached from Kunming on non-stop flights. In fact, the only international flight departing and arriving at Mandalay airport originates in Kunming (China Eastern).
Closed? I think if you get a visa arranged beforehand, with the right permits and guide (should be arranged from Kunming if possible) you can go in (at least exit China for Myanmar). I don't think visas on arrival are an option, or ever were an option for this crossing.
I hear a guide is also supposed to accompany all foreign visitors heading south of the border town of Mu-se until at least the town of Lashio, 8 hours south. Also, I doubt such a busy border crossing would be closed; the town of Mu-se is just an extension of China anyway and the vast majority of China-Myanmar trade flows through this crossing.
Get more information by contacting a Kunming travel agency and the Myanmar consulate here in Kunming.
Some airlines, particularly international ones like THAI have not updated their systems to reflect the new airport. At the beginning, starting tomorrow, I'm sure there will be some passengers that won't know about the change and will thus go to the wrong airport and miss their flights.
Yeah the Lijiang line is currently under construction, while the Ruili line is supposed to form part of a proposed Kunming-Myanmar rail link - it will probably also be constructed at some stage (as reported by GoKM last year) but I suspect it will take a little while.
All of this is quite amazing, but even in China not everything goes to plan. Originally the proposed high speed railway from Kunming to Vientiane, Laos via Jinghong and Boten was supposed to be completed by 2015, but a number of issues will likely push back that project for another 10 or more years, though I do believe that it will eventually be built. Also, since the idea is to link south-western China with the south-east Asian coast, Thai and eventually Malaysian and Singaporean co-operation is vital to building this link in the first place; building a line only as far as Vientiane would likely turn out to be a white elephant project since the objective is to make most income from moving goods between SE Asia and SW China quickly via train rather than passengers and that requires linking SW China to a coastline - something which Laos doesn't have.
Regarding the Hekou line, they've been proposing that one for years now since trains stopped running between Kunming and Hekou in 2002. Finally this article mentions a new high-speed line is under construction, but this will be of little use unless the Vietnamese also build a complementary high-speed line on their side (sure, they already have an existing railway line running from Lao Cai via Hanoi down to Saigon, but it's rather slow). Also, the Vietnamese government recently turned down a proposal for converting their existing line into a high-speed line, citing the high cost and the low passenger volumes that would utilize the line.
Wow, it's finally upon us. The new airport will finally open at the end of this month! Only thing is, I'd avoid non-essential travel in and out of this airport for the first couple of weeks since it will probably be more chaotic than usual and things may not go as planned (for example baggage claim may be unusually slow).
I like the statement "For travelers without cars, taxis are always an option." well of course they are. For starters, most people in Kunming still don't own a car despite all the cars on the roads these days. Secondly, even if you do have a car, who would drive to the airport in order to catch a flight and then park their car for the duration of their overseas or interprovincial stay there? I don't think long-term parking is well known in China so even a week's worth of parking could become very expensive and possibly more expensive than even in some western countries.
I am looking forward to the proposed direct Europe flights. Anyone have any idea about when these flights might begin and who which carriers will offer service (presumably Chinese carriers I would imagine)?
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.
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Riding into Kunming's future
Posted byThere's a flight from Kunming to Beirut? Wow...
Changshui Airport set to debut
Posted bySome airlines, particularly international ones like THAI have not updated their systems to reflect the new airport. At the beginning, starting tomorrow, I'm sure there will be some passengers that won't know about the change and will thus go to the wrong airport and miss their flights.
Yunnan goes infrastructure crazy
Posted byYeah the Lijiang line is currently under construction, while the Ruili line is supposed to form part of a proposed Kunming-Myanmar rail link - it will probably also be constructed at some stage (as reported by GoKM last year) but I suspect it will take a little while.
Yunnan goes infrastructure crazy
Posted byAll of this is quite amazing, but even in China not everything goes to plan. Originally the proposed high speed railway from Kunming to Vientiane, Laos via Jinghong and Boten was supposed to be completed by 2015, but a number of issues will likely push back that project for another 10 or more years, though I do believe that it will eventually be built. Also, since the idea is to link south-western China with the south-east Asian coast, Thai and eventually Malaysian and Singaporean co-operation is vital to building this link in the first place; building a line only as far as Vientiane would likely turn out to be a white elephant project since the objective is to make most income from moving goods between SE Asia and SW China quickly via train rather than passengers and that requires linking SW China to a coastline - something which Laos doesn't have.
Regarding the Hekou line, they've been proposing that one for years now since trains stopped running between Kunming and Hekou in 2002. Finally this article mentions a new high-speed line is under construction, but this will be of little use unless the Vietnamese also build a complementary high-speed line on their side (sure, they already have an existing railway line running from Lao Cai via Hanoi down to Saigon, but it's rather slow). Also, the Vietnamese government recently turned down a proposal for converting their existing line into a high-speed line, citing the high cost and the low passenger volumes that would utilize the line.
Changshui Airport set to debut
Posted byWow, it's finally upon us. The new airport will finally open at the end of this month! Only thing is, I'd avoid non-essential travel in and out of this airport for the first couple of weeks since it will probably be more chaotic than usual and things may not go as planned (for example baggage claim may be unusually slow).
I like the statement "For travelers without cars, taxis are always an option." well of course they are. For starters, most people in Kunming still don't own a car despite all the cars on the roads these days. Secondly, even if you do have a car, who would drive to the airport in order to catch a flight and then park their car for the duration of their overseas or interprovincial stay there? I don't think long-term parking is well known in China so even a week's worth of parking could become very expensive and possibly more expensive than even in some western countries.
I am looking forward to the proposed direct Europe flights. Anyone have any idea about when these flights might begin and who which carriers will offer service (presumably Chinese carriers I would imagine)?