Thanks for the tip. I'll take a look at that car market once I'm back in Kunming. What should I look for once I get there to recognize the market? Is it open daily?

@Liumingke1234, I fully agree. This is exactly what I implied in my previous post but didn't directly say. I personally would never go somewhere where I didn't feel welcome.

@chris8080, where in Kundu is this club located? Near Babi or near the back?

I'm wondering if the bouncers also prevent Thai and Lao people from entering. Of course they are also foreigners, but due to their appearence could sometimes get away with being mistaken for Chinese, particularly in Yunnan province with its many ethnic minorities. Having said that, there was a case of a Thai guy who got killed in Kundu some years back and my understanding is that there is quite a bit of tension between some local Chinese clubbers in Kundu and some of the Thais that go there.

Thanks for that info. Didn't know that the Fortuner was available in Kunming, as I haven't seen any. The only Fortuners I've seen at all in China were in Jinghong and Lao registered. I would however be interested in purchasing one if available (even at those prices, but I will need to confirm with my company first).

I don't want a Chinese brand, only foreign brands will be considered. I believe Great Wall had a major recall of most of its vehicles in Australia recently so I wouldn't even want to trust them at this stage.

A proper 4x4 would be best, but a soft roader like the Captiva would work, only thing is I don't think they have a 4wd, only an AWD version in China, which is probably what the definition of a soft roader is.

The best place in Jinghong to find new people would be in the backpacker area. There is a youth hostel and a couple of western style cafes serving good quality food. It's on Menglong lu (勐龙路) I believe.

RMB can be exchanged in most places in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. If no other place then exchange them immediately upon arrival at the airport at your first destination. At Bangkok airport, RMB is accepted for exchange easily and readily by every moneychanger. I wouldn't bother buying USD prior to travelling to these countries, unless Cambodia is your first destination. The USD is the main currency in Cambodia, not simply a reserve currency. ATMs in Cambodia dispense only USD and all prices are quoted in USD. The local currency, Riel, is only ever used for small transactions or in the countryside and few people ever use Riel for anything costing more than about US$5. Thai Baht is accepted in western Cambodia for all transactions.

In Laos, the Thai Baht reigns supreme although the government is trying to get all merchants to accept only Kip. USD can be used in the bigger cities but it's better just to use a combination of Baht and Kip as dollars are really only accepted in tourist related businesses such as hotels, restaurants and for large purchases.

I found that while there may be moneychangers that don't change RMB in Vientiane, there are plenty that do. I think it's more of a hassle trying to purchase foreign currency within China than trying to change RMB outside of China.