I've been shopping for a new laptop at the computer mart on one two one street and am told by the shop assistants that if I want them to install Windows 7 in English it will be a pirated version (at least they're honest enough to say so!). So I'm wondering if this will cause a problem, for example when Windows 8 comes out in a few months, will the fact that my OS isn't genuine mean that I can't upgrade for the reduced price. Because apparently the reduced price will be something like $15 as opposed to maybe ten times that if you don't already have Windows. I always find these kinds of issues very confusing to deal with, especially since my Chinese is extremely limited. Ideally I would love to just find a shop that can install a genuine version of Windows 7 in English when I buy the computer.

Does anyone know a reliable source of news about the forest fire that started in Yuxi county and has now reached the outskirts of Kunming? Xinhua says the fire was put out but this is patently ridiculous, as the city is full of smoke and the internet is full of bloggers trying to get the truth out there but their websites have mostly been translated into Chinglish.

[actually i don't mean to offend any of the posters above but that man who you talking about can move can walk after he got his job done every night and also later he puts on his coat .!]

No offense taken. This is one of the reasons that we are taking a cautious approach to the situation, exactly because it is so difficult, even for the locals sometimes, to figure out what is really going on.

Thanks to the other posters for your insights. We'll be talking to our Chinese friends and let you know what develops. And please continue to offer advice, by all means.

I'm sure many people who read this forum have seen the poor, helpless "beggar" on the sidewalk on Wen Lin Jie near the movie theater. His keepers bring him there every day and leave him (since he obviously can't move himself) all day and late into the evening in all kinds of weather with no protection against the elements except a rag covering the lower part of his body. I assume that the police, even if pressed to do something about this unspeakably cruel situation, would not intervene because even if they chased away or arrested the pigs who collect the money at the end of the day, they would then be faced with the dilemma of what to do with this poor soul.

So my question is, is there no charity or organization in this city that might take this man in before he dies of exposure on the street as thousands of people pass by every day? My wife and I are willing to try to help in any way we can, but our Chinese is crap so we would definitely need a Chinese or a foreigner who is bilingual if there is any avenue that we could pursue to try to help this man.

A friend of mine has taken the overnight bus from Kunming to Shangri-La many times, and I believe this would be the only direct one, but he's left town now and I don't know which station it leaves from. I would guess the west one. So if you don't mind sleeper buses, that might be a good option for you. It's certainly the cheapest way to get there.