"I Love Sports" is 800 yuan/year, never packed and on the lower end of Kunming gyms in terms of upkeep - bathroom and changing area is a little malodorous and there are no showers. That said, their weights are as heavy as any other gyms and they have a nice little green area with a good view of Kunming where you can stretch and relax. Not bad if you're into cheap/no-frills.
I've been also been to Powerhouse and Impulse, both of which are part of international gym chains. Both are cleaner and more pleasing to the eye than I Love Sports, and both of them cost a little more... can't remember off the top of my head exactly how much for a year. Tianhao is along the same lines but rather small.
What area do you mean when you say 'northwest part of town'? Kunming's big enough that most of the gyms listed could be considered in the city's northwest. The most northwestern gym listed would be the Kunming Municipal Gymnasium Fitness Center on Huancheng Xi Lu near Jiaoling Lu. Hope that helps.
I don't know if Kunming can be compared to Shanghai very easily... if you're looking for nice green surroundings, chances are you'll want to check out the Cuihu/Green Lake area or Beichen in the north. Younger foreigners tend to favor around Cuihu and families tend to live in Beichen, but more families are beginning to move the Cuihu area.
Dongfeng Lu, Renmin Lu and Beijing Lu are slightly similar to Huaihai Lu and Nanjing Lu in that they're developing into Kunming's CBDs. These streets will add more amenities and conveniences in the coming months/years and are already better than most other parts of the city in terms of transportation. Newer residential developments on these streets tend to have more green spaces than the average Kunming xiaoqu.
I went to open mic night last night to see what was going on and was pleasantly surprised. Acoustic indie rock, a South Silk Road freestyle session with Kris Ariel drumming, Xinjiang folk music by Zhu Xiaolong and then a funky band with an MC, also freestyling. Host Marc Hollingsworth did an excellent job of enlisting performers and keeping the music going. A great first night.
My favorite Tengchong-style restaurant in Kunming. Their ersi and erkuai are trucked over from Tengchong and are the real deal — Kunming ersi and erkuai do not compare.
The restaurant itself is a bit jumbled, but there are a couple of tables outside in the courtyard that are nice to sit at when the weather's pleasant.
Don't believe them when they say they don't have lufu.
Open mic night and live hiphop at Halfway House
Posted byI went to open mic night last night to see what was going on and was pleasantly surprised. Acoustic indie rock, a South Silk Road freestyle session with Kris Ariel drumming, Xinjiang folk music by Zhu Xiaolong and then a funky band with an MC, also freestyling. Host Marc Hollingsworth did an excellent job of enlisting performers and keeping the music going. A great first night.
Hike Xishan with Jin Feibao
Posted byAlmost... Feb 4.
Kunming International Academy to get new campus in 2008
Posted byThanks Jeff. Mistake corrected.
Interesting Teaching Job
Posted byMy apologies, absolutely did not mean it in a pejorative way... we're working on limiting our coffee intake in the future.
Kunming to build China's 4th-largest Airport
Posted byYou are correct: 21 km to the airport and 160 square km Airport Economic Zone. Sorry, my last post was unclear.