Forums > Travel Yunnan > 2 weeks holiday - where to ?

I completely agree and this is what I usually do. This why I went through the trouble of getting to Samaba twice instead of Yuanyang to try to see the rice terraces. No tourist there ^^

Some friends went to Deqin in November and it was deserted. They really enjoyed the trip. I'm just worried about the accessibility. There shouldn't be too many people there once CNY is over, right? Especially since Dukezhong burnt down...

Out of tourist routes... Zhaotong? I would have to research what to do there...

Forums > Travel Yunnan > Shangri-la Old Town - Burnt Down

It was mentioned on the French news a few days ago, no pictures, no damage evaluation, no casualty report though. Anyone knows more?

I've been to the old town in March last year and it was beautiful, nothing at all like Lijiang (which I absolutely hated). It makes me extremely sad that this is all gone. This is also terrible for the people who live there...

Forums > Living in Kunming > Missing Home... Euskal Herria!

And of course you would say this without insulting people from two countries...

Here is an other idea. Let's stop with nationalism, which has caused enough wars as it is and move toward a unified Europe.

To each his/her dream, good luck with the dual independence and fusion.

Forums > Travel Yunnan > 2 weeks holiday - where to ?

Hi everyone!

I've got about 2 weeks after New Year and I'm wondering where to go. I've got a couple of places in mind...

1) North west, Shangri-La and Deqin with snow

2) Rice terraces in Samaba and then down to Xishuangbanna

I need to choose one of the two. I don't mind the cold but I'm worried about the accessibility of places like Balagezong and Yubeng village. And scenery of course... Is the Mingyong glacier as impressive with snow all around? Pudacuo is not going to be worth the trip, nor will the high pastures. Plus side, authenticity, love the Tibetan part of Yunnan, and practically no tourist.

I've already been to the rice terraces twice and had bad luck each time: very thick fog over several days. Is it foggy all year round? Is it a good time to try again?

I think I'd rather go to Deqin as it takes longer to get there and I won't have that much time to spend on a vacation in Yunnan this year but on the other hand, it's the best time to visit Xishuangbanna... If Deqin is worth seeing and accessible, I'll head there, otherwise, any suggestion is welcome.

I'll check the weather before I head out anyway: Xishuangbanna under the rain is not fun at all...

Forums > Living in Kunming > Average Monthly Salary in Kunming?

I find it really interesting that the living expenses from 3 years ago still seem huge to me now... I know that I'm used to living very cheaply, but still...

Here is a breakdown of my basic needs spending (and that of some friends) from the last 4 months:

- eating out, Chinese style, basic dish, 2 meals / day + breakfast + some fruits and tea, 30 RMB / day => 900/month

- cell phone, around 30 per month

- renting a decent room (not an apartment) close to the university (Green lake area), 500 per month, including solar hot water, electricity and internet

- various (toiletries, bus tickets, playing pool...), around 300 tops / month
That's for the basics.

Depending on where you live, plane tickets cost up to 8000 RMB round trip (correct me if I'm wrong, but that should cover most of Europe and North America - didn't check New Zeland) with a Chinese carrier. So you'd have to save up to 700 a month.

International health insurance, if you're young (I checked for age <30) and want full coverage, costs something like 1000 a month.

Work related accidents and illnesses is usually a percentage of salary and might be tied to the type of work. The one I checked was 1.15% of salary with a minimum of around 1800 a year. Unemployment benefits was 6.8% of gross salary.

The most expensive part is private pension premiums... The one I checked was around 2500 RMB a month with a salary under 12K / month (and that's the minimum). But this is tied to your salary and might not be a consideration if you only plan on living in China for a year or so.

So, to sum up:

- around 1800 to cover the most basic needs

- up to 700 for 1 round trip ticket a year

- 1000 (depending on age and type of coverage) for a medical insurance

- 1000 (for a salary under 12000) for work and unemployment insurance

- 2500 for pension savings

If you're only here for a year or so, 5000 a month living cheaply is enough to get by and travel a bit, even if your employer doesn't pay for anything else.

If you're considering staying longer and want a comprehensive social security, I wouldn't go for less than 10K (if there are no benefits)... That allows for some additional travel, some savings or partying. Or a real apartment (but that would be most of the extra 3K).