Forums > Travel Yunnan > Suggestions for traveling to Laos 1 - Never get a visa on arrival - take the time to go to the consulate and get it done before you go. The subway station is directly in front of the consulate now so it is very convenient.
2 - The boat trips are nice but too long. The 1 day boat trip leaves you in the middle of nowhere and the 2 day trip is too long. However, if you go during non-peak season, the boat trip can be nice because the boats are not crowded. Go during peak season and its hell because you have no room and you are stuck with a bunch of drunken smelly backpacking laowais for 2 days and all you have is a wooden seat. I have done the boat trip from both directions (N-S + S - N). North to South is the most crowded. Avoid the crowds and do the boat trip on your way back north.
3 - If you go - then do it right and don't do the 4 countries in 1 month route like most nasty (cheap) backpackers do. Go by bus from China and cross the border and see and enjoy the entire country from top to bottom. The people are great and so is the food.
4 - I took the local bus which is slow and loud (music) but very enjoyable. The minivans are faster but the nasty laowais have 2 huge backpacks per person and they will squeeze everyone inside with their luggage.
The worst part of travelling to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia is the Nasty laowais.
Forums > Travel Yunnan > 2.5 Weeks in Yunnan Alone With no Mandarin Send me a private message (PM) with your email and itinerary for Yunnan (Word file) and the places you want to visit and I will let you know if your plan is doable.
Yes, you can travel in Yunnan without any language ability since you are a determined person. However, you can expect to pay a LITTLE more since you will not be able to negotiate and you do not know the average/standard rates.
Taxis and drivers will take you for a ride but buses will ask you to pay the same standard fare as everyone else (chinese and foreigner pay the same rates).
Hotels will also make you pay higher rates since you can not speak chinese or negotiate.
However, like all travellers in SE Asia you will definitely meet people along the way (other foreigners who speak chinese and chinese who speak english) who can help you so you will probably not have any problems.
I can give you some quotes of what a fare price is but this varies on the time (peak season) you will be travelling in China.
Forums > Living in Kunming > What's Next? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Glitter - Learn something new every day.
Peter99 you make some good points about Cambodia but you failed to give an example of where you think may be a good place.
All countries have bad people. For example, I have been to Kundu many times during the day but never been there at night when the problems occur. Same with Dali, many people go there for drugs but since I do not look for that, I dont have to interact with the bad characters.
I have a friend who has been living in Cambodia (not travelling) for several years and he does not have any negative reports. Again, because he does not live that type of lifestyle.
Escape plan for a single person is diff than an escape plan for a couple. For those who are willing to return to their native soil a visa is not necessary. Anyone living in China needs some type of visa. Same for most other countries.
Kunming's bike share options: A user guide
Posted bynews.163.com/17/0215/11/CDAJ3QTJ000187VG.html
You can see the police in this picture - always ready to serve and protect the interests of the big money.
Kunming's bike share options: A user guide
Posted byWhat a catastrophe! Recently visited Nanning, Guangxi which also has a bike program. All the bikes are uniform in color (Orange) and there is 1 type of payment method. They are neatly placed in bike racks all over the city. They come in clusters of 20 and they are found at every subway station in groups of 20, 40, and 60 depending on location. There are cameras mounted on either side of the bike racks for safety and supervision. People can easily find the bike racks and use the bikes and return them to conveniently located bike racks in other parts of the city.
Kunming has 3 types of bikes and 3 types of payment. There are very few bike racks so there are no central locations to get a bike if you need them. I live at the edge of the city in a village and there are bikes scattered everywhere. The people here use them, drive them home and park the bike it in front of their door where no one else can use them. They now have their own private bikes that they can use and abuse and when it gets destroyed they just go get another one. The bike sits idle all day until that person (Temporary owner) is ready to use it again. Kunming should learn from the many other cities that use bikes and create a system that serves all. I am sure the companies who operate these bikes will lose a lot of money from this program.
Celebrating a Miao Christmas in Yunnan
Posted byI enjoy reading the articles on this site but what really drives me nuts is when the article does not clearly state where this place is located - a basic essential in writing - missing.
Village name is great - how about a county and a prefecture along with that.
Very annoying and NOT the first time.
Fuxian shampoo incident becomes national topic
Posted by1 - Once the image was published on Chinese social media the firestorm began, and continues unabated nearly two weeks later.
2 - although some more vocal microbloggers have called for a police investigation and arrests.
I can teach reading and comprehension for a small fee.
Fuxian shampoo incident becomes national topic
Posted bydama (大妈) — big momma - Chinese slang for selfish middle-aged women who act badly in public.