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.
Weishan, Yunnan: Birthplace of an ancient kingdom
Posted byWeishan has got to be one of the most original places left in Yunnan. Not commercialized and people are kind and not out for money.
Jianchuan was also the same but now that the highway runs right through it has already changed. Same for Shaxi and Shuang Lang in Dali.
Visit Weishan while you can. Great place to go and just hang out and relax, Wei Bao Shan is 11 km away. I like it because you can see all the temples by walking in a circle without having to backtrack. Much better than Shi Bao Shan in JianChuan, Dali.
Lugu Lake airport officially opens for business
Posted byThe new airport is roughly 25 kilometers south of the lakeshore - Those nasty taxi drivers are sure going to make a killing. Of course, they will NOT use the meter.
Yunnan border zone slated to cost 200 billion yuan
Posted byThe train sure does sound like a good idea - In that time, a branch railway along the recently opened Kunming-Hekou line will be extended 500 kilometers south to the border town of Mohan (磨憨) in Mengla County. When finished, the railway will pass from Yuxi through Pu'er, Jinghong and Mohan
Yunnan ramps up shale gas production
Posted byen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yibin
Sichuan's Changning County (长宁县) is located in Yibin at the confluence of the Min and Yangtze Rivers.
Fracking comes to Southwest China
Posted byUnfortunately, the map provided with the locations of fracking is very small and I can not make out the names of the locations. However, one can see that they are in the SE of Sichuan.
I will take some time later to make out the exact locations and provide the names of the prefectures and counties they are located in.
For those who are not aware, this is the juncture of the Min and Yangtze Rivers. Above Yibin, the Yangtze is also known as the Jinsha River. Below Yibin, the Yangtze is known in Chinese as the Chang Jiang or "Long River."