Forums > Living in Kunming > Salvador's Solidarity

My thoughts are with Kunming now. Like Jeff, I'm not in Kunming at the moment, but I wish I were so that I could show my support for the community.

My sentiments are exactly the same. I think Salvador's has been nothing but a positive force in Kunming and from the moment they opened they've been a home for foreigners and Chinese alike, a place where you could sit and read the paper over a cup of coffee, be sure to see a friendly face, a daily stop for long time residents and a resource for passing travelers. I've always praised Salvador's to my friends in particular for their fairness to their waitstaff, which sets them apart from many other cafes, diners, and bars.

I really hope that Salvador's can make a quick and full recovery. I'll certainly be there, hoping to see friends, old and new, the next time I'm in town.

Jessica Larson-Wang

Forums > Living in Kunming > Something needs to be done about the Taxis here!!!!!!

Jeff, my husband actually called the cab company a year or so ago to suggest that they stagger times, but of course they didn't listen! It is infuriating when you can't get a taxi for at least an hour due to all of the taxis switching shifts at the same time.

I'm in Beijing now and you sometimes get the same thing with taxis refusing fares (and the ever popular scenic route. At least the scenic route in Kunming meant maybe an extra 4 RMB, not an extra 40). There isn't much you can really do about it except report them. If enough people report taxis refusing fares perhaps the authorities WILL do something about it.

Forums > Living in Kunming > Where to live in Kunming

By the way, my favorite apartment in Kunming -- and over 5 years, I lived in many an apartment -- was when I lived along 大管路, near 棕树营。My apartment was nice and cheap (fully furnished 2 bedroom for 800), I was close to the whole Wenlin Jie scene but not tooooo close (living on Wenlin Jie can get a bit tedious), and the atmosphere was great, lots of parks and trees and the river leading out to 大管楼. We plan to buy an apartment in the same area when we return to KM in '09. Check it out if you haven't found a place yet.

Forums > Living in Kunming > Where to live in Kunming

I don't think the poster was looking for apartments in the "hot cummunities" (heh heh heh) in Beijing, but rather Kunming (hence the title). Nice try though. Only 8000 a month! Even in BJ, where rents are indeed much higher, I wouldn't preface a number like 8000 with the word "only." Just sayin ...

Forums > Travel Yunnan > Tengchong: The Real Shangri La

Tengchong is indeed nice. It's growing in popularity -- I went there once five years ago and once about a year and a half ago and there was a big difference already between my two trips. I noticed loads of Chinese tourists there on my last trip, and at the time the airport, promising regular flights between Tengchong and Kunming, was being built, so I imagine tourism will grow substantial once it's complete (is it already?). Incidentally, being so close to Burma, Tengchong is also home to no small number of Burmese refugees.

Mostly Tengchong is known among the Chinese for the action it saw during the war with the Japanese. History buffs should certainly check it out .. there's a memorial to unknown soldiers -- thousands of unmarked graves -- at the cite of a major battle, complete with a war museum. The old Stillwell Road still exists in Tengchong and you can take it all the way out to the border of Burma. The volcanoes are cool, and the hot springs, while very touristy, are pretty impressive.

Interestingly enough, the village of Heshun just outside of Tengchong seems to be developing into a sort of Shuhe style "old town" (smaller than Lijiang or Dali) and is a great place to stay if you'd like to be based in someplace a little more picturesque than Tengchong proper. We stayed in a courtyard style guesthouse when we went in Jan. 06 and the village had only recently been developed into sort of semi- tourist center -- the paint was still fresh when I was there but it wasn't hard to imagine what would be coming. I wouldn't be surprised to see cappucinos and wi-fi there in the years to come, and why not? Better than Nescafe, no? It will still be a beautiful place nonetheless.