There is no preparation necessary and nothing to worry about - the winters are nuthin compared to Kansas, or even Atlanta, and everything is available locally. There are many children here and they seem fine.
Rents run from about Y800/month up - Y800 isn't bad for a share of a 2-3 room flat, but it can also get you a small, not particularly modern apartment.
On language schools: my experience (some years ago) at KCEL was okay, not great; my experience at Keats in 2010 was slightly better - the teachers seemed to try slightly harder for the students. I was not a beginner at either school, so I could perhaps make up for some lack of teaching quality through my own efforts. The language teaching methods at both places were not the most up-to-date, but then that's usually the case with Chinese-language instruction, in my experience. The bottom line is, if you are willing to put in the effort, you can do it (and not just speaking ability either, without which it would be rather silly to live in China).
I think we need a law to protect pigs - Cuihulongjing explains why..
So you people 'need' a car, is that it?
Do you do just anything you want to do?
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Not quite what you'd call a jumping place, but not bad at all for rather standard US-type meals, not overly expensive, and with a really good salad bar that's cheap, or free with most dinner dishes after 5:30PM. You can get a bottle of beer or even wine if you really want to, but I've never seen anybody do it - maybe that's just to take out. Chinese Christian run, and they hire people with physical disadvantages, who are pleasant and helpful. Frequented by foreign (mostly North American) Christians and Chinese Christians - was started by a Canadian couple associated with Bless China (previously, Project Grace), who are no longer here, but no religious pressure or any of that. Steaks are nothing special, and I avoid the Korean dishes, which I've had a few times but which did not impress me.
As a shop and bakery, it's very good bread at reasonable prices, of various kinds (Y18 for a good multigrain loaf that certainly weighs well over a pound. Other stuff too, like granola and oatmeal that is local, as well as imported things, including American cornflakes and so forth, which some people seem to require.
Large portions, seriously so with the pizza, which is Brooklyn/American style, I guess. Convivial, conversational, good place to drink with good folks on both sides of the bar, especially after about 9PM.
Too bourgeois.
Really good pizza and steaks. The wine machine fuddles me when I'm a bit fuddled, & seems unnecessary. Good folks on both sides of the bar.
Ain't no flies on Salvador's.
Winners: Best of Kunming Awards 2013
Posted by'Cocktail party attire' - huh.
Yunnan reopens 13 international border crossings
Posted bySomething odd about the lengths of times listed - I think they must be for Chinese citizens. I have gotten the usual China-Laos visa at the border south of Jinghong about 6 times over the past 10 years: it always took me qabout 20 minutes, cost about US$35-40, and was good for a month (with US passport). Crossing from Hekou to Viet Nam, which I've done twice in the past 7 years, required that I get the visa in Kunming, but both times it was good for a month.
Have I read this thing wrong?
Kunming observatory plays role in China moon shot
Posted by@atwilden, you're right, the whole concept of ownership in any form has always been an important social issue everywhere, with a tremendous variety of local solutions that have worked for a time, more or less, until they no longer worked - still, I like Sitting Bull's incredulousness at the idea of land ownership: the man was not stupid, and it raises basic questions. Then there's control of the seas, which has been in the news lately....as for asteroids, I dunno, but take a look at the machinations of 'the company' in the ALIEN films.
Kunming observatory plays role in China moon shot
Posted byI wonder how long it will be until national regimes and/or private corporations start claiming they 'own' areas of the lunar surface. Read Sitting Bull's contemptuous comments on the White-American idea of land ownership in BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE ("They say we sold the land but we never did. Sell the land? Why not sell the sky, and the moon and the stars?")
Great Apes release first ever album
Posted byGood gig at the Camel.