Latest Comments

• • March 16, 2012
  • Getting away: Daju Town
    

    possible. go all the way through the gorge in one day, sleep in Daju. your cut off will be the ferry - so nail the operating times of that in advance. you might need your running shoes.

• • March 14, 2012
  • Kunming's new airport to open in late June
    

    i'm no expert photographer, but i was taught to keep my horizontals horizontal... that photo, presumably an official one, makes me feel like i'm already in a plane.

• • February 1, 2012
  • Yuxi-Mengzi railroad to be operational this year
    

    i've just had the opportunity to observe firsthand the rail infrastructure in Vietnam and Cambodia (and in Laos, i guess, but there wasn't any observing to be done.) Vietnam still relies on its single-track Reunification Express line - all very politically charged when it opened, i'm sure, but completely not future proof. Cambodia is laying track, with a lot of freshly-laid bed visible, and stacks of ties ready for deployment, but not a great deal of on-the-ground activity. again, it's single track, and not exactly built for growth.

    transport infrastructure construction in Laos is centred on the roads. the best section of road in the country is from the Chinese border to Oudomxai - and it was laid by the Chinese. the question is: at what cost? a friend told me China demands logging concessions as part of the construction deal. also, lacking tunnels and bridges, and one lane each way, it's again not future proof.

    so, when are Pan-regional bodies such as the ADB and Asean going to really get their act together and come up with some proper cash for a thorough solution to the problem? the whole region is a powder keg of untapped economic potential that really only needs better transport infrastructure to light the fuse.

    my cynical guess is that there's no political willpower and too much corruption to make it work optimally without a nation with deep pockets and questionable morals (in this case, China) showing up and telling SE Asia how it's going to be. cue more power for China, and continued vassal status for the likes of Laos and Cambodia.

• • January 11, 2012
  • Interview: DJ Ultra
    

    numpty

• • December 7, 2011
  • Cycling from Kunming to Lüchun
    

    @bobbles
    i have to respectfully disagree with "Maybe this is where all the cycle tourists go when we retire (from cycle touring?)."

    Kunming is just the beginning.

Latest Forum Posts

• • April 25, 2012
    
  • Forums > Living in Kunming > Location question
    

    far enough to be troublesome. certainly not crawling distance

• • February 23, 2012
    
  • Forums > Living in Kunming > Swimming in lakes?
    

    there's a reservoir in the west of the city that's explicitly set up for swimming. it's not super easy to find, so have a poke about on Google Maps - it's off of Zhaozong Lu. expect lots of self absorbed preening Chinese males who spend a lot of time sunning themselves and far less time swimming.

    i've swum in a reservoir in the northwest of the city, and i've heard of people swimming in the Songhuaba reservoir in the north east, but it's pretty clear that it's not allowed, so don't be surprised if you get thrown out. the water level thing probably means it's not a good idea anyway.

    don't forget about Fuxian Lake. some of the cleanest water in the country. and, erm, the sea's not so far away: http://www.gokunming.com/[...]

• • January 13, 2012
    
  • Forums > Travel Yunnan > Looking for a place to change RMB/USD into Vietnamese Dong
    

    (i know you asked about places in Kunming, but) if you're going to Vietnam through Hekou, there's a chap who hangs out at the bus station (i think his name is Li) who'll sort you out. pretty sure he speaks some English, should that be necessary.

• • January 13, 2012
    
  • Forums > Travel Yunnan > Visa renewal.
    

    you're having a laff, right? FECs went out with the ark. there's no China visa-on-arrival. you've got a bit of work to do to get your plan together. unfortunately, i'm sure you can find visa-ed teaching work in Kunming. maybe not around chunjie, mind.

• • December 30, 2011
    
  • Forums > Travel Yunnan > coming for Spring Festival, want to cycle
    

    i'd say the 4-dayer to Dali is ill-advised if you've "not ridden a bike seriously in 8 months". day three of that ride is a shocker, surface-wise. also, going north/higher brings a higher chance of wet/cold.

    i'd suggest riding south (Jinghong or Hekou as possible targets) or staying near Kunming. a pretty straightforward 4-dayer based near Kunming is as follows: Day 1 Kunming to Yuxi; Day 2 Yuxi to Gushan; Day 3 lap of Fuxian Lake (this allows you to ride a day unloaded); Day 4 Gushan to Kunming (this has a fairly challenging climb, and some shoddy surface).

    i'd offer to send you KMLs of this, but i don't have them with me now (i'm on a bike trip) - Fried (above) has copies of them, and he knows the roads involved. just don't let him talk you into any of his silly 200km+ per day monkey business...

Latest Reviews

• • hedgepig
    May 16, 2011
    
  • Kunming > Prague Café
    布拉格咖啡馆

    no-one's reviewed this place for nearly 3 years! i think i know why: it's solid. a bit boring maybe, but they get the job done: food on the table in good time, attentive staff, wide selection of items. the 'Prague Breakfast' is a fine feed, still good value after the recent price increase.

• • hedgepig
    May 16, 2011
    
  • Kunming > French Café
    兰白红

    love the breakfast items. good coffee. superlative bread. great pommes frites. generally competent staff. cool atmosphere. jia you!

    and, i remain grateful to French Cafe for keeping me alive over chunjie... :)

• • hedgepig
    May 16, 2011
    
  • Kunming > Ganesh Bar & Restaurant
    印象阁

    i really really want Ganesh to be good. we're limited in our choice of Indian restaurants in Kunming, and i'd love to see them all succeed.

    but, meet me half way, guys. when my first question inquires if i can eat (i was there mid-afternoon) and the answer is yes, i don't expect to go through the arduous task of ordering only to be told that i'd have to wait 20 minutes for the chef to return from buying vegetables.

    why was ordering arduous? "we should have it" is not an answer. don't serve other customers at the same time. write it down. don't run out of stuff that can be pre-prepared and stored, like samosas. and really, why's the chef buying veggies?

• • hedgepig
    May 16, 2011
    
  • Kunming > Game Café
    格门

    i joined friends here on the weekend. they were getting food and playing a game. the pizzas looked great, but my friends advised me to avoid them, saying they tasted bland.

    having made a selection, it took 20 minutes for the staff to tell me that my choice was no longer available. as my friends had nearly finished their game, we then all took our business elsewhere.

    helpful advice:

    - if someone arrives, give them a menu

    - sort out the beer selection

    - if i speak to you in Chinese, speak back to me in Chinese

• • hedgepig
    January 26, 2011
    
  • Kunming > Vintage Café
    茴转时光

    worthless in every way. i've given this place more chances than i can count, and they remain incompetent.

• The Old Theatre Inn
• Chicago Coffee
• Lost Garden Guesthouse & Restaurant
• Kunming Mei's Mandarin School
• As You Like
• Keats School
• Moondog
• GoKunming
• YMCA Club 1933
• Slice of Heaven
• Kingsway Tented Resorts
• Bakery 88
• Camel Bar
• The Mask
• Kunming College of Eastern Language and Culture
• My Favor Restaurant
• Chapter One
• Wonders Of Yunnan Travel
• O'Reilly's Irish Pub
• Salvador's Coffee House
• Wangtianshu Restaurant & Deli
• Tenwest Mandarin School
• Cacao Mexican Restaurant
• Flying Tigers Restaurant
• Kunming Yu-Cong Enterprise Management Company
• Huiying Dental Clinic