atomic, I have to disagree about your wine comment. I also gave up on finding any decent Chinese wine until I happen to visit the Yunnan Red Wine winery, just a few hours from Kunming.

I did a lot of wine tasting at this very nice winery, and discovered a red that is to die for. It is not sold outside the winery except in Mile at a few restaurants. 2003 vintage "French Wild" is the name. 198 RMB a bottle.

They also produce a white wine called "Cyrstal Dry White 99999" 2006 vintage. This stuff is the most unusual white I ever drank. The bouquet is amazing. Sort of a cross between Mosel and ice wine. Hard to describe, but it is also only available at the winery. They called it a "ladies wine". It goes for 140 RMB a bottle. They also have a Crystal Dry White 999 that is 40 RMB, but is NOT the same thing. I think it is a 2008 vintage. Pass on that one.
Yunnan Red Wine is the only winery in China that has it's own vineyards and produces it's wine 100% from it's own grapes. It's worth a trip if you are into good wine.

bucko, I stand corrected. Could you or anyone else who's been there put up the address or more specific directions.

The Yunnan Red Winery is about 9m south of Mile. Head toward the stone forest and take the exit before Shilin which puts you on the Highway to Mile. When you get to Mile, just don't exit the highway and continue. You will see the sign directing you to the winery. From the winery, you can actually see Mile across the valley. so it is not far. The trip will take about 2 hrs driving from Kunming.

Correction....... The Yunnan Red Winery is about 9 km south of Mile.

Have to laugh at the requests for chocolate or reasonably priced breakfast cereal, but I have really had a hard time finding shoes. My size is 10 and half, but I have a friend who has size 13 and he speaks fluent Chinese and there is just none, not in Kunming, but China altogether. But where is the wholesale place that sells shoes in all sizes, not just the greatest variety of shoes possible.

Oh yes, forgot, don't want to use a credit card. You know, walk in the store, try on the shoes and walk out.

There is a place where I found size 12's. There are several shoe stores located by the stadium on Dong Feng Dong Lu across from Cha Hua Bing Guan (Camilla Hotel). There is an entire sports complex there with many athletic stores of various types, a stadium, indoor badminton courts, an indoor swimming pool, etc. Maybe they have size 13's as well.

Yeah, shoes my size are hard to find here I think. size 10 1/2 american, 45 1/2 EU. Thanks for the advice there, JWJWJW.

Contact lenses are particularly hard to find, or not hard to find, but hard to find people who can deliver the right perscription.

Don't miss cereal too much. Typically I find that eating it just makes me tired later in the day, so I would usually just eat it for a late night snack in America.

So, what do I miss? American energy drinks: Monster, fizzy Red Bull, Rockstar, N0s, and so on...

Also, to the guys who want decent deodorant, I usually buy a couple of sticks at a time at Paul's shop by wenhua xiang (Yunnan Normal University).

Deodorant????? ........ I don't need to stinkin deodorant!