Just a note here... but some of us who are foreigners do legitimately enjoy having a cigarette at the bar or in a restaurant, so its not just a Chinese thing. Generally we do try to keep it polite though, i.e., no smoking in very confined spaces or where its simply inappropriate. Personally, I'd prefer Kunming stay a bit more like that and not like California where you're a pariah if you want to have a cigarette 20 feet away from the door.
1) The new airport does have a travelex on the ground floor, right after you come out of the international arrivals baggage claim area. The rate is not the best, but it can be useful to change some small amounts to get money for cab fare and the like. I am sure there is an ATM somewhere in the airport...but I have no idea where.
2) at ICBC you can take out 5000 at a time, but (at least from my attempts) not at machines marked as ATM. Instead use the CRS machines. No idea if its a fluke or a feature of the different machines, but the CRS machines seem to give more.
One caution on the foreign card front—some smaller banks do not automatically have their Debit/Credit Cards enabled for international cash withdrawals (this happened to me the first day in Kunming) so it can be a good idea to have some physical cash to change in to RMB, just in case you need some funds to tide you over.
Does anyone know where to go to purchase one of the bus cards used on the public transit system around town? A few friends have given me vague answers like go to Xiaoximen and look around or just find a bus station, but I was hoping to get some more specific directions. Thanks in advance!
I've read through the forums over the last few months, and it seems one of the better places to buy imported goods is Metro. How exactly does one get a membership card to shop there? Is it possible to get an individual membership or do you actually need to be associated with a hotel/restaurant or similar? A few posters have mentioned that generally foreigners can use their passport to get a membership—is this still the case?
@voltaire. "greedy axe of capitalism" is a bit of a misnomer. Most of the damage in China (and the former USSR) was done under state-run initiatives. Providing people in the area with a long-term solution that creates sustainable income without cannabilizing their livelihoods is absolutely a capitalist venture, depending on how you look at it.
I flew out of the old airport and in to the new one this weekend, and there is a stark difference. All the signs are clearly marked in English and Chinese, staff are extremely helpful, everything is laid out logically and in general it is just a pleasure to walk through the gorgeous architecture.
The metro system was a bit less impressive as it actually ran far slower than most cars on the highway next to the track...but I expect things will speed up as the system is broken in. In all fairness, being able to walk down from the airport directly into the metro station is great, and the machines that sell the tickets for the metro system are easy to use. The cars were not bad, but at least for airport line it seemed they skimped on some of the extras (like a durable floor that doesn't show a million stains, handles to hold on to, or signs printed without typos). All in all really amazing to see how far Kunming is reaching.
Slight unrated update here... I was in again and spoke to Sandra's partner, and he agreed there could be a greater selection of items (especially meat/cheese-wise) so he mentioned that several new products would be coming out shortly. So, not to say that dudeson's review was inaccurate (given his description, it's an entirely fair assessment from his experience), but mostly just to report that there should be some things worth going back to try.
Interview: Economic ecologist Yi Zhuangfang
发布者@voltaire. "greedy axe of capitalism" is a bit of a misnomer. Most of the damage in China (and the former USSR) was done under state-run initiatives. Providing people in the area with a long-term solution that creates sustainable income without cannabilizing their livelihoods is absolutely a capitalist venture, depending on how you look at it.
Riding into Kunming's future
发布者I flew out of the old airport and in to the new one this weekend, and there is a stark difference. All the signs are clearly marked in English and Chinese, staff are extremely helpful, everything is laid out logically and in general it is just a pleasure to walk through the gorgeous architecture.
The metro system was a bit less impressive as it actually ran far slower than most cars on the highway next to the track...but I expect things will speed up as the system is broken in. In all fairness, being able to walk down from the airport directly into the metro station is great, and the machines that sell the tickets for the metro system are easy to use. The cars were not bad, but at least for airport line it seemed they skimped on some of the extras (like a durable floor that doesn't show a million stains, handles to hold on to, or signs printed without typos). All in all really amazing to see how far Kunming is reaching.