a couple of the shops near the universities on 121 street sometimes have second hand bikes or there's a section on Taobao.com with some decent ones if you want something a bit better. alternatively, most shops have some fair mountain bikes for under 1500. if you just want a single speed 'city bike' then there's a huge place behind Wallmart in Xiaoximen (don't know the street name - just follow the road around to the right when facing the front and then turn right... it's BIG). just avoid the supermarket bikes!
anyone got a link to a streaming video of the opening ceremony? can only find clips at the moment. got a torrent on download but it will take days at this speed!
beichen is a good balance. i lived in the Green Lake/Wenlin Jie area previously and almost all the buildings are old. it's good for expat bars that close at 11.30 but that's about it. Beichen (the north) is generally quieter but it has bars (often open into the morning) and a better range of restaurants. the main advantage for me is that the mountains are 5 to 10 minutes away by bike (no traffic chaos to deal with).
the stares don't bother me anymore. immature idiots (usually groups of males) who call me 'laowai' or shout 'hellooo' in a stupid voice and then giggle like schoolgirls piss me off! i usually just ignore them but sometimes i feel justified in responding with a 'Nihaooo' in an equally strange accent or by referring to them as 'laozhong' (some really don't like that). i know it's childish but it gets me through the BCD's.
yes, people Are more likely to help in many other countries. However, I recently came off my bike at an intersection (due to a idiot in a car driving on the pavement and me being forced to ride over a poorly paved and slippery surface). i landed on my head and was soon very bloody! i got back to the pavement and sat for a bit in a puddle of blood. at least 3 CHINESE passers by stopped to check if i was ok and to offer to help. Thank you to them. to all those who walked past... including a couple of foreigners... just stop and think that it could be you next time.
the point is that while this issue is more obvious in countries such as China (maybe due to the crowds that form) this behaviour is far from unique to Chinese people.
Beijing lu in that area is now a nightmare, especially at rush hours. It was bad before but somehow it got worse and the daily car parks start somewhere past the ring road for those going south. the pedestrian crossings are a nightmare with pedestrians, cars and bikes/ebikes all competing for the same space. any of the above can now come from any direction at any time. the traffic lights are useless and so are the crossing people/police. One good rainy night and the whole intersection of Baiyun Lu and Beijing lu is flooded. It seems that nobody considered drainage.
I got fined 50rmb for riding across a road NEXT TO the pedestrian crossing (rightly so - I was in the wrong) but as I was leaving at least 2 guys were getting visibly upset with the police, 1 woman was crying and another was screaming angrily. Since then they just make people walk their bikes across. The problem is that the police are only at one junction on Beijing lu... everywhere else is still as it always was and once the police leave at about 6pm even that one crossing reverts to the usual craziness. This education is going to be a long process!
@Liumingke1234 - yes, the air here is MUCH cleaner than in Beijing but let's not pretend it's 'fresh' or free of pollution. So Kunming "enjoys high-quality air, with the PM2.5 always staying below 50"?? I must be in a different city... according to www.pm25s.com/en/kunming.html
Kunming AQI ranks #133 in China at the moment (total 367).
oh.. I've also noticed recently that locking bike racks are being installed on the streets. I'd guess that they hold 10 to 15 bikes each. The initial article mentioned 45,000 bikes so they'll be needing a lot more of them.
a lovely place to stay with great views of Yulong xueshan (JadeDragon snow mountain) from the roof! Beautifully decorated and hosts that make you feel like family. A million miles better than most other places locally. I can't recommend this place enough.
i thought i'd give this place another try as my usual place was closed today. even though there is now more choice, i was not impressed by the menu. they do have an apparently good range of coffees for up to 80 kuai but even a basic latte is Y26 now. the drinks were OK but nothing special and certainly not worth the money. the place looked somehow cleaner too and was certainly busier! why have so many of the cafes in this area decided that it's fine to raise their prices by so much (in some cases almost double)? i doubt i'll be going back. the 2 stars are because it was just OK and they've obviously made some effort.
not a bad selection of stuff and some of the staff obviously know their way around a bike. however, the 'special' prices for foreigners and the fact that some of the staff will use a big hammer to fix anything keeps me from going back. you could do better.
I won't go there again. The yoghurt is tasty and the curries are usually ok (they seem to vary in quality depending on the day and time). What really annoys me is the fact that they can't comprehend that I order dishes to eat TOGETHER... if my curry arrives 30 minutes after all the other dishes it's not really acceptable. Then again, neither is the 1 hour wait for the rest of the food or the incorrect dishes being sent. By the way, why can't I sit on the 3rd floor until both of the other floors are packed full? Has it never occurred to them that I might want a quiet meal and, after all, I am paying for it!
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Baiyun Lu closed for 18 months, civilian "air raid shelter" to be built
发布者Beijing lu in that area is now a nightmare, especially at rush hours. It was bad before but somehow it got worse and the daily car parks start somewhere past the ring road for those going south. the pedestrian crossings are a nightmare with pedestrians, cars and bikes/ebikes all competing for the same space. any of the above can now come from any direction at any time. the traffic lights are useless and so are the crossing people/police. One good rainy night and the whole intersection of Baiyun Lu and Beijing lu is flooded. It seems that nobody considered drainage.
Kunming police taking steps to tame traffic chaos
发布者I got fined 50rmb for riding across a road NEXT TO the pedestrian crossing (rightly so - I was in the wrong) but as I was leaving at least 2 guys were getting visibly upset with the police, 1 woman was crying and another was screaming angrily. Since then they just make people walk their bikes across. The problem is that the police are only at one junction on Beijing lu... everywhere else is still as it always was and once the police leave at about 6pm even that one crossing reverts to the usual craziness. This education is going to be a long process!
Chinese student apologizes after Maryland graduation speech sparks firestorm
发布者@Liumingke1234 - yes, the air here is MUCH cleaner than in Beijing but let's not pretend it's 'fresh' or free of pollution. So Kunming "enjoys high-quality air, with the PM2.5 always staying below 50"?? I must be in a different city... according to www.pm25s.com/en/kunming.html
Kunming AQI ranks #133 in China at the moment (total 367).
Kunming's bike share options: A user guide
发布者I saw one of those yellow OFO bikes sprayed red on my way home. It was a really messy paint job too. 2 students riding on it.
Kunming's bike share options: A user guide
发布者oh.. I've also noticed recently that locking bike racks are being installed on the streets. I'd guess that they hold 10 to 15 bikes each. The initial article mentioned 45,000 bikes so they'll be needing a lot more of them.