On a nice partly cloudy day like the last few, rent/borrow/own a bike and ride to the west entrance of HaiGeng Park via DianChi and GuanJing roads. There is a wonderfully quiet and pretty back road that parallels DianChi if you're up for exploring it out. Go on a weekday and you can even sneak a ride on top of the tourist walkway on GuanJing for some pretty scenery. Once at the park, pay a 10rmb entrance fee and then go have lunch/snacks inside the park. Better yet, is to go as a group and rent a bbq slot or picnic on the grass. The water will most likely be smelly green now, but when it's not, HaiGeng is even nicer. You can ride out of the east exit and explore the nearby sports complex and then make you're way home on XingTi Rd.
The weather and ability to see blue skies is a big reason so many foreigners reside in a tier 2 city of this size. So I like to take advantage of the climate by taking in the pleasant parts of Kunming.
Pulling teeth is much easier, less painful, and possibly less bloody than trying to get cash back from a Chinese merchant.
Try for the 2nd repair. Albeit, they will try to charge you another 200 to 300 rmb for yet another screen/visualizer part. Here you will have to be very demanding and willing to make a scene. Bringing a friend(s) along wouldn't hurt.
If you went to the shop the next day after your faulty repair, you should have a good chance at obtaining a 2nd repair for free. If the problem didn't fully manifest itself till several days later or you waited to complain, then this is much more problematic. Essentially, this now becomes a tug-of-war between how willing you are to make a scene and the Chinese shop owner's obstinacy.
In Shenzhen, the repair shop I frequent for my iPhone would most likely take a 2nd look at it for free. They would repair it without charging me for another expensive part if I start and continue to badger/scream at them they used a crap/wrong part to start with. However, I speak fluent Chinese and have used this shop more than once.
As a practice, I wouldn't have my smartphone or Apple products repaired in Kunming except at an authorized repair shop or the big chains mentioned above. Of course those places all charge considerably more.
Another good interview. I rode around those rubber plantations and some are in that 900m/24* zone. Saw the cubes of rubber too. Wouldn't of known what either meant if not for this piece; very enlightening.
I haven't been to the brewery, but I have cycled past and thru the gate often. GPS for gate is:
25.096268,102.829453
Some clean air and nice views up there, especially once past the gate and on the overpass over the expressway. However, the brewery must be before that from the directions after passing the gate in the article.
Never gotten sick once at Sals. Their food is TexMex, so yeah, not authentic Mexican food, but pretty authentic as TexMex goes. Burrito wrap has improved a lot. Like the draft beer option now.
If you haven't had dairy products in a while, and do eat here, best forgo the sour cream. Nothing wrong with it, in fact it's the best sour cream in Kunming, but if you've eaten Chinese for month or months with no dairy intake, your system will react to sour cream or probably any liquid dairy product not so well. Maybe that's what happened with nailer and tallamerican.
It's now 5 working days for regular processing. So I submitted my application a bit before 5pm on a Friday and was told to pick it up next week Friday after 5pm.
Cost is now 400rmb for a single 30 day entry. Or that was what I was charged anyways. There are no posted prices and its cash only with no receipt except for your passport pickup. That's like $65 USD.
You can pay another 150rmb for 2 day or 100rmb for 3 day processing. For 400rmb, they should process it in three days like they used to before, but now you'd pay 500rmb. The office is still like deserted most of the time, so why does it take longer now and cost extra. If you opted for 2 day, thats like $90 usd. All other neighboring countries charge like $25usd.
The rest of and cope review is still good for hours and location.
New visa and residence regulations for the PRC
发布者Give a little, get a little. Better than the usual. Thanks AlPage48 for the info.
Interview: Economic ecologist Yi Zhuangfang
发布者Another good interview. I rode around those rubber plantations and some are in that 900m/24* zone. Saw the cubes of rubber too. Wouldn't of known what either meant if not for this piece; very enlightening.
New visa and residence regulations for the PRC
发布者In case you didn't know, seems renewals of L are down to 1 instead of 2 now, and any kind of renewal in country may use up that one. Read some personal accounts on:
www.gokunming.com/en/forums/thread/8827/new_x_visa_regulations
Homebrewed beer just outside of Kunming
发布者I haven't been to the brewery, but I have cycled past and thru the gate often. GPS for gate is:
25.096268,102.829453
Some clean air and nice views up there, especially once past the gate and on the overpass over the expressway. However, the brewery must be before that from the directions after passing the gate in the article.
China's coal industry facing monstrous downturn
发布者21st century. Still burning rocks we dig up for electricity. Wait till they burn that coal, then the mercury goes airborne.