Sorry sean1, next time I want to write about anything on GoKunming or garner opinions from fellow laowai I will email you first to ensure it passes your standards of what is acceptable to post.

You will note that I have also posted pictures of the new subway stations today for those that may have not seen them yet. I hope this is not misconstrued as some type of attack on Kunming by you, I simply did it for other peoples benefit. Please respond if you would like me to delete. I was not aware you were the anti-fun police and bow down and kow tow excessively to your superior calling.

Also you may notice that on the last "anti Kunming" thread about its air pollution I staunchly defended Kunming as cleaner than the rest of China's major cities. I also said nothing in my original or follow up posts about "the cold", "the authentic China experience", working here (as I don't), "overpriced Western imports" or "almost western food". So I aren't sure why you are saying I am a whiner. I actually quite like most western food around Kunming.

Believe it or not, we all have opinions and a forum is a place where we can explore them. This has obviously hit a chord with other laowai who have lived here for a while, judging by the responses. I would suggest if you don't like a topic of a thread, don't read it. I certainly don't read topics that don't interest me.

These are ones I took today on a ride out there.

This will require VPN to look at, thought some people will be interested in seeing what the future subway stations will look like!

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Ha haa, a basketball court right outside your door (or tennis court for me) beats basketball court you have to travel to and pay for every time, I say!

@EveAnnemarie - I was in Qujing. About 2 million people 1.5 hours by train from Kunming.

While Qujing is pretty much another fairly soulless Chinese city, at least it was relatively clean, easy to get around, you didn't constantly breathe dust, there weren't kilometre long traffic snarl ups etc etc. Pretty much the same climate as Kunming but a bit colder in the winter apparently. Our friends just bought an apartment there (Chinese) for 3000 kuai per sq m in a compound that has a tennis court, basketball court and soon to be pool in a quiet part of town. While there we ate some amazing food, met cool people, hung out in some of the nice parts of town around the old city wall and generally had a good time. Both myself and my Chinese wife decided that if we come back to China later (planning on heading to NZ at the end of the year), we will probably move to Qujing, not Kunming. Its closer to her hometown and only 1.5 hours on an express train for Kunming, so still close enough to use the foreigner services (like stocking up on cheese from Metro) if need be.

I have only been in Kunming 3 years and in this time it has gone from fairly pleasant to (mostly in the last year or so), dusty, more soulless and with some of the worst driving and traffic I have ever seen! The constant building of apartments, which are mostly empty, combined with the ongoing water crisis (yes the two are connected) are the icing on the cake.

Regarding the taxis - I don't think 400 extra is going to be enough for Kunming. Maybe 4000 more.

Half the time, I get a taxi no problems. But the other half... yesterday 3 taxis denied us because the route would have taken us through the centre of town and they weren't allowed to go (due to the government restrictions of only allowing certain number plated cars through and why on earth taxi's aren't exempt is beyond me). Of course they could have driven around but would rather pick up the the next person in 20 seconds for a shorter route and therefore more money (100 shorter rides is much more profitable than 20 long rides).

In the city I came from, we got across town in 10 minutes, no worries. Here it took us 30 minutes to travel 8km in traffic snarls caused by road beautification, subway construction and government policy regarding entering the 1st ring road. Stressful and time wasting.