Oh yeah - I recently bought a Galaxy Note 2 for 4.5k, have rooted and flashed it to Omega ROM, which is excellent. The original installed ROM was a Chinese Android version which was all kinds of horrible. Chinese Android store replacing the Play store, no Google services (no linking to contacts/gmail/picasa) heaps of advertising and bloatware.
Where to start...
Do you have an OS preference? Ie Android or iOS?
TBH if you are after a decent phone that you can use in both places without hassle, best to go iOS/iPhone. If you don't want to spend too much look for an iPhone 4 which you may still be able to purchase for 3k RMB.
If you want a cheap Android... you should buy an international phone that is used both here and in the US and thoroughly look into rooting/flashing the phone before you buy. Trust me, you will want to root and flash any Android phone bought here as they have Chinese Android versions on them which are pants. A cheap internationally used Android phone should cost around 2k.
Local government say it's down to the water company. Water company blame the city-wide low pressure. Local leader (apparently) says, "Your fault for living up a hill. If you don't like it, move".
Ridiculous! The local leaders must have APPROVED the community to be built on the hill surely!
Hmmm really dbfan? I use Astrill on my Android phone and computer, when I log into Astrill on one while the other is logged in, it kicks off the least recent connection. I do this all the time and have never been warned. Maybe they have changed this in the past year I have been using them? Or maybe an iphone problem?
Sorry Gregomatt, you are probably right!
Not all VPN services are created the same. Don't let them fool you when they say this. There are MANY things the providers can do to make their service reliable, I won't go into them here, but trust me (as an IT guy that has set up VPN's before for businesses), its akin to the number of ways to cook an egg.
Throughout the past few months, I have only experienced a slow down using Astrill and that was for a few days only. At all other times it has been full speed ahead, I have been downloading large files (>500MB) within about 15-20mins using their service quite often. That isn't slow. The last time I did this was yesterday.
No results found.
So fast, so convenient. One star off for opening before the train station stop is connected!
Wow, just wow. Possibly the best Chinese food I have had in Kunming. And in one of the nicest, traditional courtyard style restaurant I have been in. A woman dressed in traditional qi pao playing a gu zheng just adds to it.
We had okra, mushroom soup, dried beef and chou dofu. All top notch with the bill coming in at just over 250 kuai. But we could have fed 3 people for that so not too bad at about 80-90 kuai each. Not the cheapest but for the quality, it's damn good.
If you have people visiting and want to take them to a traditional Chinese style restaurant with Yunnan style food, or want a romantic night out with a gal, you can't go wrong here. Close to Green Lake (down a little alley) for a romantic walk... Just perfect.
Pretty good place for getting all your documents translated and/or notarised. Note that there are a number of notaries in the building which you can find by going up the stairs (the elevators are impossible). But you have to find the stairs to do so... go in the door, head over to the right, go up the big wide stairs which head up a floor, turn right then right again into the elevator area and right again into the stairwells. Whew!
One point off for the elevators never being available and having to hike 7-9 flights of stairs (not good if you have to go 3-4 times a day like I often did!)
This does not stop at the Jinanya hotel at Da Shang Hui as the flyers state (and is on the images tab here). They need to have another stop in the same area or else they are missing out on covering a big chunk of the city.
You can take another bus, the 919C, I believe, if you are nearby Da Shang Hui, which leaves from the bus station on HeHong Lu, nearby the Qianxing road intersection. This bus goes every hour and is white, found at the western end of the station. It is operated by a different company and takes about 1 hour 10 minutes to get to the airport due to a large number of stops especially near the airport.
Great bus though if you can catch it!
Friendly people, even got to the talk to the vice consulate, who told me she had done a stint in Malaysia's Siberian Consulate!
English is spoken by some of the Chinese girls working at the desk who are pleasant to deal with. I assume they do Visa's as well but I wasn't here for a visa, this time!
China-Laos railway now connecting cities of Kunming and Vientiane
发布者This is awesome, will be great to be able to go to Luang Prabang and Vientiane via rail! Even if the route to Bangkok isn't finished, it's a small distance between Vientiane and Nong Khai in Thailand, so onward travel isn't too much of a problem.
Kunming Metro Line 4 and Line 6 (phase 2) officially in operation
发布者Isn't map making illegal in China? Be careful Yereth!
Beleaguered Kunming metals tycoon missing
发布者Let me take a guess:
Corrupt man assumes control of vast fortune. Man converts a great deal of the fortune to easily transportable assets (diamonds etc) and/or transfers money to foreign accounts in countries with zero corruption laws and/or launders said money through dodgy means. Man leaves country. Man pays foreign official to create identity with a tiny portion of said assets. Man can go anywhere without ramifications.
Only occurred about 1000 times before in China...
Exploring eastern Yunnan's Shizong County on foot
发布者Finally another westerner has been to Shizong! My wife is from there, been to all these places (except the ridge!), not highly exciting, but interesting enough :-)
Good work!
Getting Away: Vietnam's Ha Long Bay
发布者If you:
1. Are an experienced kayaker/boaty
2. Are adventurous and in good shape (actively exercise, have stamina)
3. Would like a more free exploring experience
4. Have a decent phone with GPS that you can put markers on, know how to use and can waterproof
Then I recommend the following:
Catch the ferry to Cat Ba.
Stay on Cat Ba island in pretty much luxury
Go to the back of Cat Ba island early morning with a packed lunch and other energy goodies.
Rent a sea kayak (they have pretty decent ones for rent and rent for a whole day).
Go forth and explore.
You can see so much, up close and personal and can decide where you want to go and when. I spent 2 days doing this, going through caves to hidden grottoes, landing on amazing beaches, looking around the local water peoples villages... was gobsmackingly amazing and didn't have any tourist shite. Seriously recommend.