@abcdabcd
To be fair, if it was the Wicker Basket in the west, it is really tricky to get to by car because of the one way streets around it.

I got a taxi home today and the driver didn't have the right change. He let me off the 5 jiao without a second's hesitation. Round up, round down - nobody should be making such a fuss about 5 jiao.

Overcharged for the taxi, scooter parking, vegetables, fruits, meat, shaokao, drinks, rent, marathon subscription, food delivery service, key copies, restaurant bill, yoghurt, beer, electricity, water, tuition fees, homestay and a lot more... at the end of the month, it's OK to make a bit of fuss.

I agree Yankee, being constantly overcharged because you are supposedly a "rich foreigner" gets tiring. I went to buy a small table the other day from the market, the price for me 200 kuai and the 5 different sellers all talked to each other to ensure they wouldn't accept less. I knew the price was ridiculous so got my wife to ask the next day. 70 kuai for her, bargained down from 90. When I appeared to pick it up they laughed and said they would have charged her a lot more had they known. When my wife asked why, considering I obviously live in China therefore make Chinese money not $US they looked a bit flummoxed like their world view was challenged. It's a relief when you finally find a seller in the market who doesn't overcharge you, I only buy from them in the future.

I wouldn't waste even 10 seconds of my life quibbling over a few miserable jiao. On at least two occasions drivers have accepted less rather than give change; 20 RMB rather than change a 100 to get the correct fare of 21. At markets I simply laugh and walk away at grossly distorted prices.

I'm wondering how many, if any, of the posters here bandying around words like 'scum' are living on undeclared and untaxed income. For example, money 'earned' from casual English lessons at ridiculously inflated prices.

blobbles, I don't mean to be a prick here, but you're hijacking the thread and going way off topic. note the thread title is "Kunming Taxis" and not "Foreigners being overcharged" or "Where to get a good deal on ladies underwear?". Thank you.

Taxi drivers do not overcharge or deliberately round up on a regular basis. They round off to whatever is more convenient. And if they don't care about 5 jiao, neither should you. Maybe the occasional unscrupulous driver (1 in 100) will overcharge.

@Ocean, yeah ok. Wicker Basket is a bit tricky to get to. But she had no clue where the vicinity of that salad bar was on the map. Even with the little map on the back of the business card that I gave her. She was driving around aimlessly. So you have to call the place and get the person to explain to the driver. I can tolerate it sometimes, but it gets annoying after a while. They don't get any training and don't take the time to study a map of the city.

And to be honest, the whole concept of having street names AND a number address is that any place should be found rather easily. But mysteriously, in China, street addresses don't seem to have any influence in aiding the driver locate a place. They often can find the street, but then it's up to you to find the exact address.

Sorry, I'm done ranting about taxis. I promise.

I'm not stingy, I give generous tips to good drivers, fuwuyuans, hell even beggars. So I don't care about that small change stuff. But when you have a chainsmoking, rude and cruel driver sitting there, still smoking after you asked him not to. And seeing that jerk smiling at you when he tells you to pay him more than you should, is just such a no "f...ing way", most bark at me to roll up the window after they smoke like chimneys, so they don't have to do it themselves.
Plus, I don't argue with them, I give them the exact change, step out of the car and wish them a safe journey.

Noble 7 years is how long it took me from being a little buddha like you, to turn into that general principle person I am now.

China needs people like that because everyone hates those bad habits, Chinese and waiguoren alike, but if nobody wouldn;t do anything about it, how would those guys know.

Of course we all have the right, disregarding where we come from, to point out racial prejudice. At least I do if other are happy with it, sure good luck with it. Plus being exact with my change for rude taxi drivers doesn't mean I am rude to them or treat them badly. But often being nice is treated as weakness in China, especially visible in the business and service industry.

Yankee,

True words!!!!

I started the present round of messages on this thread to draw attention to a very kind taxi driver who went to some trouble to return an expensive smart phone to me.

I'm only too aware that taxi drivers get a lot of stick - some of it deserved and I expected a few negative posts. But I was taken aback by the full-scale mingeing and whingeing fest that followed. Kunming may not be the most exciting place on earth but it's cheap, safe, the weather is good, it's in China's most interesting province imo and it's handy for half a dozen countries in SE Asia. Furthermore almost any foreigner who can speak English moderately well can earn enough to live a decent life. So I guess I'm puzzled why so many Expats here are so obviously miserable

"Three years on and nothing has changed. Taxis still refusing to take passengers at rush hour and even at other times two out of three sail past empty with their for hire"

"80 quid for two steak and chips, not including booze? They are really taking the piss"

"Nice food, but whoever heard of a curry house that closes at 10.30 pm

To ease your puzzlement you may want to ask yourself how you were feeling when you decided to pen the above comments...any answers?

@The Dudeson's 'a little buddha like you,' Sarcasm accepted. A friend was wondering if you meant the caricature of the kindly buddha or the other type running around with machetes in Myanmar? I have my own question: did you become more 'principled' after you stopped being an English teacher and became a Director of Studies, or was it after giving up both these positions?

@ nnoble,
I wasn't trying to be sarcastic, I really was a nice, almost naive kid when I got here, I didn't drink, didn't smoke, my mind full of good stuff but that changed quickly. About the buddha image, dunno, not much of a buddhist. So I focused more on the inner peace.
I don't quite understand the English teacher questions, or at least I don't know what to reply to that.

@Cloudtrapezer,
complaining or disapproving something doesn't make one misrable. I love to live in Yunnan and Kunming, but that doesn't mean that I have to accept all the crap that is trying to come down on me. I think closing your eyes, pretending it's not there is more scary then trying to change that microcosmos around it.

Plus i think it's obvious if you put up a post about a group of people that are quite well known for not being the nicest bunch around, I think to expect only positive posts would be very optimistic.
Are there some cool and nice taxi drivers around, sure! No question, but is that enough to make the majority of them great, I think it needs a bit more than that.

Kunming is awesome, especially compared to other places. But that is the problem in China it promotes things as so wonderful, that the real thing is always less great.

And why is everything related to the: "Are you an English teacher and do you deserve the money." - question.
What if not? So, you are not allowed to be complaining.

Btw. without hijacking the thread. I think teachers living conditions and pay are not that great compared to what a teacher can earn in other countries, (qualified or not). Getting teacher certification that is required in the West is not "that" hard to get.