User profile: Yuanyangren

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Is Kundu safe?

Having been to many different countries and experienced the nightlife there, of course I have also been keen to do the same here in Kunming. I've been to Kundu around 5 times now with no incidents or problems whatsoever whenever I've been there; in fact, I feel safer here than I would in the west.

However, a spate of recent incidents, including a dead guy last night (Wednesday night 25th June) and 5 people ganging up on a foreigner, not to mention some guys storming into a small restaurant next to Kundu and dragging the owner outside has got me thinking...how safe is Kundu? I've heard of incidents ranging from a stabbing of a Thai guy by a local man last year, an Australian guy taking a leak in the DJ booth a couple of months ago resulting in foreigners getting banned from a certain club there for about 2 weeks and other incidents seems to give the impression of a shady place.

What do you guys think? Is it normal practice for the people running the clubs there to ban foreigners for a while, if just one foreigner plays up by doing something stupid, like getting drunk and pissing in the dj booth? I'm just wondering about safety, as it seems bizarre that like 4 incidents could occur in just one night....sounds like the wild west to me, rather than what I always thought was a relatively civilized place to drink and dance.

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@flengs, what do you mean by being fed up with the "foreigner-local" relations? Some of them seem quite superficial, but it depends on what level the relationship is. When both parties speak at least one of the other's languages really well, then mutual understanding will increase of course, however, this is rarely the case as few foreigners can speak Lao (except for a few words maybe) and few Laotians can speak very good English.

An interesting read. I first came to Kunming in mid-2009 and by then the changes were already made. I actually live just off xue fu lu and everytime I'm in a car or taxi (except late at night) we have to go the long way round starting on yi er yi, passing by hongshan bei lu and finally onto xue fu lu. In the reverse direction it's a straight route direct to yi er yi that takes all of 5-6 minutes outside or rush hour; in the original direction going back home it takes about double that. Good for taxi drivers (they get more money!), good for bus patronage but a little annoying for the average commuter affected by this everyday. Anyway, nothing wrong with it, it's just the way it is now - i never realized it used to be different before!

Geezer, where did you hear this? Would be really sad if it was true. I too have thought about such a business and indeed have also considered xishuangbanna, which is one of the nicest parts of all of China. However, all things being considered, I find it much easier to set-up something in SE Asia.

First of all, Thais are foreign tourists too if they are outside of Thailand. Anyway, nice article, I wish these people lots of success. I think it would be nice if there were more westerners (and foreigners in general) travelling in Xishuangbanna, because right now it's a world away from neighboring Laos and Vietnam. In fact, even though it's so restrictive, I find it easier to come across other travellers in Myanmar than in Xishuangbanna...why is that? I look forward to the day you can find a central backpacker district in Jinghong that looks like its equivalent in Laos filled with hundreds of western backpackers.

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Horrible tasteless, thick-crusted "cardboard" like pizzas that are a far cry from what they should be like. Way overpriced too. Wine may be good, but why bother when the nearby Prague Cafe makes much better pizza at a more reasonable price?

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Great Mexican food and ice cream, excellent Raspberry smoothies and an overall good atmosphere. Can't do much about the low ceilings on the second floor, but the early closing time could be adjusted, after all, the nearby French Cafe closes at 1am.