User profile: bluppfisk

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Samba/batucada band Kunming

I don't know about other places, but in Europe, almost every major city has a Batucada Samba band. I've played in several, in Ghent, Brussels, Uppsala and Berlin, and I miss it. Anyone interested in forming one here or elsewhere in China? I'd be ready to move for this. Not only do I think it a great way to bring some life to the streets of Kunming, but it could also be pretty much a self-supporting gig.

Of course, we'd need to get instruments (although you get a long way with disassembled drum kits) and a maestro confident enough to lead a band like this. Technically, you can start playing from 5 people, but the more the merrier, as long as it remains tight.

For those who don't know what it is, it's simply percussion-only music with Brazilian/African roots and played by a batería (band) where each member carries one or more percussion instrument(s). A maestro (leader) manipulates the music as he sees fit or to play the crowd by giving signs and provoking responses to calls. When played well, it gets the crowd (and the musicians) into a sort of a trance.

Watch these vids, but imagine a way fuller sound.

Bloco X at Sziget Festival: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbVcIDKPnUU

or a rehearsal vid from São Miguel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA-pvIMHu0Q

A clean recording, yet lacking bass: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpkJ1RQnzhQ

Olodum, in Bahia, one of the classics: www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3o30YJiWsc

Sometimes you can sing/play a small ukelele-like guitar to it:

Maravilha: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VugdtLihoA

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Minimum Daily Expenditures

You could do it if you really want/need to. But you'd have to buy in bulk once and then consume slowly:

A bit of horseradish: 0,2 RMB
A tomato: 0,5 RMB
Some other assorted root veggies: 2 RMB
rice for one meal: 1 RMB
Some tofu for a meal: 2 RMB
oil for one meal: 2 RMB
two glasses of water: 0,2 RMB
two eggs: 1 RMB
peanuts for a meal: 1 RMB

total: 9,9 RMB. Get a sweet for your 1 mao.

When I was in Germany and had just quit my job, I was living on 2,5 EUR a day. In-season and root vegetables and rice are the key. Peanuts give you your protein. But don't do this forever because it may impact your health.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > What is Kunming like?

If pollution really is your concern, stay away from Kunming too. The real nasty, particulate matter 2.5 or PM2.5 for friends, does not change the colour of the sky or the smell of the air. But it will kill you. And, on some days, the PM2.5 content of the air in Kunming is higher than that in Beijing. Just a few days ago, the AQI was "very unhealthy" in Kunming and just "unhealthy for certain groups" in Beijing.

Source: China Air Quality Index AQI

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I wonder about the quality of food and possible contamination. In a city that doesn't seem to have very high regard for hygiene anyway, I'd stay clear for anything from markets for a while, given the amount of faeces floating around and undoubtedly tainting foodstuff. Also, restaurants (usually on the 1st floor) with flooded kitchens may not be the best place to go eat for some time to come.

Reviews

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First and last experience. Absolutely horrible. I came in late with a big flesh wound. The doctor sewed it up and told me to come back in the morning "perhaps to redo it, and to change the bandage". When I did come back the next morning, they just changed the bandage and sent me off.

When I peeked at my own wound, I noticed it was horribly done. "Like a vet did the stitches," as someone commented. I then had to stay a night in a different hospital in order to do it right, with a 40% chance of getting infections. This cost me a lot more, thanks to Richland fucking up in the beginning.

Whatever X-rays were taken were not printed out and given to me so I couldn't go to another hospital for a second opinion or treatment.

The nurses didn't seem to know where half the things were and the doctors had to repeat orders to get basic things like scissors.

In the next hospital, it was noticed that I had fractured my jaw in two places. On the five X-Rays taken at Richland, they did not notice the fractures.

Pretty sure these people are not actual doctors and are therefore criminal.

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Super place. Really cool interior, lots of good beers and drinks, fun toilet inside the telephone booth, and an interesting clientele.

Cons: pretty hard to find, no matching glasses for the imported beers, and home brews need some work.

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Teaching and support lamentable.

Four people signed up for the highest-level class and got a teacher who does all the talking, refers to herself as 老师 and makes classes absolutely uninteresting. As of this moment, only 1 person is still going on a regular basis.

While staff is friendly, they are absolutely incapable to help out with visa matters in an adequate way. Lack of information beforehand, lack of support and lack of information during the visa process meant that I am waiting forever for my residence permit to be processed, without any information about why it's taking so long, why they can't get started ... I'd say this school is a good option if all you wanted is a visa, but they can't even handle this properly.

Anyone giving this school a 5-star rating hasn't been to any decently-run schools in Kunming, such as Keats'. The only redeeming quality is facilities and space, those are indeed excellent.

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Have been studying at Keats for almost four semesters now and I'm very enthusiastic about the quality of the teachers and the commitment of the school's staff.

One point of criticism is that I think they could put in some effort to group people of the same level together, rather than base it on who was together in last semester's class.

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I stayed here in the early days of March 2013. Dave and his wife are swell owners, the staff attentive, the food good, rooms in perfect order, WiFi fast enough... Much like the old hump, the entire place is an excellent place to relax and make friends. And that is what you come to do in Dali, after all. The location is a bit isolated from the old town, but nothing is really far away in Dali. Besides, it makes for a better starting point to walk up Cangshan.