I thought photos had always been required when registering for the first time at a paichusuo.
I thought photos had always been required when registering for the first time at a paichusuo.
I'll summarize the above post. "The thing that you like is stupid. Go to a bar or watch it some other time."
The apogee of helpfulness.
Crossing province lines is no problem. As long as your papers are in order, it doesn't matter which province they're from. Just keep in mind that bigger cities like Kunming or Chengdu may have restrictions on motorcycles within certain parts of the city, especially motorcycles with plates from other provinces.
Though it would probably be possible to do the entire trip without anybody ever checking your license (I just rode from Kunming to Lijiang and all around Lijiang prefecture without anybody ever looking at my papers), I would not recommend the risk. You can be jailed for riding a motorbike without a license.
You might want to check with this company: www.tibetmoto.de/
If you rent and organize through them, I think there's some chance they may be able to get you a temporary Chinese driver's license. They also rent nice Chinese-made enduro touring motorcycles. But I don't think their prices are particularly cheap.
For going it alone if you get a license, how big of a bike is up to you. It's feasible on 100cc farmer bike like everybody drives in rural villages. But it's nice to have some more power, especially for safely passing slow moving trucks on the rural roads, which are often windy and do not have long straightaways; so you want to get around and back into your lane as fast as possible. I have a 230cc Chinese enduro bike. It's fine for doing some touring, though I sometimes wish I had more power. The 400cc Shineray bikes rented out by the aforementioned company in Dali are probably ideal for touring in this part of the world.
I have heard tell there is a variety of wild sage that lives in areas surrounding Kunming.
We have not had any interruptions so far on Puji Lu just outside 2nd ring.
No results found.
I had a really good burger here recently. Steven, the chef, really knows what he is doing. Worth checking out. Of course, good beer, too.
Cantina is always a safe bet for top-notch food and great service. I think it has actually gotten better and better over the years, which is often not the case with restaurants. Most people who live in Kunming know Cantina. Perhaps not as many know how involved the owners, Libby and Diego, are in various social welfare and community service efforts. Highly recommended both for visitors and long-term residents!
I went there twice for group boxing classes. I left the third time when I was attempting to book into a grappling class. This was part of an attempted process on my part to try the different classes offered there and see if I wanted to purchase one of their various membership cards.
The boxing classes were fun, a great workout, and the coaches and fellow students were all nice. A good atmosphere. Certainly room for improvement, especially in terms of explaining the class structure and fundamental concepts of the sports to beginners...but overall good.
However, on front desk staff member erased the positive aspects of the gym through his unprofessional and rude conduct. I was treated like some sort of con-man for wanting to try out the different classes offered before committing to multi-thousand RMB membership card, despite my willingness to pay per class to try them out. I wasted my time riding over to the gym on a very cold day on my scooter and then being refused service unless I committed on the spot to buying a membership card in direct contradiction to the gym's own policies and written price table. Also wasted was my friend's time and money, as she was in a cab on the way over to the gym in order to join me for the group class at the time I was refused service. My exchange with the staff (in which I was not terribly satisfied, but remained calm and reasonable throughout) was topped off with a remark from the one particular staff member with xenophobic undertones.
As one may see from my other reviews on this site, I typically try not to say anything unless I have something nice to say. In this case, I feel I must make an exception: I don't think it's a business that deserves your effort or money.
One of the best western restaurants in Yunnan. Definitely worth visiting if you will be passing through Shangrila!
The best tacos in Kunming!
Truncated subway Line 1 to open New Year's Eve
Posted byIs that the KM metro's logo on the front of the train in the first photo? Yuck!
Foraging for wild edibles in Kunming's hills
Posted byAnother classic Colin Flahive food adventure. Nice work!
Riding into Kunming's future
Posted byBaidu Maps has it. Just search 长水国际机场
ditu.baidu.com
Getting away: Haba Snow Mountain
Posted byAlso, as in many alpine environments, conditions can in a matter of minutes go from clear blue skies to not being able to see more than a few meters in front of oneself. One should also be wary of cornices, especially as you get to the top of the big, steep snow field and start traversing to the right along the ridgeline and toward the summit. Stay well to the side that you climbed up from and don't get to close to the far side of the ridge, as I don't think there's actually anything underneath much of that snow.
Landslides interrupt Kunming-Chengdu train services
Posted byIt was in fact I—before several years in China robbed me of both my handsome visage and my dental integrity.