If you go overland to Hanoi that probably would be the cheapest option. I have a friend who went there for his work visa and it was no problem. The main thing is to make sure you have all the required paperwork, which I assume your company will take care of. And for $15 to $20 a night you'll get a much nicer room than you would for the same money in Hong Kong. If you take the train from the border to Hanoi, ignore the taxi drivers at the train station when you arrive; there are plenty of cheap hotels you can easily walk to from the station. I recommend the Tung Trang Hotel; family run, good English, in the heart of the old quarter and quiet. Email: tungtranghotel@yahoo.com. Or check out www.travelfish.org for hotels anywhere in SE Asia; very handy website.
To Onlyone: There are many guesthouses in the Chungking Mansions building. The New York Guesthouse is clean and cheap, about 160 HK dollars. Sorry I lost their phone number, but their English isn't so good anyway and you don't need a reservation. If one place is full when you arrive, there are literally dozens of others in the same building.
Going to Viet Nam requires a Vietnamese visa and the airfare is more than Hong Kong. Most people seem to do their work visas in HK these days. Your employer needs to specify which country you will go to on the paperwork. Cheapest option: fly (or take the train, slow but cheap) to Shenzhen, then hop over to HK (see related thread "Metro/train from Shenzhen to HK?"). Processing time at Chinese embassy is 4 days, including day you apply. Chungking Mansions on Nathan Rd. in Kowloon (HK) is affordable place to stay, no reservation necessary. Have fun!
Anyone who has flown to Shenzhen instead of Hong Kong to save money know if the Shenzhen metro system connects to the Shenzhen airport and, if so, how tricky is it to negotiate the trip from the airport to Kowloon? Thanks.
You can extend your L visa two times at the main PSB on Beijing Lu for a small fee, much cheaper than exiting and re-entering. You can ask for a sixty day extension each time but they will usually only give you a thirty day one.
I have a suggestion. Would it make sense to title the excellent GoKunming interviews with something that gives the reader an idea of who the person interviewed might be? Because just saying "Interview: so and so" gives the reader nothing to go on and less likely to actually click on it and read it. Just a thought.
The insatiably greedy, swallow up the little guy with our vast reserves of capital American corporate behemoth known as Starbucks has been driving locally owned cafes out of business all over the globe, while it treats its employees like dirt. I see no cause for celebration at the news that Yunnan is one step closer to being corporatized and globalized. If you can't live without your Starbucks fix, go back where you came from instead of cheering on the ruination of wonderful, funky, unique Yunnan. A Starbucks in Dali?! I hope I never live to see that day arrive. Wake up.
The Korean restaurant at 18 Wen Lin Jie is under new management and I recommend it highly. It is chef owned, the owner (Ivan) and his wife speak a little English, and they are very friendly and helpful. Fast service, excellent Korean food and good prices. No, I'm not related to them, I just really enjoyed our evening there recently and want to spread the word in hopes that they'll do well and be around for a long time so we can keep going back!
Interview: Xiang Rong
Posted byI have a suggestion. Would it make sense to title the excellent GoKunming interviews with something that gives the reader an idea of who the person interviewed might be? Because just saying "Interview: so and so" gives the reader nothing to go on and less likely to actually click on it and read it. Just a thought.
GoKunming Year of the Rabbit Holiday Preview
Posted byCan't swear to it, but I heard Vintage Cafe will stay open.
Kunming pursuing closer ties with Nepal
Posted byChina is going to help Nepal develop its education system and industrial sector? Oh dear.
Starbucks moving into Yunnan to support China expansion
Posted byThe insatiably greedy, swallow up the little guy with our vast reserves of capital American corporate behemoth known as Starbucks has been driving locally owned cafes out of business all over the globe, while it treats its employees like dirt. I see no cause for celebration at the news that Yunnan is one step closer to being corporatized and globalized. If you can't live without your Starbucks fix, go back where you came from instead of cheering on the ruination of wonderful, funky, unique Yunnan. A Starbucks in Dali?! I hope I never live to see that day arrive. Wake up.