Your post is talking about a very specific kind of attitude— the people who have no interest in the language or hate all the food have no business here in the first place.
Still, I think a lot of people end up staying in China longer than they should. It's always hard to leave a place and start again somewhere else, even if that somewhere else is "home." And in a place as different as China is from the US and Europe, it can be hard to see a clear direction to move in career-wise when you are looking to leave China, further complicating matters. Many people also start to feel like they need to accomplish something concrete before leaving China, and stay here striving or searching for that. It is quite common to get to a point where you feel a little stuck here, and that breeds resentment and frustration. It ain't easy, and we all need each other's support.
I just skimmed Tom69's replies and they seem mostly consistent with my experience on a trip last month, except for the money issues. Some thoughts/comments:
Border crossing: I was also hearing that returning to Thailand over land is doable.
Hostels/Hotels: Advisable to book ahead when you can. You definitely do not want to land in Yangon with no room. I paid as little as $10 (Motherland 2, dorm, in Yangon, totally serviceable) and as much as $50. Seemed like the standard for a passable but not nice room was around $25 everywhere you go.
ATMs: You really should bring crisp USD. ATMs very rare in Yangon, and the amount you can get vs the fee (plus what you get charged by your own bank) is ludicrous. If you are desperate, yes you'll be able to get money from an ATM but you don't want to count on it. There is a good chance you will not be staying near any ATMs. I also saw a Chinese guy trying to exchange RMB at the airport, and getting basically laughed at.
Granted, I was there mid-March, and our friend here is saying the situation changed March 31. But I would really bring USD if you can.
I do have contact info for a travel agent, but have no special reason to recommend her or any other I encountered there. You'll do just as well booking directly through your hotel.
You can't complete a booking online no matter what kind of Internet connection you have — the airlines will only take cash payment.
@mike4g_air It's made possible by land swaps — this recent Sinica podcast gives a pretty good introduction to how they work, and how local officials use them to screw farmers.
Recently stayed at Lost Garden and Upland, which seem to be each other's only competitors in that neighborhood. I prefer Lost Garden— seems to be more comfortable rooms, and slightly better overall. I did spend one night in a horrible room there — one of their dorm rooms in the main building. It seems to have flooded and had one of the strongest mold odors I have ever smelled. But I had them move me the next day into another room (it was dorm 101, in the building that does not have a lobby or restaurant).
Definite room for improvement (roof terrace is not at all tended to, random boxes and stuff in hallways, very slow breakfast service), but as guesthouse/hostel options go in Kunming, it seems to be the best of the few things going.
This shop is pretty out of the way (they've moved to near the south gate) and it's not worth hunting them down unless you are tall and can't find a big enough bike elsewhere.
Not only do they charge almost twice as much as other shops (they are charging a premium for a Russian brand called Format), but I have found the service pretty un-friendly, despite the whole "We're a bike club" thing.
US Ambassador to China visits Yunnan
Posted byLink, Walter, link!
Farmers protest land grab south of Kunming
Posted by@mike4g_air It's made possible by land swaps — this recent Sinica podcast gives a pretty good introduction to how they work, and how local officials use them to screw farmers.
popupchinese.com/lessons/sinica/chinas-urban-billion
Interview: Shopkeeper Ms Tang
Posted byMore of this, please!
Interview: 'Cloth painter' A Ling
Posted byI absolutely love that second work! Wish I could see the whole exhibition...