Can someone recommend or have a GPS track for a XC route starting from downtown near Jinbi Square? I want to rent and do a 5-10 mile round-trip ride from a bike shop that rents mountain bikes. I need a relative simple route (I can't read or speak chinese, and my phone GPS is flakey) but not boring and totally flat, and it must be accessbile from the bike shop. I have no equipment, just bike shorts. I need a relatively simple, but fun route, easily accessible from a downtown bike ship (such as xiong or pegasus, cyclist shops). Just realized I need some kind of water bottle or bladder also.

I saw this route which normally would look good to me, www.mapmyride.com/routes/fullscreen/246412265/ but since I'm sure I'll get lost several times and cant read chinese and my gps may not work well, at 15 miles, I could take all day if I get lost several times.

I also saw this, but it looks completely flat and boring. www.mapmyride.com/[...]

Haha, in the US esp San Francisco, starbucks isn't really a place to "pose" anymore, if ever it was.

So in Kunming, which give you higher poser status, is it chain coffee shops like starbucks or those independent small cafes like the ones along wenlin st?

Thanks for the tips. I will check out that hongshandonglu. I was here a couple years ago on wenlin st. It got a bit too crowded for me especially at night, though I think it might've been due to it being christmas eve or something.

With regard to using the bathroom, in the US, doing a #1 is fast and not a usually a problem. Just try to do a #2 at home, or just take your stuff with you if you need to, and hope your spot is still open.

Is there a Yelp alternative useful for Kunming visitors?

I'm not really those sitters. If I'm there in the morning (like at starbucks) I'll get a coffee and breakfast sandwich. Later I'll get a refill or a 2nd drink and a snack or lunch. And I'm not there all day.

Anyway we'll be staying at my wifes dad's house. There's no shops near by it. And I'm not sure how good the wifi is there. Also at a place like starbucks, I can get food when I like. I'm not sure if there's anything I can cook at her dad's place. Without my own car, and the subway system in infancy, I may feel trapped in Kunming.

Anyway, I may have to take calls from the US (ie for phone interviews). They usually call in to me. Is there a good reliable option, (thats free or very cheap for others to use/setup) to communicate with me over the "phone"?