www.gokunming.com/[...]

I recommend you get tested if you paln to live in China for a long period of time. Compare the results every 5 years, especially if you eat fish, the bottom feeder types.

I just recently visited Zhang Jia Jie, Hunan to see the famous UNESCO site in Wu Ling Yuan. I found this place to be very very disappointing and just a ripoff.

Avatar - For the film's floating "Hallelujah Mountains", the designers drew inspiration from many different types of mountains, but mainly the karst limestone formations in China. According to production designer Dylan Cole, the fictional floating rocks were inspired by Mount Huang (Huangshan), Guilin, Zhangjiajie, among others around the world.

This place has nothing to do with the film yet they have capatalized on the statement that the designers were inspired by them. They have posters of the film everywhere and most people are led to believe that the movie was filmed at this location. They even renamed one of the peaks Hallelujah Mountain.

The ticket price of 248 Yuan is absurd and it includes nothing more than allowing you in the park. Cable car, elevator, bus fees are not included. I took the elevator up for an additional 72 Yuan. We asked how long the wait is and everyone lied and said 30 minutes when in fact it was 2 hours waiting time. The 30 second elevator ride offers no view and 25 people are crammed in like cattle. From the elevator it is a short 200 meter walk to the next bus stop that will take you to another place. If you chose to walk instead of ride the bus, it is a 5 km walk with absolutely no view.

The viewing platforms are useless as they are covered with overgrown trees and bushes and offer no view. In between each platform there is no view of anything other then the top of some trees.

I walked down from the top after the elevator ride and again, the 3 hour walk offered nothing to see and again had viewing platforms that were covered with trees and blocked the view. At the end of the walk we had to pay for a local bus to bring us back to the park entrance because the green bus they provide does not service this route.

There is no information service center at this location and when we tried to ask some questions, they quickly replied with vague answers and a BAD attitude. Don't think you get a map for your 248 Yuan. Most people come in tour buses so they just play follow the leader and follow the pied piper who leads the way. People are expected to know the routes and know where the buses will take them. If you don't know beforehand, no one will explain anyhting to you.

The one thing I did enjoy was the highspeed train (300 km/hr) that services this location. Unfortunately, I discovered a very peculiar habit from the people of Hunan while riding in both trains and buses during my 2 week stay in many places in Hunan. The people have an obssession with taking off their shoes and putting their feet up on the chairs, seats, and any place they can. While riding the highspeed train, (many, not just a few individuals, because this is a group behavior), took off their shoes and they lowered the tray table in front of them and put their feet on the trays. Others put their feet on the headrest in the seat in front of them while others put their feet on the windows. The train staff casually walked by and said nothing to the many people who did this.

I stopped taking pictures of this behavior because there were so many people doing this. Of the 8 people sitting around me, 6 had their shoes off and three had them on the serving trays. When I got up to use the bathroom, the behavior was the same in most other seats. I found this same behavior in other trains as well as the buses.

So I know someone is just waiting to tell me that how do I know they were only people from Hunan doing this. Anyone who has ever been to Hunan will quickly learn that Hunan is not really a province of China, it is another world. They speak a different language here and they simple refuse to speak Mandarin. This dialect is easy to identify and forget about trying to get directions anywhere in Hunan. The people will either reply briefly in their own dialect, or just ignore your question and look at you like you are an alien from another planet. Yes, if you are not from Hunan, then you are an alien. I can honestly say that they do treat all people equally. If you are a foreigner or a chinese person from another province, you will both receive the same Bad attitude and rude behavior.

If you have time, get your visa in KMG and save time and hassle at the border.

hugoyunnantravel.com/des_laos.asp

I prefer to go by bus if I am in a hurry but I do enjoy the slow train, especially when I am with a small group of friends and we can all sit together and do some People Watching.

www.hugoyunnantravel.com/des_chuxiong.asp?page=4

For those who like to travel, a trip to the Old Salt Towns in Yunnan is a very nice experience. There are 3 Salt Towns in Yunnan province.

www.hugoyunnantravel.com/des_chuxiong.asp?page=4

www.hugoyunnantravel.com/des_daliB.asp?page=5

www.hugoyunnantravel.com/des_chuxiong.asp?page=11