High speed rail train to Shangri-la will finally be completed and in operation this year. Five-hour trip from Kunming, passing through Dali and Lijiang train stations obviously.
92nd anniversary commemorating the incident
Still there ricsnap, from 9am - 19pm, on the small street just west of panlong river on 金牛街
A 23-kilometer running and cycling path around the outer banks of Dianchi greenpath has been built, dubbed the 滇池绿道环草海, it's located around the ecological wetland and Caohai area district.
For more photos and info:
Passengers can book online. For example, you can try Qunar. Just type 去哪儿 in your WeChat miniprogram search bar. The white camel logo with aqua color backdrop should appear.
Qunar is basically the subsidiary of Ctrip (aka Trip.com). So for the longest time they nearly monopolized the domestic travel/hotel booking market in the Mainland. Ctrip has been expanding aggressively in the tour packages market, making a killing with their vertical integrations.
After registration (or login), click the train tab and type in 老挝 for destinations in Laos. The specific high speed rail stations in Laos will appear in Chinese.
It seems only Kunming South is available for departure everyday fixed at 8:08am. A 7 hour 37 min journey to Luang Prabang for 413 rmb. 8 hr 30min for Van Vieng (475rmb), etc. Even cheaper after claiming vouchers for first-time users of Qunar.
Tickets seem to be available for booking, even for next day travel.
Perhaps all the fuss making the rounds on Chinese social media regarding Myanmar human trafficking for forced spam labor is scaring netizens from traveling to neighboring SE countries. Domestic travel has been booming in its place. That's good news if you're planning a less jam-packed trip to Laos, albeit in the monsoon season.
I'm out of the loop on current border wait time (as @baiyuxiang mentioned) or the latest visa-on-arrival situation, but I do know the best exchange rates for cash are specific Chinese owned shops across towns, not the ATMs or local exchange vendors.
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For a limited time until June 26, 2022, the 66th top floor observatory will be open to public for free. Visiting hours: 14:00 - 21:00, weekends and holidays. One of the best breathtaking views of the cityscape. Great for family. Below the skyscraper is intersection of MRT Line 3 (pink) with Line 2/1.
For those following the tragic saga of the baby calf elephant (born at Kunming Zoo), who was forcibly separated from its mother to perform as solo act elsewhere for profit, there's finally some good news. After months of social media uproar and complaints over the cruel treatments of the calf in tears during training in leaked vids, the calf is soon returning back to our local zoo. The visibly depressed mother and calf will soon be reunited after a brief quarantine period. One extra star for the zoo for adhering to the voices of the public. A step in the right direction. More compassion for our animal friends in captivity.
China-Laos railway now connecting cities of Kunming and Vientiane
Posted byLike this railway, Beerlao lager is also a joint venture (Carlsberg Group with the Lao government) and one of the most prominent brands in Laos. A national treasure worth protecting ;)
The brewery company's 10% shrinkage during summer wet seasons may be attributed to the poor road conditions scattered throughout most of Laos. One of the infrastructural problems that needs to be addressed at the ministerial level.
The "three hours" bottlenecks for passengers in Moding is a wrinkle to be ironed out... granted the two extra shared vehicle trips (jacked up fares on the Lao side) between Boting, the border checkpoints, and Moding could now be bypassed.
The Lao government needs to stop turning a blind-eye to their custom officials, not to mention the consulate staff in Kunming, from threatening passengers and pocketing extra fees for themselves.
China-Laos railway now connecting cities of Kunming and Vientiane
Posted byBeginning sometime next month in April, the Laos China Railway trains will seamlessly cross borders without the hassles of disembarking for border checkpoints.
China-Laos railway now connecting cities of Kunming and Vientiane
Posted byGood news. Starting next Wednesday on March 15, passengers can book tickets for the Laos-China Railway on their mobile devices (via the "LCR Ticket" app, available on Play store or Apple).
Currently, reserving train seats for the Laos' rail portion have been hectic as local scalpers have dominated the station queues, reselling train seats to Luang Prabang at double or triple rates.
www.thestar.com.my/[...]
China-Laos railway now connecting cities of Kunming and Vientiane
Posted byTo update, passenger high speed rail trains connecting from Kunming into Laos have begun since earlier this year... and runs further into Luang Namtha, Oudomxay, Luang Prabang (an UNESCO World Heritage-listed town), and Vientiane provinces.
A good post on places to visit along the way:
www.traveller.com.au/[...]
Recent talks with Thailand-Laos rail network cross-border connections from Vientiane:
www.bangkokpost.com/[...]
COVID-19 vaccinations for expats in Kunming available until July 18
Posted byAlthough Omicron has already been ripping through Kunming, the word is that the fourth vaccine, in the aerosol form of inhalable or spray, may be rolling out in Yunnan for the general public at the end of the month or the next.
I hope prior to lunar new year, the more vulnerable elderly in rural outskirt villages, where health services are relatively dearth, will also have access to these updated vaccines when they congregate in town markets every five days during traditional "ganji" to sell their homegrown produce.