User profile: Pierre

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Where to buy Wii in Kunming

Go to the location "Neverwinter" gave you in the post above. There are several shops selling gaming consoles.

But please, please, please... do not try to start the next media hype about those shops not being "authenticated resellers". As Chinese law states, gaming consoles with exchangeable programs are banned in China, only those with fixed programs are allowed, but the producers have to get a permit in order for the consoles to be legally sold (only Chinese consoles, with Chinese games have this permit). Everything else (PS1, PSP, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox360, Wii, hell even Gameboys) is/are illegally imported to China.

That's one reason to look out which version is being sold to you, especially important for the Wii you're planning to buy. Check if it's a NTSC or PAL (I don't know which one is better, or even if one is better), and check which games are available for each version; choose accordingly.

And because everything IS illegal, they make it even better by selling you a cracked version of the console, so that you can download or buy plain copies of the games.

Price-wise I recommend the following practice. Go on Taobao and check for the usual price of a Wii. Add about 10-15% to this price and it should represent the street-price you'll have to pay. If the vendor is actually kind or offering customer service you might even want think about paying 20% extra (keep in mind possible future "warranty" [read re-cracking] cases).

Do not expect getting a Fapaio (official recede), but try getting an "official" Shouju at least.

Have fun!!!

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Skype 5.3

I usually get my skype from cnet (download.cnet.com) or softpedia.com. They always host the newest version and most of the time their mirrors are reasonably fast.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Proxy to be logged in China

I heard that some VPN's offer a server in China, so that people can experience the Internet in China, but this is a paid solution.
Other than that, like onlyone said, try googling for proxies here in China and not abroad. Some proxy sites will let you sort after country, choose one in China and you should be fine.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Kunming Tap Water

I wouldn't do water filtering in Kunming for drinking water. Not because I do not trust (good) filters to function, but because of the costs.
I'd say that water here has a lot of sediment in it. You do not need to put it aside in bottles, in our house(es) it was enough not to run the tap for 12hrs and then take a look at what color the water has for the first seconds (I guess to prevent clogging your filter, you would need to build a slow moving water basin to let the sediment settle to the ground). I also noticed that Kunming's water some days has quite high amounts of chlorine, sometimes when I shower it reminds me of the water in a public pool (shudder...) and I won't drink that. I do not know about the bacteria content, but I would guess that, with the level of chlorine, it should be quite low, so I use it to brush my teeth and do not feel uncomfortable.

As far as drinking water goes, I think it's safer, cheaper and more convenient to switch to bottled water. The 5-gallon bottle runs around 10yuan, some more expensive, some cheaper (you also have to pay a deposit for the first bottle, and sometimes on company will not take the bottles from another with them). The "taste" (combination of minerals in the water) differs from brand to brand, so I would try some first and then pre-order them to get them even cheaper (some brands also offer smaller bottles so it's even easier to try). It's even delivered not only to your doorstep, but into your water dispenser. I also think that most of it is quite real drinking/table water. Almost everybody uses it and it never made me sick or had a strange taste. The only thing you need to do is to clean your water dispenser regularly to prevent bacteria from spreading (like with a filter), but other than that it's really hassle free.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Disposal of Depleted Batteries

Saw a place once where scooter batteries were disposed here in Kunming, near the airport... had to fight the urge to hold my breath...
Batteries just lying on one big (3 meter) pile exposed to the elements (rain), with a small stream of liquid forming at the bottom running down the street and into the sewers.

Correct information here at the end of this thread: gokunming.com/en/forums/thread/1411/recycling_batteries

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Godspeed John and Cas. I hope you can make Thailand as much of a home as you did with Kunming. That special signed booklet from in front of Diego's place was one of the few things I kept from China. Cheers from another mountainous city across the globe.

Yeah, it's not only the carbon footprint.
Let's ask Alex directly: Look around where you are right now... Can you see an outdoor jacket? Maybe a backpack? Or how about a PET bottle? Maybe you just had a sip of coke, iced tea, green tea, Fanta, water? Do you see any of these items?
I'd say yes. Am I right? If so, I urge you to throw these out immediately as they are made out of PX. Yeah, that's right. When you manufacturer polyester you start with PX. Then you add oxygen to it after that you combined it with an alcohol and voilá, you have plastic.

So, I believe maybe you should rethink your position about PX or throw out everything made out, or containing polyester. Should I sum up some items which you cannot use anymore?

Or is it just the NIMBY problem? Google it and you know what I mean.

I have nothing more to add, otherwise I would take over this thread on how refineries work, how PX is used, how it seems that only China views it as a carcinogen (someone remember the Fukushima-Salt-crisis?) and which substances carry carcinogenic properties.
Ian, take my advice... brew yourself a nice cup of tea (but not a carcinogenic one, all right!?), do some research on those topics, sit back, relax and observe. You might be able to learn more about human nature than you think. Always keep in mind that knowledge is power and will help you in your future life.

Well Ian, I do not agree that much with your second to post. I personally do not blame anybody for protesting, nor would I use the concept of shame.
It's just what you said in the first post: Does everybody really what they are protesting against?

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