User profile: ludwig

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Forums > Travel Yunnan > Going to Luoping

The easiest and quickest way to go to Luoping is actually by train: quite a few leave throughout the day and pass through Luoping on their way to Nanning, Guangzhou and other destinations. The fast trains take about three hours. The cheapest option is the slow train which I once took for only Y 16, but it took 6+ hours as it stops everywhere and waits for lots of other trains to pass. You can buy the tickets at many outlets in KM.
For the journey back remember to note the times posted in Luoping train station when you arrive. Outside peak hours you should always get a ticket, but probably at short notice no assigned seat. Alternatively take a bus, about one every forty minutes. A time-table is here: www.yunnanexplorer.com/transport/station/luoping/

At the train station is a local bus that goes to the main bus station in Luoping, or alternatively take a taxi.

There are hotels in town (as in all Chinese cities), but the town ranks low in the list of attractive towns in Yunnan, so it might be better to stay somewhere closer to the sites.

There are a few main scenic areas, the best known Jinji 金鸡 Golden Chicken. Just north of the road is a village, which had when I stayed there at least one guest house, I think I paid Y20. While nothing fancy, it had the advantage that you can just walk out of the door and you are at the viewpoint in ten minutes for sunrise. Times in Jinji are best at sunrise and sunset.

To get to the Jiulong waterfall 九龙瀑布 catch a minibus going east and change in the next township Banqiao 板桥 for the remaining five km or so. There is an entrance fee for the waterfalls, but I thought they are quite nice.
Best time is during the later morning as you then get the sun on the waterfall, so a good option just to go there after sunrise at Jinji.

South of Luoping is the Duoyihe 多依河 scenic area, a nice river-side walk which has been tarted up with waterwheel constructions from all over the world. There is accommodation down there, I think I paid Y80 during a peak holiday time, there are cheaper guesthouse just on the road opposite to the entrance. To get to Duoyihe take a minibus from next to Luoping's busterminal (right if you are facing the bus station) to Lubuge 鲁布格. That journey takes maybe an hour. If you hire the minibus you can make them stop at viewpoint of the karst mountains somewhere along the way.

April 5 2011 is a main festival day in the area, 三月三, coinciding with Qingming this year, but if you leave it that long there will probably be little left of the rapeseed flower.

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Forums > Travel Yunnan > Traveling from Kunming to Laos

According to the website of the Kunming Busterminals, there is a daily bus from KM to Luang Prabang at 18:30: www.km-ky.com/2010/0208/108.html I have seen the bus at the southern bust terminal, so it is running. Timewise it will take about 30 hours and cost some Y400+.

Alternatively, you could catch a bus to Mohan, right on the Lao border, again according to that website a daily sleeper bus. The time table posted in Mohan says that this bus costs Y240.

From Mohan you could cross the border yourself and get onward transport (via minibus) to Luang Namtha, Udomxay and beyond. Or you can catch a bus from Mohan to Vientiane (two busses in the morning, Y200), Luang Prabang (Y100, one bus in the morning), Luang Namtha (3 busses over the day Y25), or the Thai border (billed as Golden Triangle, one morning, one afternoon bus for Y110). All this according to timetable posted in Mohan busstation.

Plenty of cheapo hotels in Mohan should you choose to stay overnight, plus at least one gigantic pink casino-style hotel (used no-doubtable only for legit pursuits) over on the Boten side.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Western groceries in Kunming

For certain things like olive oil, cold cuts, cheese, pasta and the like try the Box. Yes, the bar on Wenhuaxiang, they also have a food import business that supplies mostly businesses, but they also do retail. They have a long catalogue from which you can order and either pick up in the bar or from 300Y they will deliver. Certain things are in stock at the bar...
I found the Walmart at Xiaoximen totally useless, they do not have anything (or just maybe I have never managed to find it in the cavernous maze. I always think about an earthquake hitting when I am inside that store.)

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Forums > Travel Yunnan > Wanted Hire Car Dali to Yuan Yang 24th Fab

First of all, I do not think your dad, or anyone in your group would be allowed to drive in China, lacking a local driving permit. So your only option would be to hire a car with driver.

This should be no problem in Dali, but I hope you realize that you will need more than one day from Dali to Yuanyang if you are going through the 'countryside'. Taking the fastest road, i.e. the expressway from Dali to Kunming, then down past Yuxi to Jianshui, then to Gejiu, down to the Red River and up to Yuanyang will take no less than 10 hours, unless you are willing to break the speed limit in some major way. Going on anything other than that road will easily double the driving time.

But with that taken into account, you can certainly do a trip much more interesting than what most people do.
My suggestion for a route would be to drive from Dali to Chuxiong, where you turn south towards Shuangbai and then down to the Red River from there. The main town in that part is Yuanjiang, a relaxed county town. From there smaller roads can take you to Yuanyang, but the most direct route, along the Red River, was blocked between Yuanjiang and Honghe due to a dispute over who pays for a new road. For relaxed travel I would plan at least three days for this route.

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Forums > Travel Yunnan > Good hotels? Kunming, Dali, Yuan Yang, Yang Shuo

Kunming: I had friends here stay at the Yuantong Siji Hotel, opposite Yuantong Temple on Yuantongjie. It was pretty new last year, with kind-of-stylish, if slightly small rooms. Internet in rooms. The rate last year was 288Y per night, no English spoken.

Dali: a good choice in the old town is Rainbow's Nest (?), on Guangwu Road 广武路. If you come from Xiaguan by taxi, go via Boai Lu, turn right (downhill towards the lake) on Yuer Lu and drive two or three blocks, then left. The guesthouse comes after about 50-100m on the right. Just before it is the Caotang guesthouse.
It is a quiet, undeveloped part of old Dali, within easy walking distance to the main streets. Rainbow's Nest, if I remember the name correctly, is a new building, apartment style, some of the (few) rooms come with kitchen(ette), as the original plan was to rent it out on a longer term base. I paid 100Y per night for a very large, very bright suite-style room.

Yuanyang: I have not been for a long time, but I assume the Yunti (cloud ladder) is still the swankiest place in town, with the best rooms and reliable hot water supply. In the off-season, which is March, I do not think you will pay much more than 120Y.

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I was at the site a few years ago, then it was a sparsely forrested hill surrounded by southern Kunming's growing construction. Apart from the Flying Tigers marker there were a number of newer Chinese tombs (the coffin part is more likely from one of the newer graves). Some people were up there for picnics, leaving the usual rubbish.

Finding the Flying Tigers marker set in 2008 is not too difficult. We took a taxi down to the old 贵昆路 to 普照村. Then with a little help from a local we turned east, crossed the railway line and scrambled up a dirt track to the top of the hill. There seemed to be better access from the other side.

A link to a map showing the location: www.yunnanexplorer.com/[...]

A bit more background information on the times and the 12-1 incident in a book by one of Kunming's longest western residents, John Israel: Lianda - A Chinese University in War and Revolution, for the 12-1 incident see particularly pp369.

While scholarly, John's book is very readable and gives a lot of insight into the times of the anti-Japanese war here in Kunming. It has recently been translated and published to great acclaim here in China.

www.yunnanexplorer.com/bibliography/publication/lianda/

Closest 龙舟比赛 probably in Yiliang 宜良 as part of the annual 花街节. Races start at 10am on Wednesday, I am not actually sure exactly where they have enough water for a serious race, but the flower market is held along 乡鸭湖大道, a ten minute walk from the bus terminal.

Full program here:

www.yunnanexplorer.com/gp/yiliang-huajie-2013-1/

@helface
You misunderstood me if you thought that I was expecting GoKM to be anything but lighthearted. Not reporting controversial issues is a practical solution to a real problem and as nothing of that nature appears in GoKM I assume that this an editorial decision. This is fine with me.

As I said, I draw the line where this turns into a bizarre defense of distorted facts that have significant meaning in this country, assisted by some semantic trickery and hidden editing.

Is that really asking too much?

@Liumingke1234
It was meant in jest.

I have been to Tianpeng 田蓬 in Funing county where this has happened a few times, the first time maybe ten years ago. Not only is the scenery pretty nice, but it also has a unique mix of minorities: Miao, Yao, Yi, Zhuang. Even the Han dress traditionally there and some people cross from the Vietnamese side on market day.

But the border police has been very itchy every time I went there. The first time they told me to move into a different guesthouse and not to leave the township apart from on the bus back. Now I understand their concerns a bit better.

Reviews

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It is rare to find good approximations of western food anywhere in China and their lamb-chops (listed as lamb T-bone steak or so) were the best I have found so far. They came with good fries and the beer was cold. I liked the way that they serve the gloopy 'black-pepper sauce' separately, so one can just skip it. Pleasant and quick service too.

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A pleasant modern eatery. The menu claims the chef worked for a large Chinese chain of Thai restaurants, but the Thai aspect of the food is difficult to find.

I gave the 'boneless chicken feet' a miss and had some spicy beef which while not bad was closer to the usual Sichuan fare than anything Thai. A dog under the table quickly lapping up any dropped food complemented the Sichuan experience.

The spring rolls were not bad though and together with a beer the bill came to Y58.

Easiest improvement would be better rice.

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Easily the best bread to be found in Yunnan with friendly and efficient service. I have made detours to Dali just to pick up some bread on the way back to Kunming.