i'd say the 4-dayer to Dali is ill-advised if you've "not ridden a bike seriously in 8 months". day three of that ride is a shocker, surface-wise. also, going north/higher brings a higher chance of wet/cold.
i'd suggest riding south (Jinghong or Hekou as possible targets) or staying near Kunming. a pretty straightforward 4-dayer based near Kunming is as follows: Day 1 Kunming to Yuxi; Day 2 Yuxi to Gushan; Day 3 lap of Fuxian Lake (this allows you to ride a day unloaded); Day 4 Gushan to Kunming (this has a fairly challenging climb, and some shoddy surface).
i'd offer to send you KMLs of this, but i don't have them with me now (i'm on a bike trip) - Fried (above) has copies of them, and he knows the roads involved. just don't let him talk you into any of his silly 200km+ per day monkey business...
if you're travelling soon, i.e. winter / dry season, i'd skip the antimalarials. it's not worth the side effects, they're difficult to get in China, and they do nothing against dengue. oh, and there's fewer mosquitoes at this time of year. take some repellent.
much eloquence from Chris - his last paragraph especially hits the nail on the head. i'm not sure I'd have had it in me to ante up for another round after an experience like that.
as i'm sure you've heard me say countless times before, i'd not have been able to move to a place like Kunming without a place like Salvador's at which to anchor my life, and i know i'm not alone in this sentiment. i can't even remember what we did the few months you were closed after the bombing - dark days indeed.
here's something telling: whenever i've mentioned to Kunming newcomers about the bombing, they struggle to grasp it. there's simply no sign of it. i don't mean just in the bricks and mortar, i mean there's no trace in the air, in the character of the place. to take something so harrowing, and move on from it so effectively, takes real class.
Yuxi from Kunming is a great first day. there's a bit of traffic and crappy surface after Jinning, but nothing unmanageable. several Ks after Jinning, you'll cross the highway on a bridge and go up a wee bit more, then after that you'll practically fall into Yuxi. it's significantly lower than Kunming. Fenghuang Lu has a decent selection of hotels.
sounds like there's a difference of opinion on this subject across different jurisdictions - the wikipedia article contrasts the US and Germany. so, a key question is the view the Chinese legal system takes. any Chinese lawyers out there?
this must be a concern for any corporation with a major brand, but especially so if the legal environment involved has a protectionist streak.
should anyone coming over for the ride turn up this post, here's a few pointers:
road surface: the east side of the lake is unknown to me. i was there last october, and it was unsurfaced and definitely mountain bike terrain. a friend of mine was there february, and said the road was still unsurfaced. however, as NordicWays is suggesting this as being a suitable ride for a road bike, i presume it's now been surfaced. so, expect brand new blacktop.
the west side has plenty of concrete surface, which can get slick in the wet.
weather: it's rainy season in Yunnan, so assume it's going to rain. the plus side is that it doesn't get too cold in the summer rain here, unless you're doing mad descending. i would bring a rain cape or a long sleeved jersey though.
route: from yuxi over to the lake appears to be on the highway, which is usually closed to bikes, so no direct info there. as it's highway, i'm expecting it to be fairly level and well-surfaced.
west side, generally flat, but getting bumpier as you get more north. chances are we'll have a steady tail wind. up near jianshan (the peak you can see in the photo above) there's a fairly steep but short lived climb, followed by some nice descending - but watch out for the tight switchback (clear on the KMZ file from the organizers).
east side, also lots of flat, but there's a climb shortly after chengjiang, and one right after haikou zhen, which is about halfway down the east side.
fuxian lake is beautiful, the water clean, and the air over there is unpolluted. it should be a great day out.
i was rather impressed. glad i didn't bother with the long trip to somewhere "better", as i was quite happy with the degree of sun-munch-ed-ness i saw from Kunming. bit worried i've fried my retinas though.
when the light dimmed and the dogs started barking and the cicadas started chirping, i was happy enough.
@greginchina
i'm thinking that maybe the high buildings in Think UK mean you're used to perma-twilight? :P
no-one's reviewed this place for nearly 3 years! i think i know why: it's solid. a bit boring maybe, but they get the job done: food on the table in good time, attentive staff, wide selection of items. the 'Prague Breakfast' is a fine feed, still good value after the recent price increase.
i joined friends here on the weekend. they were getting food and playing a game. the pizzas looked great, but my friends advised me to avoid them, saying they tasted bland.
having made a selection, it took 20 minutes for the staff to tell me that my choice was no longer available. as my friends had nearly finished their game, we then all took our business elsewhere.
helpful advice:
- if someone arrives, give them a menu
- sort out the beer selection
- if i speak to you in Chinese, speak back to me in Chinese
i've recently rediscovered this place. it's a little hit and miss, but i have to say that with a little experimentation, you can find some quality food here. while not perfect, the vindaloo is the best i've had.
i first sampled the Silver Spoon burgers a few weeks back - not bad at all, though i was unconvinced that they were 1/2 pound. another visit yesterday, and this time i was persuaded... definitely a fat burger. i was very happy with my cheese and bacon burger. diners with large appetites, be warned - you'll need a side of something to make a meal - the burger is just a burger - no fries.
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Hundreds of shopowners protest Luosiwan demolition
Posted bythey don't? looking at the traffic you'd think they were giving them away...
the new market will be on the light rail line, methinks
Kunming to hold UFO forum this month
Posted bywi-fri? gakk gakk! gakk gakk! greetings Earthlings, i come to you from the far infra-red of the solaaaaar system.
Yunnan coffee producer found in violation of Nestlé trademark
Posted byinteresting stuff: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genericized_trademark
sounds like there's a difference of opinion on this subject across different jurisdictions - the wikipedia article contrasts the US and Germany. so, a key question is the view the Chinese legal system takes. any Chinese lawyers out there?
this must be a concern for any corporation with a major brand, but especially so if the legal environment involved has a protectionist streak.
World's largest recreational bicycle race coming to Yunnan
Posted byshould anyone coming over for the ride turn up this post, here's a few pointers:
road surface: the east side of the lake is unknown to me. i was there last october, and it was unsurfaced and definitely mountain bike terrain. a friend of mine was there february, and said the road was still unsurfaced. however, as NordicWays is suggesting this as being a suitable ride for a road bike, i presume it's now been surfaced. so, expect brand new blacktop.
the west side has plenty of concrete surface, which can get slick in the wet.
weather: it's rainy season in Yunnan, so assume it's going to rain. the plus side is that it doesn't get too cold in the summer rain here, unless you're doing mad descending. i would bring a rain cape or a long sleeved jersey though.
route: from yuxi over to the lake appears to be on the highway, which is usually closed to bikes, so no direct info there. as it's highway, i'm expecting it to be fairly level and well-surfaced.
west side, generally flat, but getting bumpier as you get more north. chances are we'll have a steady tail wind. up near jianshan (the peak you can see in the photo above) there's a fairly steep but short lived climb, followed by some nice descending - but watch out for the tight switchback (clear on the KMZ file from the organizers).
east side, also lots of flat, but there's a climb shortly after chengjiang, and one right after haikou zhen, which is about halfway down the east side.
fuxian lake is beautiful, the water clean, and the air over there is unpolluted. it should be a great day out.
Solar eclipse to sweep across China tomorrow
Posted byi was rather impressed. glad i didn't bother with the long trip to somewhere "better", as i was quite happy with the degree of sun-munch-ed-ness i saw from Kunming. bit worried i've fried my retinas though.
when the light dimmed and the dogs started barking and the cicadas started chirping, i was happy enough.
@greginchina
i'm thinking that maybe the high buildings in Think UK mean you're used to perma-twilight? :P