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.
possible. go all the way through the gorge in one day, sleep in Daju. your cut off will be the ferry - so nail the operating times of that in advance. you might need your running shoes.
i'm no expert photographer, but i was taught to keep my horizontals horizontal... that photo, presumably an official one, makes me feel like i'm already in a plane.
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.
Celebrating a Miao Christmas in Yunnan
Posted by"while praying they retain their own character and culture"
Their own culture? I think not. I think aspects of their own culture were supplanted by 'helpful' Christian missionaries.
On a less angry-about-how-Christianity-homogenised-the-world-with-the-aid-of-fairy-stories note, if teach => taught, why not preach => praught?
Huge land mine clearance underway in Wenshan, Honghe
Posted by"Military coordinators expect the new mine-clearing effort to remove nearly all dangerous ordinance from the targeted locales."
Nearly all? Great...
Monsterous mushroom found in Pu'er
Posted bypity it has a spelling error
Getting away: Daju Town
Posted bypossible. go all the way through the gorge in one day, sleep in Daju. your cut off will be the ferry - so nail the operating times of that in advance. you might need your running shoes.
Kunming's new airport to open in late June
Posted byi'm no expert photographer, but i was taught to keep my horizontals horizontal... that photo, presumably an official one, makes me feel like i'm already in a plane.