User profile: blobbles

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Forums > Living in Kunming > how do you pay taxes on parcels?

Be careful buying anything on Taobao as some people are fake and will take your money no qualms. To think there are people like this in the world?? My friends tell me they can usually tell by the ratings etc people get, but it isn't as reliable as e-bay and others.

Its likely that the item is out the back door of the factory yes! Though you can't be sure of the authenticity or quality of the item I would ask for real pictures (cell phone OK) and email contacts, even talking to the person and doing everything you can to make sure its real.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > how do you pay taxes on parcels?

My friend got something sent to him once (I think it was a computer game or something?) and he had to pay more in taxes than what it was worth.

I would get an e-reader from www.taobao.com as its likely you will have to pay some stupid amount for import tax.

Check out taobao though, search for ereader. Looks like you can get sonys, kindles, kobos (I have one and they are pretty cheap and OK). Then, depending what country you are from, use a VPN for ordering the books. I am from NZ and use Astrill which makes it look like I am still there for my kobo purchases (they are geographically aware as each place pays different rates for books).

To get stuff from Taobao though you need to set up some stuff with your bank (according to my friend), special account or something. Talk to some Chinese friends, they will probably have an account already.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Veteran

I heard Gaoxing also bites children and once touched a horses dong. Well, thats what I heard... I still think the "I am Gaoxing" t-shirt is a good idea...

If I saw Gaoxing in person, I would buy him a beer and thank him for the laughs!

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Forums > Travel Yunnan > going to taiwan with no flights

This page talks about it a lot: www.seat61.com/Taiwan.htm#Ferries to Taiwan

I would get the train to Guangzhou (overnight sleeper) then go to the East bus station (you might need to stay a night in Guangzhou) and take the train to Zhangzhou as specified here:

www.chinatraveldepot.com/[...]

Xiamen isn't far away then, a taxi or bus would take you there probably. You are looking at 2-6 days of travel though... and it might just be cheaper to fly after all the hotels and train trips and hassle. Although it might be worth it just for the experience (I am also a masochist!).

Google fixes everything.

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Cheers guys, will google earth it first to check it out! When I go and ride a route I will have a look around using a GPS tracking application on my phone so I can tell people if I find some nice tracks. I am a pretty sensible and skilled mountain biker so won't end up skewered by my handlebars down some dead end track, well, it hasn't happend in my 18 years of mountainbiking (5 years of racing!).

My tendency when exploring new routes is to cycle it at a sane speed first, remembering turns and key points for dismounting etc. The next time at medium speed and the next at 3/4 speed, which is about as fast as I dare in areas that could be changed one day to the next!

Can you guys tell me if there are access issues (private property etc) around the area, apart from the military base on the South side of the mountain? This may be a general China question - will I get shot at or arrested if I stray onto some farmland where the farmer doesn't like visitors? Probably a pretty general question, but being new to China it would be good for any local advice. So far when I have been riding up around the resovior areas most people don't take any notice of me and those that do usually give encouraging shouts (well, I think so, my Chinese isn't that good yet!).

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Just did this ride (the original, will try Daniels update another time!), its pretty good for a training ride, some good extended uphills that keep the heart going for some time. This is the only ride where I have noticed the slight oxygen depletion from the altitude!

Can anyone tell me if there is any good single track off the mountain and how to get to it? There may be some off the various small roads leading off the main route, but I aren't sure where to start looking! Thanks

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Wow, just wow. Possibly the best Chinese food I have had in Kunming. And in one of the nicest, traditional courtyard style restaurant I have been in. A woman dressed in traditional qi pao playing a gu zheng just adds to it.

We had okra, mushroom soup, dried beef and chou dofu. All top notch with the bill coming in at just over 250 kuai. But we could have fed 3 people for that so not too bad at about 80-90 kuai each. Not the cheapest but for the quality, it's damn good.

If you have people visiting and want to take them to a traditional Chinese style restaurant with Yunnan style food, or want a romantic night out with a gal, you can't go wrong here. Close to Green Lake (down a little alley) for a romantic walk... Just perfect.

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Pretty good place for getting all your documents translated and/or notarised. Note that there are a number of notaries in the building which you can find by going up the stairs (the elevators are impossible). But you have to find the stairs to do so... go in the door, head over to the right, go up the big wide stairs which head up a floor, turn right then right again into the elevator area and right again into the stairwells. Whew!

One point off for the elevators never being available and having to hike 7-9 flights of stairs (not good if you have to go 3-4 times a day like I often did!)

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This does not stop at the Jinanya hotel at Da Shang Hui as the flyers state (and is on the images tab here). They need to have another stop in the same area or else they are missing out on covering a big chunk of the city.

You can take another bus, the 919C, I believe, if you are nearby Da Shang Hui, which leaves from the bus station on HeHong Lu, nearby the Qianxing road intersection. This bus goes every hour and is white, found at the western end of the station. It is operated by a different company and takes about 1 hour 10 minutes to get to the airport due to a large number of stops especially near the airport.

Great bus though if you can catch it!

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Friendly people, even got to the talk to the vice consulate, who told me she had done a stint in Malaysia's Siberian Consulate!

English is spoken by some of the Chinese girls working at the desk who are pleasant to deal with. I assume they do Visa's as well but I wasn't here for a visa, this time!