Still some not bad options up bao zhu...
At the top of the road before heading down to the downhill tracks (where most bikers stop), take the major dirt road on the left (watch for trucks, can get dusty). Up the road about 5km take a left and keep following your nose exploring a few decent tracks.
Do the first part of the downhill (the least dodgy) to the part with the nice view after the big jump and the smaller one, then turn left. This is a brilliant sometimes technical x country track. Watch out on this track for some big worm spots (writhing wriggling masses of worms) which I have never seen before! Ends at a cemetery where you can carry your bike through to a service road on the other side. Follow this to a Y intersection at a small cornfield next to a little house (yapping small dog), turn left to get back to the road (keep straight). I think you could turn right past the house maybe to hit the trail opposite side but I never tried. This trail is a very good x country ride which you can combine with the other bao zhu normal trails making a fairly good figure of 8 ride returning to the bottom of bao zhu. I used to do this as a run all the time about 12 km) - up bao zhu via the road, start of downhill track, turn left as above, take road back to start of downhill tracks, do start of downhill, turn right past the almost landslide hills (don't hang around), take the sometimes technical track down (watch for walkers).
There are also some good tracks that can be very long up jin dian beyond the expo gardens. Ride past the dam, stay on the road for about 10km more until you get to a village at the top of a series of climbs (you will likely see other cyclists here on the weekends). From here you can go right to hit some decent trails that can last for 30km plus (find your way!) or continue on the road a little and go left up through some villages to a quarry road with some interesting technical trails coming off the left... These all seem to end near a damn where a few people fish. Contact Lee at Pegasus cycles for these ones, he knows them pretty well and bikes them with (sometimes large) groups on Saturdays (look for "Guided Group Cycling to nearby hills" event).
I would go exploring with ya, but aren't in KM for the foreseeable future sorry!


Spring City looks to embrace sweeping green agenda
Posted byStop talking sense Mike. For China to be able to continue claiming it is a developing nation (and hence shirk all international responsibilities) it must continue to grow stupidly while acting inefficiently. All attempts at greening some part of their economy at the moment are token offerings used to accelerate growth (creating new markets) and use as weapons in any environmental negotiations.
Xuning Temple, Kunming's mountaintop sanctuary
Posted byThe road out is commonly where MTB riders going up or down the mountain start and end. You should see people on mountain bikes going in and out of the road if going on the weekend. It is also just North of a pedestrian over bridge (where I assume the 2nd to last pic is taken) and can get dusty as hell when cars come down.
Around Town: Kunming Museum
Posted byClassic, big "NO PHOTOGRAPHS" sign, and the previous picture you have a girl taking a pic of a picasso! Is this the museum across from the PSB where everyone has to go to get their visa's done?
Black carbon and women's health in rural Yunnan
Posted byHave people been to village houses before where they use the round compressed coal pellets for heating/cooking? These are coal pellets filled with holes, about the size of a large mans fist.
Whenever I am around them I pretty much begin choking! The particulates and toxicity of these things I suspect is pretty high as well.
Unfortunately going electric in Yunnan (likely producing most of its electricity from hydro) seems to be the best way for heating, when taking into account the environmental and human health factors. At least if people light these type of unventilated (no chimney) fires...
Welcome to the new GoKunming!
Posted byAnd the major chunk missing - the new reviews and listings section still isn't online, apparently its been in testing since March??