Blogs from Kunming, Yunnan, China, Asia - page 6

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Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming September 1st 2012

I arrive into Kunming and its tipping down with rain. I stay at Cloudland International Youth Hostel (definitely stretching the definition of "youth" these days...) It is has a cosy bar and restaurant so i only venture out to the nearest corner shop to buy a tea flask and some green tea – carried by people everywhere – well when in China - and an umbrella. I'm sharing a dorm with two guys - a thoughtful Jewish Parisian called Baptiste and a rather cocky shaven headed Swede called Carl. On the first day I keep leaving my laptop to go to the loo and they hide it from me. I know its Carl's idea and i'm not sure if he' doing it pointedly as i've expected them to keep an eye on it. He's fairly friendly ... read more
Absorbed in Chinese chess
Dancing in the parks

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming August 17th 2012

Take me to the magic of the moment On a glory night Where the children of tomorrow dream away In the wind of change -Scorpions Carl the brewer moved up to Dali from Thailand about a decade ago. In those days, the expressway from Kunming was a dream and the journey out to the little village took days from the provincial capital. He looked around at the shacky little place and saw a unique atmosphere where the local Bai minorities and a few Han settlers lived in a sort of separated reality. There were more westerners in the town than Chinese tourists. Ganga grew through the cracks in the streets, and the police were more interested in drinking beers with visitors than hassling them for documents. For Carl, the place was an unexpected and perfect mix ... read more
Yunnan Province
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tourists in Dali

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming August 17th 2012

Work hard to earn enough money, then, spend all the money in a fantabulous independent travel. After roaming for a while, then, work hard again for the next trip. This kind of life is what I'm pursuing all my life. 'Cause, I love travelling. Although my family quite disagree with my dreams, I still insist what I love. After working for a year, I decided to start my journey again. This time, I would go to Yunnan and Sichuan, two of the most beautiful cities in China on my own. I'll start my joruney at 27th Aug from Kunming, Yunnan. I hope it will be a wonderful trip.... read more
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Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming August 13th 2012

Na precies een maand verlaten we China weer. Ons 30- dagen visum verloopt deze zondag - dus hopen dat de douane niet flauw doet dat we pas na middernacht de grens passeren. Na het veelzijdige China met enerzijds indrukwekkende cultuur, lekkere eten, enorme steden, bergen, rijstvelden, rivieren, vele olympische medailles en anderzijds gerochel, het moeilijke communicereen, de enorme aantallen binnenlandse toeristen, de lange afstanden, smog en de ontelbare bouwplaatsen hebben we zin om door te gaan. Volgende bestemming is Luang Prabang, de voormalige hoofdstad van Laos met slechts 50.000 inwoners - een verademing dus! Kunming, maandagochtend zes augustus. Zogezegd regeldag. Bus naar prima Kunming Cloudland hostel. De kakkerlak die in een hoek van onze kamer kruipt negeren we maar, voor een euro draaien we een was en de kleren hangen we uit in onze... read more

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming August 3rd 2012

CHINA: KUNMING...Left & lonesome when all I had was 1 yuan. Being left behind is one thing...being left behind with only 1 yuan or 15 cents is another...40 kms from anywhere...being left behind at all...wouldn't do it to my worst enemy...certainly not to a friend...but so as not to miss out on calligraphy...that sucks! We flew from Beijing...across countryside that reminded me of crinkled aluminium foil...to Kunming the capital of Yunnan Provence...commencing our trip to Shangri-la...the enticement for my first trip to China...6 of us...3 Chinese speakers...3 not...me probably the most excited...me the least experienced. David had visited Yunnan weeks before and planned our itinerary...gave us a list of our destinations and dates...that's all the detail required...lead on David. David & Pauline only just made Beijing Airport in time...held up by "the accident."... read more
LIKE CRINKLED ALUMINIUM FOIL
CERAMIC ARHATS
LUNCH

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming July 30th 2012

Geo: 25.05, 102.7After our first night in Kunming, in one of the most horrendous rooms so far on the trip, we moved to a youth hostel called 'The Hump' in the middle of the shopping area of the city. This was better positioned for the HUGE Carrefour supermarket, selling everything including the kitchen sink, McD's, Starbucks and 'The Brilliant Plaza!' As you can prob tell from the things in our proximity, it was not high for sight seeing! One of the funniest moments here, was the KTV karaoke bar.... already pretty fueled from playing ring of fire with cheap gin, we ran across the road in the rain to laugh at Chinese people singing British songs badly. However, it turned out to be a room of our own, filled with beer and popcorn, with a screen ... read more
View from The Hump
KTV
Karaoke

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming July 14th 2012

Stayed 3 nights in Juli's place, join her life for 3 days as well. we'd very good lamb rice noodle, it was tasty let me had it for 3 day's lunch. we discussed about life and love, she taught me ' Time and distance would let a relationship become more insipid, but sometimes they also let a relationship become deeper. ' , yes, I agree with her. but the latter one need very very strong base of relationship then it chould be tested by time and distance. After had a good time with her, she was helping me to get the premit of Tibet, but we failed anyways, there are some limitation to 'foreigners' to get in, now I'm a 'foreigner'.. so I decided go to Szechwan,Chengdu first, to extend my visa in China first, then ... read more
Lamb rice noodle.

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming July 12th 2012

All great journeys have to begin with excellent preparation. I have packed my bag a day in advance, removing non-essentials, adding some hopefully essentials, bought my train tickets, met with friends to bid farewell. All are important before setting off I feel. I am the expert of the weekend trip having perfected that working five days a week in Korea and only having the weekends to explore. A 20 liter bag with room for souviniers that could be packed in 20 minutes. But this will be my first real journey that will hopefully last the better part of two months away from home. I have my 42 liter bag (not stuffed but getting close) with all my gear. No idea about the weight but I wouldn't want to have it on for more than an hour ... read more

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming July 8th 2012

The airport in Kunming just opened in June 2012, so it's modern and easy to navigate. The ATM that I found near the exit didn't work for me (nor for my friends), though. There is apparently a train that connects to the new airport, but I walked to the front to buses just outside the main entrance. The helpers / attendants of the buses spoke some English and were able to help me; plus, the tickets themselves were in English and had clear maps as to what all the stops are. I took bus #1 to the city center and followed my directions to walk to the Fairyland Hotel on Beijing Rd (not a bad place -- 28 dollars for a room for 3; see Tripadvisor ratings). Mike and Cindy were waiting for me at the ... read more
Nondescript Intersection
A Hotel at Night

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming May 16th 2012

Last full day in Kunming.... read more
School
School
School




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