Our last road trip to Georgia was becoming a distant memory, so that meant we needed another one. China is a place I’ve always wanted to visit, but have always been deterred by the visa hassles. Things are changing for the better, though, and a ten-day transit visa was possible at the time we booked the trip. By the time we went, UK passport holders could get 30 days on arrival.
April is unbearably hot in Thailand, with weeks pushing near 40-degree temperatures, and the weather in Yunnan province was much more agreeable.
The Thai Airways flight and passage through immigration at Kunming were uneventful, and I didn’t need to show any documents or pre-prepared QR immigration codes. I usually ignore anyone who approaches me in the airport offering taxi services, but this guy had a good price (209 yuan/1,080 thb) for the four of us in the most high-tech luxury electric van I’d ever seen, so it was a no-brainer.
Our accommodation at the Ramada Encore Hotel was equally impressive, with a room large enough to play football in and the biggest TV projector screen I have seen. Things got even better when we discovered the local minimart and prices that were much less than in Thailand. It made me wonder why so many Chinese go there and pay more for everything.
We ventured out to the Shuangqiao night market in the evening to sample some Kunming street food, which ranged from beef skewers to chillied oysters to chicken feet to deep-fried centipedes and terrapins, and even boiled pig brains. It was a very crowded affair, but prices were very low since this was a local market.
Taxis in China are also very cheap, as over 90% of the cars are electric, so not impacted by the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran and the resultant fuel crisis in other countries. Payments are made with the Alipay app, and the DiDi app works for hailing rides, with payment made automatically when the ride is over, it’s all very efficient.
Next: Lijiang
