Travel advice & practical information for travelogue:

'Colorful Yunnan, China'

Useful addresses

New York

Consulate General of the People's Republic of China
520 12th Ave.
New York,NY 10036
Tel: 212-244 9456

London

Embassy of the People's Republic of China
31 Portland Place
London W1B 1QD
Consular & Visa: Monday-Friday 9:00am-12:00noon)
Tel: 020-76311430 (Telephone Inquiry for Chinese Visa 2:00-4:00pm)

Paris

Embassy of the People's Republic of China
18-20, rue Washington
75008 Paris
Tel: 01 5375 8925 (visa) Fax: 020 -74369178 (for visa)

You will need a visa for China.

Food and drinks

Many restaurants don't have an English menu. It is convenient to bring a list of Chinese food (f.e. in the Lonely Planet guidebook), so you can point at the Chinese names of the dishes. Often they won't have that particular dish, but if you point twice at something with potatoes in it, they'll get it and propose some potato dish they have.

Street barbecues are a part of life in Yunnan and it is very much fun.

Hiking

If nature trails are your thing, it's better to pick a different destination than the Tiger Leaping Gorge. The road that is under construction is not at all like a nature trail. It also often causes landslides and then the Gorge is closed to the public. But it is a fun way to hike from Lijiang to Zhongdian in a few days.

Health

Toilets in China require a certain amount of adaptation. They are unsanitary and it takes a lot of courage every now and then to deal with them.

Almost everyone who travels in China gets diarrhoea. The food is delicious, but there is a fair chance of food poisoning. For information about health risks, see Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also check your own Foreign Department's web page for up-to-date information. Also consult your physician.

Climate and best time to travel

May-June is a good time to travel to Yunnan. It doesn't rain often and the temperatures is pleasant.

Money

Always bargain, even in large shopping centers. The Chinese feel insulted if you just pay what they ask. Also, if you bargain, you usually end up paying a quarter or a third of of the original price.

In any case, learn to count to ten in Chinese. That makes bargaining a lot easier. Most merchants have calculators.

Compare car rent

If you know which places you are going to visit, you can find out online if and where there are ATM's that you can use with MasterCard and Cirrus or Visa

Plan your trip to China online

Through online reservation systems like À la Carte Vacations you can book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars and holiday houses. You can build a fly-drive itinerary with maximum flexibility, book a flight plus a hotel hotel for a night or weekend. Without the limitations of package deals from travel organisations and most times for a much better price.

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