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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Laos & China 2025
Day 12: Around Kunming
Laos-China 2025 Day 12: 15th December (Monday)
This is page 12 of a 12-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< D11: Kunming 01 | Go to Other Days | D1: Vientiane >
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Route recommendations, here are some tips on travelling to and around Laos:
1. Traffic Directions!
China, is left-hand drive, and vehicles drive on the right side of the road. So do bear this in mind when crossing the road OR when sitting at the front passenger seat. I made this mistake several times and boarded the car at the driver's side with the driver giving me a surprised look π.
We flew AirAsia from KLIA Terminal 2 to Vientiane's Wattay International Airport; buying tickets earlier to get cheaper fares. Considering the potential difficulties with luggage storage during the later train journey in Laos, we also packed light (20kg checked-in luggage for two people). Together with carry-on luggage, we each had 17kg per person. Fare was MYR407 per pax.
We booked our train tickets from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang to Xishuangbanna through the LCR App. For the Luang Prabang to Xishuangbanna leg, electronic train tickets need to be changed to physical paper tickets at the Luang Prabang Train Station (at a counter of the ticketing office, so arrive earlier to do this).
Our return flight was from Kunming Changshui International Airport to KLIA Terminal 1 via China Eastern Airlines, which has a checked-in baggage restriction of a single piece of not more than 23kg for our Basic Economy Class ticket. Together with a cabin luggage of 8kg, we each had 31kg of luggage. Fare was MYR525 per pax. We just loaded our clothes and other hardier items in a large soft bag we brought along as cabin luggage, and important shopping purchases into our cabin luggage. Oddly, no food was served or can be purchased during this four-hour flight; only drinks were served, so do fill your tummy first.
We booked our train tickets from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang to Xishuangbanna through the LCR App. For the Luang Prabang to Xishuangbanna leg, electronic train tickets need to be changed to physical paper tickets at the Luang Prabang Train Station (at a counter of the ticketing office, so arrive earlier to do this).
Our return flight was from Kunming Changshui International Airport to KLIA Terminal 1 via China Eastern Airlines, which has a checked-in baggage restriction of a single piece of not more than 23kg for our Basic Economy Class ticket. Together with a cabin luggage of 8kg, we each had 31kg of luggage. Fare was MYR525 per pax. We just loaded our clothes and other hardier items in a large soft bag we brought along as cabin luggage, and important shopping purchases into our cabin luggage. Oddly, no food was served or can be purchased during this four-hour flight; only drinks were served, so do fill your tummy first.
3. Getting from town to town in China.
For China, getting between major cities is easy using the China HSR trains (for us, it's from Pu'er City to Kunming). Tickets can be booked via www.12306.cn OR Trip.com; electronic tickets need to be changed to physical paper tickets.
For travel between cities not served by the trains, we pre-booked a private driver contacted through WeChat - from Jinghong, Xishuangbanna to Jingmai Mountain (Wengji Village & Nougan Village) to Pu'er City).
For China, getting between major cities is easy using the China HSR trains (for us, it's from Pu'er City to Kunming). Tickets can be booked via www.12306.cn OR Trip.com; electronic tickets need to be changed to physical paper tickets.
For travel between cities not served by the trains, we pre-booked a private driver contacted through WeChat - from Jinghong, Xishuangbanna to Jingmai Mountain (Wengji Village & Nougan Village) to Pu'er City).
4. Getting around towns and cities in China.
In China, install the Didi ride-hailing app, which is extremely convenient to use, especially in major cities, and English can be selected as the preferred language. Just type in the destinations in English, and a list comes out for selection. There is a need to bind the app to a credit/debit card. Rides are relatively cheap, as most riders use e-vehicles.
For today, we took dd rides to and from KOS and also to the airport.
In China, install the Didi ride-hailing app, which is extremely convenient to use, especially in major cities, and English can be selected as the preferred language. Just type in the destinations in English, and a list comes out for selection. There is a need to bind the app to a credit/debit card. Rides are relatively cheap, as most riders use e-vehicles.
For today, we took dd rides to and from KOS and also to the airport.
Note: Touch 'n Go e-Wallet doesn't seem to work in Laos. It works well in China and Thailand.
5. Immigration & Customs Requirements
For China, Malaysians can enter, exit, or transit the country without a visa for up to 30 days per visit, with a maximum cumulative stay of 90 days within any 180 days. Permitted purposes include tourism, business, family visits, exchanges, private affairs, medical treatment, and international transportation (such as airline crew duties). The travel passport must be valid throughout the whole period of stay or 180 days from the day of first entry.
Click here for China visa-free policy for other countries, and here for China Visa application.
Click here for the China China Arrival Card for phones. Do note some scams regarding these online forms. OR one can alternatively fill in paper forms, which are available at the train stations or during the flight.
Click here for China visa-free policy for other countries, and here for China Visa application.
Click here for the China China Arrival Card for phones. Do note some scams regarding these online forms. OR one can alternatively fill in paper forms, which are available at the train stations or during the flight.
6. Places & Things of Interests
Enroute were several places of interest, some of which we visited and others we did not for lack of time (Note: click on GPS coordinates for a directional map to respective places):
b. Nanping Pedestrian Street (ζζεΈδΊεεΊζ₯θ‘θ‘) (GPS: 25.03749, 102.71355) Wuhua District, Kunming.
c. Kunming Old Street (ζζθθ‘) (GPS: 25.03857, 102.70927), Wuhua District; around here:
c. Kunming Old Street (ζζθθ‘) (GPS: 25.03857, 102.70927), Wuhua District; around here:
i. Yunnan Arabica Coffee Shop (GPS: 25.03908, 102.70919).
ii. Crystal of the Mount Shop (GPS: 25.03880, 102.70925).
7. Food
a. Breakfast
b. Lunch
At Dali Handmade Food (GPS: 25.04052, 102.70869) at Kunming Old Street:
Ganba Wild Mushroom Fried Rice, Chicken Noodles Soup, and Mochi Dessert.
c. Dinner
At Ning Ji Small Pot Rice Noodles (Ning Ji Xiao Guo Mi Xian) (GPS: 25.04275, 102.72166):
1. Ham & Egg Fried Rice, 2. White Rice with Sliced Pork & Green Chilli, 3. Braised Dry Noodles with Minced Pork, 4. Specialty Soup Noodles with Minced Pork, 5. Desserts of Persimmon & Blueberry.
1. Ham & Egg Fried Rice, 2. White Rice with Sliced Pork & Green Chilli, 3. Braised Dry Noodles with Minced Pork, 4. Specialty Soup Noodles with Minced Pork, 5. Desserts of Persimmon & Blueberry.
d. Supper
Coffee on board China Eastern Airlines Flight MU859 from Kunming to Kuala Lumpur.
8. Communicating with Each Other
Before we left, we purchased online the Happy China Sim Card and got the 8-Day 8GB and 16GB cards for RM25.29 and RM40.03 respectively. The cards were only inserted when we entered China.
For China domestic flights, international flights from China, and connecting flights with China legs, only China 3C-certified power banks with a capacity of no more than 20,000 mAh are allowed. They must be taken out of the cabin luggage space and placed in the seat pockets. The power banks have to be switched off and cannot be used during the flight. Click here for more power-bank restrictions. Alternatively, it would be a good idea to rent a power bank in China.
For China domestic flights, international flights from China, and connecting flights with China legs, only China 3C-certified power banks with a capacity of no more than 20,000 mAh are allowed. They must be taken out of the cabin luggage space and placed in the seat pockets. The power banks have to be switched off and cannot be used during the flight. Click here for more power-bank restrictions. Alternatively, it would be a good idea to rent a power bank in China.
9. Communicating with Locals
Except for those in the travel industry, in China, most locals speak Mandarin, or the local Yunnan languages, like Dai, Naxi, Yi, and Bai, etc. To get by, it will be good to speak some basic Mandarin.
One can also use Google Translate or Papago (delivers higher accuracy and better pronunciation for East Asian content like Korean, Japanese, and Chinese).
10. Weather
A useful weather forecast site for China is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.
11. Navigation
Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.
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PRELUDE
A day earlier, we took a China HSR Train to Kunming, and had half a day of exploring the new and old parts of the city, including Nanping Pedestrian Street and Kunming Old Street in the evening.
Today, we continue exploring Kunming; before taking a late evening flight back home.
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DAY 12: AROUND KUNMING
Most of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first. FB has recently changed its approach, and as such, all relevant links are now inserted in the comments.)
10:00am - Good morning from Panlong District, Kunming. We checked out of our hotel but left our luggage with the reception desk. Now we are ready to set out for the day to explore more of the city. The weather report said it's 7°C, but it felt warmer.
10:00am - Good morning from Panlong District, Kunming. We checked out of our hotel but left our luggage with the reception desk. Now we are ready to set out for the day to explore more of the city. The weather report said it's 7°C, but it felt warmer.
Fearing cold weather, which was forecast, I had overpacked on warm clothing. Half of which wasn't used! π
Hailed a Didi ride, and within minutes, we were at Kunming Old Street, where we had a light breakfast of Flower Biscuits at a shop simply called Flower Pastry Shop.
Walked around the old street for a while, but got hungry again soon. The flower biscuits didn't last long. So it was lunch at Dali Handmade Food, where we had Ganba Wild Mushroom Fried Rice, Chicken Noodles Soup, and Mochi Dessert.
This wild mushroom fried rice is a traditional Yunnan dish that centers around the unique wild Ganba mushroom. The mushroom is manually shredded into strips and then rinsed repeatedly to remove impurities. It is then stir-fried with diced Xuanwei Ham.
Daytime Views at Kunming Old Street looked much different from yesterday night and was bustling with people.
Stopped by this Yunnan Arabica Coffee Shop, promoting coffee instead of tea.
Yunnan’s geographic and climatic advantages make it an ideal region for cultivating high-quality Arabica coffee. The beans produced in this region are highly sought after due to their unique flavor, which combines rich sweetness with a fruity and floral aroma.
Crystal of the Mount Shop, selling Yunnan crystals & gemstones.
Crystal of the Mount Shop, selling Yunnan crystals & gemstones.
Pu'er Tea Slabs from the Cangshui Run Tea Shop at Kunming Old Street.
Jingmai Mountain tea is being sold here at two to three times the price of that at the Ancient Tea Villages of Jingmai Mountain. Regrets, should have bought more while up in the mountain tea villages!
Not all is hustle and bustle, this shoe-cleaning lady earns a hard day's living by cleaning shoes at 10 yuan a pair.
At the adjacent street, we stopped to shop for jackets and sweaters at the Poloo Noble Jacket & Sweater Shop (GPS: 25.03719, 102.70991). Bought a brown jacket for future holidays to temperate lands.
Back near our hotel, we saw this truck full of premium muddy Lotus roots. These muddy roots fetch a high price back home! These are the highly prized 7-Hole Lotus Root, which is usually shorter, thicker, and has a brown exterior. It is softer, more starchy, and becomes very tender when cooked, making it best suited for soups, stews, and creating lotus root powder.
Powdered lotus root is used to make Lotus Root Tea., which has good medicinal properties. One teaspoon of lotus root powder is enough to make a cup of tea. Lotus Root Tea is used for medicinal purposes in cases of asthma, flu, and bronchitis.
5:00pm - Early dinner at Ning Ji Small Pot Rice Noodles (Ning Ji Xiao Guo Mi Xian) (GPS: 25.04275, 102.72166):
1. Ham & Egg Fried Rice, 2. White Rice with Sliced Pork & Green Chilli, 3. Braised Dry Noodles with Minced Pork, 4. Specialty Soup Noodles with Minced Pork, 5. Desserts of Persimmon & Blueberry. Overall, an average dinner only.
Our hotel receptionist and an earlier Didi driver advised that it would take two hours to reach Kunming International Airport due to traffic jams, hence the early dinner.
But the Kunming Airport Expressway (S92), leading to the airport, was clear, traffic was smooth, and it only took us 30 minutes, arriving much, much earlier than required!
At Kunming Changshui International Airport, ready to check in for China Eastern Airlines Flight MU859 from Kunming to KLIA Terminal 1. Looking forward to getting home after twelve interesting days in Laos and Southwestern China (Xinan).
The airport has two runways (versus the single runway at the former Wujiaba Airport), and handled over 47,000,000 passengers in 2024, making it the 47th busiest airport in the world and 4th busiest airport in China by passenger traffic.
With time to spare, we wandered around the terminal building visiting several shops, including this Yunnan Characteristic Product Collection Store Premium, which sells the renowned Yunnan Air-cured Ham. Could this be the Xuanwei Ham, which we had several days ago, or the Noudeng Ham? Most probably, the whole leg one is Heqing Round-leg Ham.
These are different from Larou (θ θ), the Yunnan smoke-cured pork belly.
Tucked in one corner were these alien-looking contraptions. These are sleeping pods from Naphubs, clean, hygienic pods for the weary traveller who needs a private and secure nap while waiting for their flight. I wonder whether passengers with early morning flights can check in the evening before and have a good night's sleep in them, and save on a night at the hotel.
10:00pm - Comfortably on board China Eastern Airlines Flight MU859 from Kunming to Kuala Lumpur. Taking off at 10:30pm, the flight will take four hours and land at KLIA1, i.e. Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Terminal 1.
Twenty minutes after taking off, having my coffee with Coffee Mate creamer - first time I see an airline serving this creamer for my
coffee instead of milk. I guess they know that many Asians suffer from lactose intolerance.
Haiz..... My happiness was short-lived; they don't serve food on this flight, even though it's a four-hour flight! They don't even sell any food!!!!!
Haiz..... My happiness was short-lived; they don't serve food on this flight, even though it's a four-hour flight! They don't even sell any food!!!!!
2:00am, 16th December - Selamat Pulang ke Tanah Air. Welcome Home.
Hungry π but glad to be home in
Malaysia.
Happiness!!
The kids, knowing that we would miss Malaysian food, had bought Penang Hokkien Prawn Mee from Yong Len Coffeeshop.
Yummy!
The kids, knowing that we would miss Malaysian food, had bought Penang Hokkien Prawn Mee from Yong Len Coffeeshop.
Yummy!
IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK HOME!
("Back Home Again" a welcome back song by John Denver)
(For more photos of Day 12, Click Here)
This is page 12 of a 12-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< D11: Kunming 01 | Go to Other Days | D1: Vientiane >
< D11: Kunming 01 | Go to Other Days | D1: Vientiane >
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