Yunnan with 2 toddlers

Hi all,

I am thinking of spending the 1st week of December in Yunnan. I will be
traveling with my wife and two toddlers aged 3 and 1. Because of the
two toddlers we probably will limit ourselves to Kunming and Lijiang.

What do you think? Can anyone offer advice on the must-go-places,
must-eat-food, weather, mode of transport, favourite hotels, etc?

A million thanks.

kahhean

On 8 Oct 2005 00:24:21 -0700, the renowned wrote:

Hi all,

I am thinking of spending the 1st week of December in Yunnan. I will be
traveling with my wife and two toddlers aged 3 and 1. Because of the
two toddlers we probably will limit ourselves to Kunming and Lijiang.

What do you think? Can anyone offer advice on the must-go-places,
must-eat-food, weather, mode of transport, favourite hotels, etc?

A million thanks.

kahhean

Try Weis pizza place in Kunming. The whole upstairs incorporates a big
playroom-- your kids will have a ball while you have a rather good
meal. The mapo dofu is good there, as well as the pizza.

They'll have a good time in those places. If the fire/water stage show
is still on in Lijang, they might like that too (depending on how
easily scared they are). Kids should be free-- spring for the best
seats.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

In article .com,
says...
Hi all,

I am thinking of spending the 1st week of December in Yunnan. I will be
traveling with my wife and two toddlers aged 3 and 1. Because of the
two toddlers we probably will limit ourselves to Kunming and Lijiang.

What do you think? Can anyone offer advice on the must-go-places,
must-eat-food, weather, mode of transport, favourite hotels, etc?

Kunming is "ok", but there are not too many sights in the town itself.
Lijiang is nice and better suited for a family with two small children.
I would minimize the time in Kunming and perhaps add a day or two in
Dali (Kunming is just a big town). See here for some photos:

http://www.molon.de/galleries/China/Yunnan/
--

Alfred Molon
http://www.molon.de - 6000 photos from Asia, Africa and Europe

Any suggestion on how to go to Lijiang from Kunming? Plane? Train? Cab?
Bus?

Any body tried hiring cabs to get to the attractions miles away from
the city? Packing my kids onto crowded buses may be too stressful for
everybody.

On 11 Oct 2005 05:05:10 -0700, the renowned wrote:

Any suggestion on how to go to Lijiang from Kunming? Plane? Train? Cab?
Bus?

I think airplane is best.

Cab? It's something like 9 hours by road, IIRC.

Any body tried hiring cabs to get to the attractions miles away from
the city? Packing my kids onto crowded buses may be too stressful for
everybody.

Sure. Six of one, half dozen of the other IMO. With four people a cab
should be quite reasonable for relatively short distances.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

In article .com,
says...
Any suggestion on how to go to Lijiang from Kunming? Plane? Train? Cab?
Bus?

With small children the plane seems to be the only option.

Any body tried hiring cabs to get to the attractions miles away from
the city? Packing my kids onto crowded buses may be too stressful for
everybody.

You can rent a car + driver to visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge for
instance.
--

Alfred Molon
http://www.molon.de - 6000 photos from Asia, Africa and Europe

Yunnan is located on the Yun-Gui altiplano. The capital city Kunming
is called the "Spring City" and it is a good place to go in any of the
four seasons.

In Kunming, the must-go places I suggest:

Stone Forest - your children will love it. - a 270-million-year-old
limestone karst formation of tightly bundled gray rocky outcrops, a
natural wonder acknowledged as "World Karst Landscape Museum", the
Stone Forest shows a variety of unique shapes such as sword,
mushrooms, tower, pillar, castle representing the greatest miracle
that the nature can present to human beings.
The Grand View Park (Daguan Park) - located by the Dian Lake, which
features a Buddhist temple and the early Qing-dynasty Grand View
Tower, the Grand View Tower is famous for its inscriptions by the
18-century poet Sun Ranweng.

In Dali:

Dali Ancient Town: first established in 1382 AD, with a moat
surrounding, this old town has a typical layout like a chessboard,
old-timey roofed buildings with dark blue tiles and the white and gray
tall walls.

Erhai: in the shape of an ear, covering 250 square kilometres, with
its vast pool of water shining under the sun like a sheet of vivid
green and the snow mantles of the Cang Mountain reflecting quiveringly
in it, it is known poetically as "Silver Cang Mountain and Jade-like
Erhar".

Three Pagodas: at the foot of the Zhonghe Peak of the Cang Mountain,
part of Chongshen Monastery, they are an emblem of the city's
venerated history. The tallest of the trio, which is 69.13 metres
tall, was built in 836 AD, while two smaller ones were built during a
later period. No visit to Dali is complete with a call at these three
pagodas.

In Lijiang:

The Ancient Town: also called Dayan Town, built in the late song
dynasty and the early Yuan dynasty with a history of more than 800
years, this ancient town consists of clean streams flowing freely
through the raod network, the colorful cobbled streets, age-old
swaying willow trees, age-old buildings and stone bridges. There are
over 22 different ethnic minorities making Lijiang their home, now and
then you may see local folks in their own tradtional dress. Strolling
around this charming ancient town, you will be attracted by the unique
atmosphere and surprised by its ancient yet simple sense of "Harmony
of Heaven and Man.

The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: it is so called because it looks like a
flying jade dragon from afar. The mountain consists of 13 peaks and
sprawls 35 km from north to south, its glacier is the modern oceanic
glacier closest to the equator in the Northern Hemisphere. By taking
the cable car up to certain height, you can enjoy the expansive
mountains views and snowy secnery.

The Baisha Mural Paintings: located in Baisha Township, 8km north of
Lijiang, there are altogether 53 groups of mural paintings in
different temples with fine and smooth lines, bright colors,vivid
pattern and harmonious composition. Painted from the early days of the
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911),these
mural paintings are an artistic representation of the different
religious cultures such as Buddhism, Lamaism, Daoism and the Naxi
Dongba religion.

The most famous food in Yunnan is "Guo-Qiao-Mi-Xian", a kind of rice
noodle.

As for the hotels, there are too many choices. At least you must tell:
which class (top deluxe, standard, budget, or super budget)?

The best way to plan your Yunnan trip is to find a professional travel
consultant to design a trip for you.

Have a nice trip!

Laura Gan

China Travel Consultant
http://www.chinatravel.com/china-tours/

wrote:
Hi all,

I am thinking of spending the 1st week of December in Yunnan. I will be
traveling with my wife and two toddlers aged 3 and 1. Because of the
two toddlers we probably will limit ourselves to Kunming and Lijiang.

What do you think? Can anyone offer advice on the must-go-places,
must-eat-food, weather, mode of transport, favourite hotels, etc?

A million thanks.

kahhean

In article .com,
wrote:

Hi all,

I am thinking of spending the 1st week of December in Yunnan. I will be
traveling with my wife and two toddlers aged 3 and 1. Because of the
two toddlers we probably will limit ourselves to Kunming and Lijiang.

What do you think? Can anyone offer advice on the must-go-places,
must-eat-food, weather, mode of transport, favourite hotels, etc?

A million thanks.

kahhean

I just got back from Yunnan province, the Stone Forest at Shilin outside
of Kunming is pretty neat but good luck hauling toddlers thru the ups
and downs of the pathways thru that place. In Lijiang the Old District
is a must but hang on to that 3yr old there is a maze of pathways lose
him/her and you'll never see 'em again. There is a Naxi song and dance
performance in a playhouse in the Old District that is an absolute must
but no place to take toddlers. We had a Bai ethnic dinner somewhere
between Dali and Lijiang, best meal I've ever had in China (been there
twice.)

--
SteveO

Any suggestion on how to go to Lijiang from Kunming? Plane? Train? Cab?
Bus?

We did China Southern. Flight time is less than an hour. Cab or bus may
take the better part of a day each way of the trip.

rg