Vacation in Kunming China with Asian Vacations, Inc.

The most fabulous of all Yunnan food is Yunnan rice noodles (Guoqiao mixian, literally "Crossing the bridge rice noodles"). This tasty noodle dish made with chicken broth and super thin slices of meat is famous throughout all of China and you can try this typical Yunnan dish at the "Jixin Yunnan Flavor Restaurant" and the Guoqiaodu Restaurant. Other Yunnan treats to look for are the Yunnan Eight Pastries and also Xuanwei Ham (as a common Yunnan ingredient). For a taste of ethnic cuisine, such as Dai or Bai, there are many good restaurants in Kunming. Laozhiqing Restaurant is well known for its authentic, delicious Dai food. While not Yunnanese or minority food, if your looking for something different after too much rice noodles, then try Kunming's Beijing restaurant near Dongfeng Lu and the Shanghainese Restaurant in the King World Hotel. After dark, street peddlers are all around the city selling noodles, snacks and other "street food". While street food can be lacking in the hygiene department on occasion, it is also GOOD and CHEAP! If you are brave (or completely insane!) enough, try snake, grilled rat or even fried bee!

Climate:
Kunming enjoys a pleasant climate with little change in temperature throughout the year. The temperature averages about 15C in the urban area, 19.7C peaks in the summer and 7.5C troughs in the winter. The rainy season is between May and Oct when 85% of the annual rainfall of 1,000 mm falls. Due to Kunming's moderate humidity and temperature, as well as the plentiful sunshine the city receives, Kunming is known as the "Spring City" and is green throughout the year.

By Rail: The first railway was built in 1910 operated between Vietnam and Kunming. It provided great convenience for the area in-between. Only till 1966 and 1970 when the Gui-Kun and Cheng-Kun railroad lines were in place, Kunming became part of the National railroad network. Besides the local transportation from town to town within Yunnan province, there are a number of trans-provincial express trains starting from Kunming. Train #K88 leaves Kunming daily for Beijing at 16:03 and arrives in Beijing after around 46 hours. Train #110 leaves Kunming daily for Wuhan at 16:19 and arrives in Wuhan at 08:17 next morning. Train #182 leaves Kunming daily for Shanghai at 20:38 and arrives in Shanghai after approximately 40 hours ride. Kunming has the largest train station in the southwest of China. New railroad (train with overnight soft sleeper) has also been extended to Dali, one of the famous tour cities. Kunming could also be reached from Chengdu, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Guiyang by rail. By Road: The national freeway #108, #213, #320 and #324 connect Kunming with other parts of China. Kunming, in the recent years, has developed a lot of highways and express freeways extending to most of the established tour spots. As most of Kunming areas are covered by hills and mountains, some of the freeways are still very bumpy and take real patience. The freeway leads to the northwest to Zhong Dian (Shangri-La), to the southwest to Rui Li (place for Marijuana), to the north to Yi Bing (city by the Yangtze River), to the south to Jing Hong (Xishuangbanna), to the southeast to He Kou (bordering Vietnam) and to the east to Lu Xi (town for its beauty). Conditions of the freeways are improving almost daily, as the local government has put so much emphasis to it for the development of tourism. By Air: Kunming Airport could be rated as the most beautiful airport in China. Passengers at every entrance could be seen with a lot of fruits, flowers and various colorful plants. Named as Wu Jia Ba International airport, the airport houses the headquarters of the China Yunnan Air Company (CYAC). CYAC has now opened 42 domestic airways to cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Canton, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Guilin, Chongqing and other Chinese cities. Three International airways have also been opened to Hong Kong, Rangoon, Singapore, Bangkok and Macau. Day by day Frequency of airways to popular tour spots are increasing including flights to Xishuang banna, Dali, Lijiang and Zhong Dian.

Kunming City Tour	Full Day Tour	Pick up at your hotel at 08:30 and proceed to the Western Hill which consists of four high peaks, and our guide will lead the way to the Arhat Hill facing the shore. The climb to the top is breathtaking (Seniors would be strongly to take the cable, simple but trustful). In places one must pass through narrow tunnels hewn out of the cliff rocks. Longmen (Dragon's Gate) would be the very top to achieve. A touch of the Longmen would bring good luck in all aspects, as believed firmly by most Chinese. From the Palace of Longmen, one could also enjoy the wonderful view over the Dianchi Lake. Golden Temple built in 1671. It is the unique of its kind as almost totally constructed of bronze: beams, pillars, arches, roof tiles, window frames and even the people and animal figures are all made of bronze. The entire hall weighs over 200 tons. Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, homes many minority nationalities. Visit in the afternoon to the Ethnic Museum will offer you the chance to marvel at the colorful national costumes, distinctive jewelers and many exotic things which characterize each of the individual groups. If time and weather permits, our guide will also take you to visit the Dianchi Lake which makes Kunming the most appealing city. See Notes
Stone Forest	Full Day Tour	Early ride will be taken to the spectacular landscape of Stone Forest, which lies 74 miles (120km) south of Kunming (approximately 2 hours by newly built highway). A 3,937 ft (1,200m) long market pathway leads through the stone labyrinth which consists of fantastically shaped rocks resembling people, animals, swords, pagodas and etc. Modern audio system has been installed in the whole area providing an soft, harmonious musical background. While listening to stories, like Ashma, from our guide, you will reach the tiny pavilion which stands on the Lotus Peak offering a panorama view of the whole Stone Forest area (80 hectares). Lunch is included in the day tour. See Notes