Kunming

Camellia Hotel. Can it be bettered? The neo-colonial lounge area with the white piano. Friendly reception with reasonable English. Walking distance of city centre. VERY reasonable price. Can't, however, comment on the food. I would say slightly over-priced. Too many good holes in the wall within walking distance to get Across the Bridge Noodles to try to eat at the Camellia.

I've only really travelled through Kunming and never done the tourist thing. What is worth seeing? My understanding is that minority culture is the thing. Have any of you been out to the countryside and seen the minorities in situ. Tell us your merry tales of 12 hour bus journeys sharing a berth with a complete stranger.

TSPM Church address for Kumming: Sanyisheng Tang [Trinity Church] 58, Beimen Jie, Kunming Shi, 650031. 0871-5157306. Sheng Yuehan Tang [St John’s] 96, Dongfeng Xi Lu. 650021. 0871-3613855. 9am; 2 pm. Xi’an Tang [Zion Church], 61, Jinbi Lu, 650011. 0871-3153205. 9 am; 2 pm. Any comments on any of these?

Comments

• John Hillman

  Monday 19 February 2007

  Speaking no Chinese at all, and armed with only a bible, phrase book and my clothes, etc, I found myself arriving at Kunming by train from Bejing (a 3 day journey). On arriving I found myself surrounded by thousands of fellow passengers all getting off the 34 carriage train that had snaked its way across China to Yunnan. Departing the train one can find Red Cap porters who for a price will shuttle you and your bags to the main station entrance, outside which you will find thousands more people.
  
  On the right hand side of the square, which doubles as a small bus station is a left luggage facility, where I managed to leave my bags whilst I tried to find my bearings.
  
  I walked around looking for a map shop, tourist info or good hotel, where I could get a map of Kunming and a hope of finding the legendary Camellia Hotel and Youth Hostel (International Youth Federation No: 24535) - Tel: (871) 3163000 Fax: (871) 3147033. Realising on finding such, that I had walked for almost an hour and now did not know where I was, looked at the map and realised I was almost there, so I headed towards Beijing Lu reconing that if I found this, I could then find Dongfengdong Rd, home to the Camellia.
  
  On finding the hotel, I enquired about vacancies, given I had decided to travel to Kunming with no forthought of where I would stay. There were plenty of rooms in the Youth Hostel, and several choices in the hotel.
  
  I stayed at the Camellia twice during my stay in China.
  
  Breakfast was in either the marble and glass dining room with the piano, fountain and goldfish swiming nearby, or in the back dining room depending on the number attending breakfast, and was a mix of chinese, noodles, fruit, toast, fried and scrambled eggs, bacon, yogurts, potatos, etc, and all very edible.
  
  There is a small internet facility available at a charge.
  
  The restaraunt on the 1st floor produced lovely food, although Kunming is full of lovely opportunities to sample food.
  
  The youth hostel, open to all is the original hotel, which has since been surpassed by the exsisting building, hence the hostel is probably better quality than most. This has a small traveller style cafe/bar and also has internet and does food. Next door to the hotel is a ethnic minority dining and theatre experience not to be missed.
  
  The Camellias staff were warm welcoming and friendly and most helpful.
  The hotel also houses a small shop, selling food, drinks, snaks, etc, a travel centre where one can book excursions to the Stone Forest etc, and also book trains, buses and flights, etc and two Consulates.