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Road Less Taken<br />
Road Less Taken is a collaboration with AirAsiaGo.<br />
Check out airasiago.com.my for flight & hotel deals!<br />
ROAD LESS TAKEN:<br />
Kunming, China<br />
THE CAPITAL CITY OF YUNNAN, THE<br />
LAND OF ETERNAL SPRING OFFERS<br />
WONDROUS NATURE ATTRACTIONS<br />
AND THE GATEWAY TO ONE OF<br />
CHINA’S FOODIE HAVEN.<br />
WORDS BY AISHAH AZALI • PHOTOS BY GETTY<br />
IMAGES & AIRASIAGO<br />
HOW TO GET THERE<br />
The easiest way to get to Kunming from<br />
KL is by flight which takes 3 and a half<br />
hours. If you are from Shanghai, you can<br />
take the new Shanghai-Kunming High-<br />
Speed Train that takes an average of 11<br />
hours to travel over 2000km. There are<br />
also many normal trains that travel from<br />
neighbouring places like Dali, Chengdu<br />
and Nanning.<br />
WHAT TO DO<br />
The Chinese love their tea and the ones<br />
grown around Yunnan are some of the<br />
best in the country. One of the popular<br />
tea markets is the Xiong Da Tea Market<br />
in northern Kunming. Rows and rows of<br />
shops sell local green tea, black tea and<br />
the specialty Pu’er tea that is pressed<br />
into a circular ‘cake’ where the quality is<br />
dictated by the number of years it’s being<br />
stored.<br />
Dianchi Lake, the largest freshwater<br />
lake in Yunnan is a scenic spot for<br />
activities like boating, angling or just bird<br />
watching. The best spot is at Haigeng<br />
Park where colourful flowers bloom by<br />
24 · WWW.<strong>GOASIAPLUS</strong>.COM<br />
the waters. Catch the western hills on a<br />
clear day, better yet, climb it to get a bird’s<br />
eye view of the entire lake. The Western<br />
Hills or the Sleeping Buddha Hills is home<br />
to holy places like the Huating Temple and<br />
Sanqing Pavilion.<br />
WHERE TO STAY<br />
Close to the mosque and located in the<br />
center of Kunming city is the Blossom<br />
Hotel. Minimalist yet rustic rooms make<br />
this one of the best value hotels in the<br />
city. Get well rested in rooms with twin<br />
bed or queen with free WiFi to boot.<br />
Those looking for a taste of luxury can<br />
stay at the 4-star Hilton Yuxi Fuxian Lake.<br />
The architecture has a European feel with<br />
Greek columns and arched windows. Take<br />
the room with a balcony overlooking one<br />
of the deepest freshwater lakes in China.<br />
WHERE TO eat<br />
If you like eating Malaysian laksa, then<br />
welcome to the land of rice noodles<br />
because in Kunming, it is very popular.<br />
Shaguo Mixian is when rice noodles are<br />
served in clay bowls topped with ground<br />
pork, pickled greens and broth. Another<br />
variety is Douhua Mixian where the<br />
rice noodles are served with fresh tofu<br />
pudding and topped with condiments like<br />
meat, spring onions and leeks.<br />
Kunming is also known for their street<br />
snacks and a unique one, eaten by many<br />
of the minority groups in a variety of<br />
ways is grilled cheese. Rubing is a type<br />
of cheese native in Kunming made from<br />
sheep or goat’s milk. From afar, it looks<br />
like fried tofu but it is actually cheese. You<br />
can eat it as it is or see it stir-fried with<br />
vegetables side dishes.
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