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china's #1 travel spot 🇨🇳 yunnan fairytale city, kunming tourist spots, scenic nature
Kunming: China's Fairytale City & Scenic Nature Travel Guide
yesss china series are about to start!!
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yesss china series are about to start!!
The China series is officially starting! First stop: Kunming, Yunnan's fairytale city and one of the country's top travel spots. With scenic nature almost everywhere, this opening chapter promises dreamlike landscapes and unforgettable sights. Get ready to explore Kunming's tourist highlights and discover why this city looks straight out of a storybook. From lush scenery to cultural charm, this first episode sets the stage for an epic journey through China. Whether you're planning your own adventure or just watching from home, this series is an invitation to experience a truly magical side of China.
yesss china series are about to start!!
Via Li introduces her new China series from a hotel in Kunming, where she is traveling with her parents after a few days elsewhere. They had considered a 12-hour high-speed rail ride but flew instead. On the first tourist day it is raining and she expects rain all week, but she likes the misty lake and mountain scenery. They take an aerial ride up a mountain, buying a round-trip ticket for 100 yuan, and stop at a hilltop cafe for cake and coffee drinks that she says cost more than usual. At the top they find a food court, gift shops and quiet paths, and the sun comes out briefly on the way down. In the afternoon they visit Kunming's old street with coffee shops, snack stalls, floral pancakes and a staple breakfast pastry. She explains how she picks restaurants by looking for long lines and checking what people order. They try rice noodles, a fried mushroom dish, rice-ball dessert and seafood rice noodles, and she says the noodle texture is not her favorite. After a rest, they go to a rainy night market street of restaurants and have dinner, where she says locals were kind and advises using translation help. The next day she shows her travel makeup and explains how her eSIM and a physical SIM card differ. They go to the train station to check tickets to Dali, buying three reserved second-class seats for about a 2-hour trip. At a market they use WeChat, try fresh dates, dried fish and local drinks, and later walk through a historic-style lake park. A one-hour taxi takes them to a large flower market, where they have a mushroom hot pot that must boil for 20 minutes and find the dinner mediocre. At the flower market they see bouquets, then buy floral pancakes and fresh durian, and she ends by saying she will head to Dali the next day by train.
Via Li travels with her parents to Kunming in southwestern China and starts her China vlog series. On a rainy first day they ride an aerial lift up a mountain for lake views, then walk the old street, try floral pancakes, rice noodles and desserts, and visit a rainy night market. She gives tips on payment, SIM cards, train tickets to Dali and choosing restaurants. Later they walk a historic park, eat a mushroom hot pot and browse a large flower market.
A Kunming trip with her parents: a rainy aerial ride up a mountain, old-street snacks, a night market, Dali train tickets and a mushroom hot pot.
Kunming Travel Vlog: Lake Views, Old Street Food and Mushroom Hot Pot
7:54 Buy the round-trip ticket for the aerial ride, which is 100 yuan. She says one-way tickets exist, but then the only way down is by bus, while a round trip lets you call a taxi.
12:21 She says food in attraction areas is often less authentic than at a little stall. Choose restaurants with many people, look for a long line, and check what customers order if you cannot read reviews.
17:00 Ask taxi drivers and locals for restaurant recommendations, because they know the area much better. She says the places that were busy with people tended to be good, and empty ones were not.
18:05 She says fewer people speak English than in other Asian countries, though people were kind to foreigners in her experience. She suggests that using Google Translate won't hurt.
23:17 An eSIM gave her data but not a phone number. Her father inserted a physical SIM card, bought at the airport, into an old phone. She says a number is not necessary but helps with taxis and delivery.
25:24 At the north railway station you must go through security even to buy a ticket. The ticket lanes are marked for students, refunds, elderly passengers and foreigners, and she lined up in the foreigners lane.
26:25 Standing tickets are the cheapest and have no reserved seat. She bought three reserved second-class seats from Kunming to Dali, about 2 hours, for 440 total, using a US passport.
28:34 Most places take WeChat, and she links an international credit card to it. Cash is usually accepted, but some places lack change, so carry small bills such as ones, fives, tens and twenties.
33:24 At the mushroom hot pot, the staff set a 20 minute timer because the mushrooms must boil for 20 minutes before you eat them. Ask whether the cucumber salad is spicy, since versions differ.
35:54 The flower market gets busier in the evening, and she says it is hard to walk around when packed. She suggests visiting in the afternoon if you do not want to be surrounded by crowds.
7:54 Buy the round-trip ticket for the aerial ride, which is 100 yuan. She says one-way tickets exist, but then the only way down is by bus, while a round trip lets you call a taxi.
12:21 She says food in attraction areas is often less authentic than at a little stall. Choose restaurants with many people, look for a long line, and check what customers order if you cannot read reviews.
17:00 Ask taxi drivers and locals for restaurant recommendations, because they know the area much better. She says the places that were busy with people tended to be good, and empty ones were not.
18:05 She says fewer people speak English than in other Asian countries, though people were kind to foreigners in her experience. She suggests that using Google Translate won't hurt.
23:17 An eSIM gave her data but not a phone number. Her father inserted a physical SIM card, bought at the airport, into an old phone. She says a number is not necessary but helps with taxis and delivery.
25:24 At the north railway station you must go through security even to buy a ticket. The ticket lanes are marked for students, refunds, elderly passengers and foreigners, and she lined up in the foreigners lane.
26:25 Standing tickets are the cheapest and have no reserved seat. She bought three reserved second-class seats from Kunming to Dali, about 2 hours, for 440 total, using a US passport.
28:34 Most places take WeChat, and she links an international credit card to it. Cash is usually accepted, but some places lack change, so carry small bills such as ones, fives, tens and twenties.
33:24 At the mushroom hot pot, the staff set a 20 minute timer because the mushrooms must boil for 20 minutes before you eat them. Ask whether the cucumber salad is spicy, since versions differ.
35:54 The flower market gets busier in the evening, and she says it is hard to walk around when packed. She suggests visiting in the afternoon if you do not want to be surrounded by crowds.
0:26 Arriving in Kunming with her parents
2:30 Misty lake views in the rain
3:14 Aerial ride up the mountain
4:58 Tea and cake at a hilltop cafe
6:20 Food court and quiet park paths
9:26 Walking Kunming old street
12:03 How to choose a restaurant
13:01 Trying rice noodles and desserts
16:06 Rainy night market dinner
23:17 SIM card and phone number advice
25:16 Buying train tickets to Dali
28:34 Paying with WeChat and cash
30:11 Historic park by the lake
32:49 Mushroom hot pot dinner
35:03 Browsing the flower market
0:26 Arriving in Kunming with her parents
2:30 Misty lake views in the rain
3:14 Aerial ride up the mountain
4:58 Tea and cake at a hilltop cafe
6:20 Food court and quiet park paths
9:26 Walking Kunming old street
12:03 How to choose a restaurant
13:01 Trying rice noodles and desserts
16:06 Rainy night market dinner
23:17 SIM card and phone number advice
25:16 Buying train tickets to Dali
28:34 Paying with WeChat and cash
30:11 Historic park by the lake
32:49 Mushroom hot pot dinner
35:03 Browsing the flower market
How much was the aerial ride up the mountain?
She paid 100 yuan for a round-trip ticket. She says one-way tickets are sold too, but then the only way down is by bus.
How did they buy train tickets from Kunming to Dali?
At the north station they went through security and lined up in the foreigners lane. They bought three reserved second-class seats for a trip of about 2 hours, 440 in total, using a US passport.
What payment methods does she recommend?
She recommends WeChat linked to an international credit card, which most places accept. Cash also works, but some places may lack change, so carry small bills.
Does an eSIM give you a phone number?
According to her, no. It only gave data, so her father put a physical SIM card from the airport into an old phone to make calls.
What local foods does she try in Kunming?
She tries floral pancakes, rice noodles, a stuffed pastry, a fried mushroom dish, rice-ball dessert, fresh dates and a mushroom hot pot, and she did not enjoy the dinner at the hot pot place.
How long does the mushroom hot pot take?
The staff set a 20 minute timer, and the mushrooms had to boil for 20 minutes before eating. The whole meal came to 264, which she says is about 30 US dollars.
How did the weather feel during the trip?
It rained on several days and she thought it would rain all week. She found the southwest cooler than expected and said she wished she had brought long sleeves.
