Overland borders are a fascinating microcosm of bilateral relations. You get to see how the veins of two countries that run parallel to each other, twine to create a pulsating unique culture. Some areas are barren cowboy towns, but most along the Thai-Malaysia line have bustling weekend markets. Some, along the Thai-Cambodia border, have casinos.

Others have long stretches of no man's land where arms smuggling deals, human-trafficking crimes thrive.

The Lao Cai-Hekou crossing is a footbridge that stretches over the Red River. Hekou is the southern point of China's Yunnan province. As Yunnan shares borders with Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar, the region has a rich cultural ethnic diversity.

We grabbed a taxi from the Hekou border to take us to the main bus station. Here's where it gets tricky. You've probably heard of China's poor reputation as a breeding ground for scammers. You're not wrong.

Barely 15 minutes into the country, we almost got burned.

After depositing us at the bus station, the driver tried to extort 100 yuan, even though he had initially agreed on a fare of 50 yuan. We stood our ground and he drove off meekly.

Girls 1: Scammer 0.

Unfortunately, we weren't alert enough at the bus station. Once we entered, a lady hurriedly offered to point us to an available counter. Helpful? Not. The minute we paid for our bus tickets, she stretched out her palm and asked for a 50 yuan service fee.

Girls 1: Scammer 1.

Thankfully, the extent of damages ended when we hopped onto the 5-hour bus ride from Hekou to Kunming, Yunnan's capital. We cruised along the new coastal highway, and boy was it scenic.

You know what people say about first impressions? Well, try not to trust it too much. Two burly guys who were clearly the equivalent of American red necks chatted us up on the bus. Although we were guarded at first, we slowly realised they were pretty decent men. They introduced us to some neat fried tofu at the rest stop, and also made sure we got onto the right bus at Kunming's main bus terminal to our hostel. Only when the bus pulled out of the station did they leave to find their own ride.

Kunming proved to be a refreshing change from the dusty streets of Southeast Asia. Unlike the bigger metropolises like Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing, Kunming's city government has a strong environmental policy. Vehicles running on petrol face sanctions, and locals mostly get around on electric cars.

The city government is also in talks to create an environment trial court to deal with environment-related cases. The result? No smog. It's also worth to note that Kunming is China's horticultural hub, producing more than 400 species of flowers for export.

Now let's just hope that the rest of China comes up to speed.

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