diff --git a/GPy/__init__.py b/GPy/__init__.py
index 5af56dc4..f7d6e1d6 100644
--- a/GPy/__init__.py
+++ b/GPy/__init__.py
@@ -43,20 +43,6 @@ def load(file_or_path):
     :param file_name: path/to/file.pickle
     """
     try:
-        unicode = unicode
-    except NameError:
-        # 'unicode' is undefined, must be Python 3
-        str = str
-        unicode = str
-        bytes = bytes
-        basestring = (str,bytes)
-    else:
-        # 'unicode' exists, must be Python 2
-        str = str
-        unicode = unicode
-        bytes = str
-        basestring = basestring    
-        try:
         import cPickle as pickle
         if isinstance(file_or_path, basestring): 
             with open(file_or_path, 'rb') as f:
@@ -65,7 +51,7 @@ def load(file_or_path):
             m = pickle.load(file_or_path)
     except:
         import pickle
-        if isinstance(file_or_path, basestring): 
+        if isinstance(file_or_path, str): 
             with open(file_or_path, 'rb') as f:
                 m = pickle.load(f)
         else:
diff --git a/GPy/testing/plotting_tests.py b/GPy/testing/plotting_tests.py
index e60928a7..7f788261 100644
--- a/GPy/testing/plotting_tests.py
+++ b/GPy/testing/plotting_tests.py
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ def test_kernel():
     k.randomize()
     k2 = GPy.kern.RBF(5, ARD=True) + GPy.kern.Linear(3, active_dims=[0,2,4], ARD=True) + GPy.kern.Bias(2) + GPy.kern.White(4)
     k2[:-1] = k[:]
-    k2.plot_ARD([k2.white.name], legend=True)
+    k2.plot_ARD([_.name for _ in k.parts], legend=True)
     for do_test in _image_comparison(
             baseline_images=['kern_{}'.format(sub) for sub in ["ARD",]],
             extensions=extensions):