Yes, and thankfully the ice cream was delicious that we went back the next day and spent it at the restaurant 😂 the lake was beautiful! It's a must see, but just be warned of what could happen.
That’s why I book from certain tour agencies which are state owned. Never had that happened during the trips I made with them. My friend suggested a few - pricey but they provide a very good experience. Any trouble and the guide will handle the locals.
I have experienced the exact same thing during my first time visiting Qinghai Lake from Xining! The good news is they are treating Chinese the same way :) Anyway, it's actually not that bad compare to renting a car and driving by yourself.
Yes, that is true! It's sad that so many people have experienced this. We could have taken the public bus there, which was our first choice, but the hotel sold us on a private tour. Now we know for next time!
When you travel around in China, especially in the west, please pay attention to those traps. And I’m pretty sure that the expensive restaurant is in dirty cooperation with your driver. So tips, snacks always in your bag. Maybe sometimes you can call the police.
This is good advice! We thankfully didn't eat there, it just seemed too expensive. But then it forced us not to eat all day, which didn't help out frustration 😂
In Qinghai, everything got expensive when come to tourist sites, this even for local people,the same price. Incidents you encountered seems like you used private touring service, they may not have proper license to run the business.
Sorry for your bad experience. If I were you I would message the guy and tell him that would post your experience online and report him to the local tourist bureau if he still refused to refund you the money. It would be easier if you could have an assertive Chinese friend who could help you deal with this unethical person.
That would have been easier if we had a Chinese friend or could've spoken Chinese. We were lucky there was a Chinese guest who was fluent in English that helped translate to our hostel, to help get our money back that we had to pay the driver. We faced it and had to pick our battles, and unfortunately arguing wasn't what we wanted to do in the middle of our Silk Road trip. If only we could have spoke better Chinese!
Qinghai Lake was the first lake we went to which is the largest in China! We aren't sure if Chaka Salt Lake is the largest salt lake, but it would be cool if it is!
I DARE you to try Bukadaban Feng! It is a monstrously high mountain in a remote part of Qinghai. I hear basically no one ever talking about this mountain, which is a REAL shame in my opinion. (Fun fact: This mountain is (Height off of the sea level, NOT from base.) higher than ANY mountain in the US. And that is NOT an exaggeration!
You should call the police, film the next payment as evidence, if you pay with your cell phone can view the payment record 你们应该打电话报警，下次付款时把过程拍摄下来作为证据，如果用手机支付可以查看付款记录 回复 REPLY
@@JamesandKeli Ah, sorry for your bad experience. Usually the local authority will treat complains very seriously and try to solve it quickly if they are from foreigners. You could make a difference. lol
We booked through our hostel, which they seemed that a lot of people use, and said they've never experienced something like this. Luckily we got our money back that we were forced to pay the driver, but we were still over charged on it.
Nothing cures a bad day like ice cream! Sorry that happened. Those kick ass photos on the lake though!! Those were incredible.
Yes, and thankfully the ice cream was delicious that we went back the next day and spent it at the restaurant 😂 the lake was beautiful! It's a must see, but just be warned of what could happen.
Xining is one of the best cities in China, and if u are interested, I have some awesome vids too.
@@hhtravel8942 great! Thank you for sharing 😊
That’s why I book from certain tour agencies which are state owned. Never had that happened during the trips I made with them. My friend suggested a few - pricey but they provide a very good experience. Any trouble and the guide will handle the locals.
Beautiful video.....Its really bad what happened......Hope you have wonderful time ahead on your trip...
Thank you! Yes, a bad ending day, but we tried not to dwell on it.
I have experienced the exact same thing during my first time visiting Qinghai Lake from Xining! The good news is they are treating Chinese the same way :) Anyway, it's actually not that bad compare to renting a car and driving by yourself.
Of course it definitely needs some regulations and supervision, but it's actually hard to do that and also may involve some corruption.
Yes, that is true! It's sad that so many people have experienced this.
We could have taken the public bus there, which was our first choice, but the hotel sold us on a private tour. Now we know for next time!
What a sadly good news.
When you travel around in China, especially in the west, please pay attention to those traps. And I’m pretty sure that the expensive restaurant is in dirty cooperation with your driver. So tips, snacks always in your bag. Maybe sometimes you can call the police.
This is good advice! We thankfully didn't eat there, it just seemed too expensive. But then it forced us not to eat all day, which didn't help out frustration 😂
Beautiful lakes, be careful for those traps?
Yes! A lesson learned, be careful for your tours. It seemed expensive, and it was! First time it has happened to us in China!
it's quite typical
In Qinghai, everything got expensive when come to tourist sites, this even for local people,the same price. Incidents you encountered seems like you used private touring service,
they may not have proper license to run the business.
They may not have had proper licesnse. It is sad that the pricing is so expensive there!
Your experience in XiNing is just normal.....(just let you know)
We wish it wasn't 'normal.' It was not an enjoyable experience. :(
As the management level of most scenic spots in China is not high, there are many tourist traps😅
Yes, and we sadly got caught in one 😔 paid too much for our tour unfortunately!
@@JamesandKeli how much did you pay for this trip?
Sorry for your bad experience. If I were you I would message the guy and tell him that would post your experience online and report him to the local tourist bureau if he still refused to refund you the money. It would be easier if you could have an assertive Chinese friend who could help you deal with this unethical person.
That would have been easier if we had a Chinese friend or could've spoken Chinese. We were lucky there was a Chinese guest who was fluent in English that helped translate to our hostel, to help get our money back that we had to pay the driver.
We faced it and had to pick our battles, and unfortunately arguing wasn't what we wanted to do in the middle of our Silk Road trip. If only we could have spoke better Chinese!
@@JamesandKeli if you ever come across that again(i hope not) you guys can contact me
@@bangchu3579 Thank you! We appreciate the support!
The third pole of earth
Not the largest lake, but rather the largest salt lake.
Qinghai Lake was the first lake we went to which is the largest in China!
We aren't sure if Chaka Salt Lake is the largest salt lake, but it would be cool if it is!
I DARE you to try Bukadaban Feng! It is a monstrously high mountain in a remote part of Qinghai. I hear basically no one ever talking about this mountain, which is a REAL shame in my opinion. (Fun fact: This mountain is (Height off of the sea level, NOT from base.) higher than ANY mountain in the US. And that is NOT an exaggeration!
Wow, that sounds incredible!! We will need to go there!
Woohoo!
You should call the police, film the next payment as evidence, if you pay with your cell phone can view the payment record
你们应该打电话报警，下次付款时把过程拍摄下来作为证据，如果用手机支付可以查看付款记录
回复 REPLY
We did get our money back that we paid the driver directly, thankfully! But we did not get reimbursed for false advertising.
中文字幕谢谢
We are working on it! We hope to get subtitles by the middle of 2021.
You should go to authority to complain.
This happened to us in October 2020, we didn't want to waste our time considering we couldn't speak Chinese. :(
@@JamesandKeli Ah, sorry for your bad experience. Usually the local authority will treat complains very seriously and try to solve it quickly if they are from foreigners. You could make a difference. lol
Why not getting a rental car for yourself if you got valid driver license?
There are a few reasons we couldn't get a rental car. It is something we really want to do, and it's on our list!
you should report to police!
Thankfully we didn't need to since we got our money back that we had to pay the driver.
if I were you I would have gone with a different trip advisor or a Chinese friend. some trip advisors are sketchy. I would also call the police.
We booked through our hostel, which they seemed that a lot of people use, and said they've never experienced something like this. Luckily we got our money back that we were forced to pay the driver, but we were still over charged on it.
Travelling with Chinese friends will avoid this shit thing during journey.┗( ▔, ▔ )┛
Great video! I have some cool vids of China too if u are interested.
Thank you 😊 we will check it out!