Lijiang Tourist Traps

Yes, so this is the one to get..the larger size..and not the small mini van I showed you a picture of just before this. This bus will cost you just 8RMB. I guess it wont take you around the place like the mini van would have, but we would have had to pay for extra things once we were there anyway with or without the mini van around, so i strongly suggest you tske this cheaper bus..no-one here to cheat you!

Well, this was a VERY easy trap to fall into!!!! And I couldn't believe that having lived here for so long I managed to get fooled yet again! Well, we didnt let them get us the whole way but the fact that I didnt see that it was a trap to begin with was frustrating enough! So let my tale begin!!!!!

Lijiang as many of you will know has the beautiful Jade Snow Mountain in the background of the city. It has snow on its peak throughout the year and really is a truely beautiful sight. So of course every tourist wants to be a part of it and get as close to it as possible. This can be done by many different ways as other VTers have mentioned! I actually jotted down all the different combinations of getting there..and STILL fell in the trap! I asked at my hostel how to get to the Mountain, and she said that although she could arrange a trip for us through the hostel, we could also just get the No. 7 Bus from near the Mao statue. She drew me a little map and so we set off! It was literally just round the corner, so we were all in high spirits!!!After walking for around 5 mins we came across the small mini vans with a big No. 7 on the front. We asked how much it would cost to go there and they told us there were four different places we could drive to. These have been mentioned on other VTers pages..I forget where I got the info from, but most likely either from FreeCloud or Sharrie. So I already had a vague idea of where to go and prices. The prices they quoted were as the VTpages had written so I was pleased. But then there was the added mini van fare. She calculated it for the four of us and quoted 150RMB. I didnt really bargain on this as it wasnt a lot to pay between four. I asked if there were any other tickets we would have to buy when we got there and she said 160RMB for the cable car ride per person. This was also true according to VT. SO OFF WE WENT!

Unique Suggestions: We arrived at the entrance to the National Park in about 20 minutes or so and THIS is where the trap began! As we pulled up, the driver said we each had to pay 120RMB to get into the area. We couldn't believe it! I had SPECIFICALLY asked them if there would be any extra costs and she had only told us about the cable car fee..nothing else! So we all said we weren't paying and that we wanted to go back to town. We were all furious. The funny thing is that I had read about this on VT, something along the lines of 40RMB for the toll fee and 40RMB to get into the Old Town, which is part of the National Park area. But the fact that we hadnt been told about this, made us believe that the 150RMB we were paying between us, was part of this price. But NO! The driver got annoyed and said because I had notes with me..yes yes yes..my VT notes,she thought we knew about this entrance fee. I told her not to give me such rubbish, and that we wanted to turn back as this was a scam! We turned round and headed back but not without her trying her hardest to take us somewhere else. She said it seemed like a waste of time to be paying her 150RMB and not go anywhere!!!!HA HA HA!!Thats when we turned round and said "WHAT? You think we are paying you for this trip that didnt' take us anywhere?!" She was shocked and said she would reduce the price to 100RMB...we said forget it!!! So I was therefore surprised that she drived us back..thought we were going to be thrown out of the van there and then!

Got back to town and got out. She tried to bargain with us and we just gave her 10RMB. As we walked away, she came running after us and gave it to us back wishing us a good rest of our trip....we left quite puzzled!

Fun Alternatives: I think she gave us the money back due to two reasons. One, she knew that she had tried to fool us and seen that we hadnt fallen for it and two, she didnt want to lose face, which is what she was doing by accepting the 10RMB. So came out of ti not looking like a money pinching thief...

So, yes, what do you do as an alternative?!!!! Well you follow instructions a bit better and actually go to the Square where the Mao Statue is and catch the REAL NO. 7 bus as advised by my hostel lady!!Ha ha!!! As we were walking back to the town, we came across this and I asked how much it was and guess how much per person it was.................... just 8RMB.....!!!! We were so getting ripped off with the 150RMB deal!!!!

You'll be swarmed around with too many stuff. The lovely wax printed cloth, handprinted T-shirts, local necklaces, bracelets etc. But remember, you either bargain, buy and never look at the price elsewhere or you compare the prices in 5 different stores before you buy! Sometimes, the price difference will be 10 times, it's still cheap though!

Bai Sha is around 1 hour's cycle from Lijiang and was the former capital of the Naxi kingdom until Kublai Kahn had other plans for it in the 13th century. To be honest, I'm stuck between listing it as a tourist trap, an off the beaten path tip or an absolute must see... it's a bit of everything.

Its historical importance and traditional feel are not to be underestimated. However upon our arrival, clearly a quiet day for the Naxi capital, we noticed ancient white-brearded men drop their mah jong pieces and scuttle to a table to play the congenial hosts. At the same time the womenfolk stopped their gossipping in a corner and ushered us in to visit the impressive murals housed within the complex.

We paid our entry, then were "encouraged" to pay again for a short burst of traditional music played on a collection of ancient instruments, and then fleeced once more by the women, who meanwhile, were dancing, hand in hand, a repetitive step to the left and again to the right.

Unique Suggestions: Bai Sha is a feature of many trips out of Lijiang and of many organised tours of northern Yunnan. It is worth the visit, but certainly not worth paying out for an expensive organised tour.

Should you be a very lucky person, Dr Ho will surely accost you too. He will encourage you to visit his clinic, under the sign of "Taoist physician in the Jade \mountains of Lijiang".

Fun Alternatives: You should anticipate the 3-stage entrance fee (none of the main features is optional), enjoy the traditional mural, smile encouragingly during the impromptu concert and clap politley at the dancing. I managed to take my leave politely without visiting Dr Ho's clinic.

Then get back on your bike and head off into the wilds, towards the foot of the mountains and see some truly traditional Naxi villages.

tbc

A must go destination.
Go venture it before tourism enter this small county near Lijiang Old town