Taxi to Simatai & Jinshangling
Feb 24th, 2004 | 06:45 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 23
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Taxi to Simatai & Jinshangling
I'm planning to take a taxi from Beijing to Jinshangling and walk the Wall from there to Simatai. This will, of course, entail chartering the taxi for an entire day. Can anyone give me an idea of an acceptable tariff for this excursion? I've read posts elsewhere on the net suggesting prices anywhere from 350 to 1200 yuan. While I know that this is partly negotiable (and I do speak very rudimentary Mandarin) I would like to get some sense of what is a reasonable target figure to strive for.
Feb 25th, 2004 | 05:52 PM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 207
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When in Beijing in 2000, I hired a car and driver for the day to take me to the wall at Simitai. I looked in my notes and journal to see how much I paid, but unfortunately I didn't write it down. I know the hotel concierge arranged such trips, although I arranged mine through a tour guide. Sorry I couldn't find how much I paid, but I know it couldn't have been prohibitively expensive, or I wouldn't have done it. By the way, I loved the wall at Simitai - a totally different experience than at Badaling. I hope you're able to do it.
Martha
Martha
Feb 28th, 2004 | 02:35 AM
#4
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,778
Likes: 0
I've done this for Y300 in a Fukang (the properly airconditioned French joint-venture vehicle usually costing Y1.6). It's actually easier to get these guys to go out on a day trip than the Y1.2 per km Xiali drivers, because the latter pull in about Y500 per day around town, whereas the Fukang/Santana drivers are only making about Y300 anyway. There's no need to squeeze their pips, but there's no need to pay hotel concierge kick-back prices either.
The method is this: The day before you want to travel get away from your hotel and start flagging down taxis of the right kind and asking them. Some won't want to go, some won't be allowed to go by their company (Jinshanling is in Hebei Province, outside Beijing, if only just). Fix a clear starting time for pick-up (I've never known a cab on this kind of deal to be late), and a time for return. If you can, be flexible about the latter, however, because one minute late will lead to last-minute renegotiations. But be aware than many of the cabs work 24 hours and your driver may need to hand over to another at a certain time.
Also be aware that few will actually have any idea how far or where exactly these places are. So you'll need to explain to them. You pass the turning for Simatai on the way to Jinshanling, so be sure to point it out. If the driver has been before, life is much easier, but if he hasn't he may want to get on his mobile to check the distances you quote with other drivers. Note that if you quote an exact distance, and it is in fact further, than renegotiations will once again be instituted. This is only a model of how multi-million dollar contract negotations are handled in China--each side is looking for those parts of the contract it can safely ignore without penalty, and for those parts it can claim the opposite side has breached so that it can feel free to abrogate its own responsibilities, demand more money, etc.
You'll also need to be clear on who pays the highway tolls. The simplest thing is to do it yourself. Shouldn't be more than around Y60 altogether, and probably less (but there's been some upgrading of the route since I last went).
Many drivers are happy to have the chance to get out of town, and on occasion I've paid their entrance fees to out of town sites (although some let drivers in free anyway) so that they can play tourist, too. In negotiations you'll get the measure of your driver, and be able to decide whether he'll be relaxed and helpful, or a difficult customer. Your chances of a relaxed time will be increased by NOT taking drivers frequently seen hanging around outside your hotel.
In short, anything under Y400 is fine.
Peter N-H
http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html
The method is this: The day before you want to travel get away from your hotel and start flagging down taxis of the right kind and asking them. Some won't want to go, some won't be allowed to go by their company (Jinshanling is in Hebei Province, outside Beijing, if only just). Fix a clear starting time for pick-up (I've never known a cab on this kind of deal to be late), and a time for return. If you can, be flexible about the latter, however, because one minute late will lead to last-minute renegotiations. But be aware than many of the cabs work 24 hours and your driver may need to hand over to another at a certain time.
Also be aware that few will actually have any idea how far or where exactly these places are. So you'll need to explain to them. You pass the turning for Simatai on the way to Jinshanling, so be sure to point it out. If the driver has been before, life is much easier, but if he hasn't he may want to get on his mobile to check the distances you quote with other drivers. Note that if you quote an exact distance, and it is in fact further, than renegotiations will once again be instituted. This is only a model of how multi-million dollar contract negotations are handled in China--each side is looking for those parts of the contract it can safely ignore without penalty, and for those parts it can claim the opposite side has breached so that it can feel free to abrogate its own responsibilities, demand more money, etc.
You'll also need to be clear on who pays the highway tolls. The simplest thing is to do it yourself. Shouldn't be more than around Y60 altogether, and probably less (but there's been some upgrading of the route since I last went).
Many drivers are happy to have the chance to get out of town, and on occasion I've paid their entrance fees to out of town sites (although some let drivers in free anyway) so that they can play tourist, too. In negotiations you'll get the measure of your driver, and be able to decide whether he'll be relaxed and helpful, or a difficult customer. Your chances of a relaxed time will be increased by NOT taking drivers frequently seen hanging around outside your hotel.
In short, anything under Y400 is fine.
Peter N-H
http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html
Feb 28th, 2004 | 07:22 PM
#5
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 23
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Thank you so much, Peter. I was hoping that you would chime in. You continue to be the best resource on independent travel to China to be found on the Net.
Folks: There are a lot of good travel guides to China including those of our dear forum sponsor. I like Fodor's Exploring China and will pick up the new edition of their Beijing CityPack when it is released in March. Still, I must say that Peter's Cadogan guide to Beijing continues to be the finest overall guide to that city. Featuring elegant writing and knowledgeable, discerning commentary, it is truly in a class by itself.
Folks: There are a lot of good travel guides to China including those of our dear forum sponsor. I like Fodor's Exploring China and will pick up the new edition of their Beijing CityPack when it is released in March. Still, I must say that Peter's Cadogan guide to Beijing continues to be the finest overall guide to that city. Featuring elegant writing and knowledgeable, discerning commentary, it is truly in a class by itself.
