I booked my flight from Chengdu to Harbin at 8:15am. Because it’s an early flight, I took a bus from Neijiang to Chengdu. The bus ride took a little over 2 hours, arriving at Chengdu around 5:45pm.
Everytime the bus arrives at Wu Gui Qiao (五桂桥) bus station, there’s a pack of local Chengdu drivers that are waiting like a pack of vultures. When a bus arrives they crowd around the door asking every passenger if they need a cab ride. Most, if not all of these people drive illegal, unlicensed taxis in Chengdu. They don’t drive cars distinctly marked as cabs, and there are no meters in the cars. The fee is a flat fee based on where you are going. I’ve been to Chengdu many times, so I’m quite familiar with these illegal taxis, and I’m not too worried about getting ripped off like I did in Beijing.
You can also bargain and haggle with these people for a cheaper rate. From the Wu Gui Qiao (五桂桥) bus station to the air port, I paid $60yuan including the toll fee, which is about right.
I booked a hotel right by the airport since my flight leaves early in the morning. I originally booked a room at the Ming Hang Hotel (明航宾馆), a 2 star hotel about 10 minutes away from the Chengdu airport, but the driver told me there was a hotel right beside the airport - Chuan Gang Hotel (川港宾馆), so I decided to get a room here instead.
It cost $100 yuan more than the other hotel, but it’s right beside the airport, about a 5minute walk on foot, and in the morning they will provide a shuttle service to take me to the airport. This hotel also has internet.
The hotel isn’t all that great, an average 2 star hotel, and it comes with what I call the “squat-a-potty”. Y’know, those old style Chinese squatters, which I’m not too keen on using. Otherwise, it’s a decent, clean hotel.
For those that might be interested, this hotel comes with special “massage” services. If you’ve never been to China, don’t be surprised to find out that many, many hotels in China offer special “massage” services. At least half of the hotels I’ve been to in China has it. Basically, the “massage” includes anything you might want. I’ve never used it, so beyond that, I can’t say much else.
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