Horror in Chengdu

Ctourus -- 7-day Tour of Zhangjiajie, Hunan, China 

Day 8 - Changsha to Chengdu, November 13, 2017

This was the day we transition from one tour to another. Nothing was planned for the day since everyone on the tour would be leaving Changsha to their next destinations. Our group of twelve was to travel to southwest China for another 8-day tour of Jiuzhaigou in Szechuan province with Ctourus again. We did this exact tour last September and had a pretty good experience. We did not hesitate to join other family members on this same tour again this time around. With the earthquake that ruined most parts of the Jiuzhaigou National Park about a month prior to our arrival, we had been notified that there would be a change in the itinerary. Instead of going to Jiuzhaigou, we would be traveling to Huang Long, which was fine with us. We were ready to see that part of Szechuan which would be a new experience for all of us. What happened later that day took us by surprise and we had a drastic turn of events before the day was over. 

Breakfast at the Dolton International Hotel did not disappoint. We had a relaxing time enjoying our last meal here in the city since we won't be picked up for the airport until later that afternoon. 

Going down to the lobby early in the morning.

Breakfast was served in the restaurant next to the lobby.

                           

Some of us decided to take a walk around the neighborhood after breakfast before we had to leave the city. I enjoy strolling through the city on our own, taking in the beat of life as a local whenever we visit a foreign land. I found this to be relaxing and rewarding to be able to really experience the life of a city. Somehow, what we did this morning and the first night here having dinner at Hougongdian on pedestrian street were the two most memorable things we did on this part of the trip. Just us, doing whatever we wanted, enjoying each others company was most precious and enjoyable.

Busy morning at a crossroad in Changsha.

Saw this huge, national brand pharmacy as we walked along. Stopped to buy some needed over-the- counter Chinese medicine to take home.

One of the signs along the street on a wall-- "Rules to keep as civilized citizens".

Everything, including the sight and sound of the city, was of interest to us.

"Treasure hunt" at this Pic-n-Save type store. They had everything in there from nail clippers to pots and pans. We had fun shopping and searching. These are the kind of shopping we like to go on.

Back at Dolton International.

Leaving Changsha

We were picked up at around 1:00 PM to the airport for our flight out at 5:25. Everything went smoothly. Some of us had a simple lunch of instant ramen that we purchased from the convenient store, with hot water from the dispensers scattered around the airport. Definitely a new and different experience that can only be found in Chinese airports. The boarding process was quite chaotic, with us gathering at the cramped space one flight downstairs and then taking the very crowded shuttles to the plane. Nevertheless, we all boarded and were on our way to Chengdu for another tour. We would be arriving at Chengdu around 19:20 PM.

Horror in Chengdu

I must say that we were kind of excited arriving Chengdu. We even had a beautiful group picture taken at the baggage claim area before going outside to meet the person/driver who would be taking us to the hotel. They had two vehicles ready for the 12 of us, four in one smaller van and then the rest in a bigger one. We were looking forward to a comfortable bed for the night after the long day traveling from one city to another and it was almost 10 o'clock by then.

As we walked inside this hotel in a newly developed area of the city we saw two people sitting behind a table set up in the empty lobby who looked disgusted and annoyed. Without acknowledging who they were or greeting us as we entered the hotel, they just sat there and stared at us with their stone faces and started demanding for our passports. Immediately we were all alarmed and not sure what was going on. After a couple of exchanges regarding the wrong information that they had gotten from the tour company and their own mistakes of not registering my passport before giving it back to me, they started to lecture us in a very disrespectful manner. For some unknown reasons, or none thereof, they were talking to us and treating us like sergeants meeting the rookies for the very first time. We have been on many other tours around the world but had never been treated or talked down to in such manner by any tour guides. Until this day, we still could not figure out what caused them to act that way. Every time we tried to reason with them it was returned with more harsh words and yelling. We were still hopeful that maybe they were just in a really bad mood that day and everything will work out eventually. Not until they started telling us that "You are in Szechuan now, and you will not gain a bit of advantage over us." "If you think she (one of the guides named  Zhao, Y) is mean, I (the other guide named Hsu, Dong C. ) am rougher than she is," with that he pound his fist on the table. We decided that it was not a wise option to go on any tour with these two clowns. We really felt that our lives were at risk and leaving this hotel as soon as possible would be our best bet. We figured, if they behaved like that while we were still in the city what would happen if we were taken into a remote town with no help around? They could do whatever they want to us and we would be defenseless. It turned out to be a good thing that we still have not received our room keys at that odd hour close to midnight because they were so busy 'lecturing' us. They also forced us to delete all the photos and video clips that we took during this whole ordeal. By now, all the young people in our group wanted to 'go home' and leave this horrible situation behind. Thank God, our contacts with Ctourus office in Los Angeles turned out to be fruitful and positive.

Ctourus Came to the Rescue

To make the long story short, after several calls to the local tour contacts and Ctourus offices in both Shanghai and Los Angeles, our situation turned from dim to bright. Kudos to J, the owner of Ctourus L.A., who quickly responded to the disastrous situation. He was totally shocked by what had happened especially knowing that we still have not received our room keys at that hour. Immediately, he took control and began working on solving our problems personally. 

When we first contacted the local tour office and explained to them of what happened, they offered to send a supervisor over and have the tour guides apologize to us. They were also willing to switch tour guides but we felt that with the guides being in the same pack, we did not feel safe to go with any other one under such circumstances. Instead, we asked the hotel staff to get us four taxis while we continued our contact with J on the phone. Without telling the two clowns what our plans were we told J that we were leaving the hotel back to the airport where it would be a safer location for us at that hour. The guides were stunned as we walked out of the hotel with all our luggage when the taxis arrived one after another. They wanted to know where we were going and telling us that we needed to sign papers if we want to leave the tour group. We told them, no, you don't need to know, everything is being handled through the head office. With that, we left them without saying another word. 

We did look into finding a hotel near the airport but it was already after 1:00 AM when we got back to the airport. Figuring our chances of getting last minute plane tickets would be better early the next  morning, we decided to just stay put and stay there overnight. While we were settling down at the departure level, J called and told us that he had booked us a hotel for the night so we could rest comfortably. He suggested that instead of 'going home', which could be very expensive because of the last minute tickets, and wasting the time we set aside for the trip, he is willing to arrange a special tour just for the twelve of us wherever we wish to go for the days we have left in the country in replacement of this one. Taking into consideration of the plane tickets situation, it seemed that it was the best route to take. After discussing the alternatives further with everybody involved, we decided on a tour of Beijing, Tianjin, and Chengde in the northern part of China. Because our original plane tickets could not be changed, we would have to fly back to Chengdu after our tour in Beijing, then fly back to Beijing for our flight home at the end. 

With a much clearer plan ahead of us, we were definitely relieved as we left the airport to the hotel in four taxis again. I cannot express how much we appreciate J for his responsible and understanding manner in handling this situation. He could have left us stranded and there would be nothing we could do. Instead, he took up the torch and worked through the hours to make arrangements on our behalf so that we could have an enjoyable trip with the burden of extra expenses paid out of his own pocket. Everything fell into places in just a few hours because he personally took care of this. It turned out that this new tour was way better than anything we could have imagined. Thank God for J's quick action, our tour in the next few days proved to be one memorable trip for all of us! I have to comment that all the members of our group were amazing also. We stuck together and worked things out together. No one was complaining about the quick change of plans. I thank God for my two older brothers who handled this terrible situation beautifully and wisely! God works in all situation for the good of His people! Praise the Lord!

As far as those two clowns? J said they will make sure that those two will never be hired again by their tour company. Hopefully, no one else will become their next victims as we have logged our complaints to the Tourism offices at the national, provincial, and city levels after we came home.

(Final 'verdict' for the guides and local tour company given by Sichuan Tourism here.)

Intercontinental Hotel, Chengdu

Instead of sleeping on the hard benches at the airport that night, we headed over to the luxurious Intercontinental hotel. By the time we arrived, it was past 2:00AM and the place was completely quiet and deserted. We found our rooms in this huge complex and had a much needed restful night! We settled down in our beautiful rooms with thankful hearts as J continued to work on our itinerary for the next few days.

The huge and quiet Intercontinental Hotel.

Everything was perfect! We left the horrible ordeal behind, in a safe environment, and ready for another new and exciting adventure planned for us by J!