Chimelong Safari Park

Yesterday we decided to venture out to the Safari Park. We visited it in 2011 with a guide, but this time we decided to go on our own. Our hotel got us a taxi, and we paid 75 yuan (~$12) for the 40 min trip.  We got our tickets, 850 yuan (~$140) for 2 adults, and 2 children (over 1 meter tall). We rented a stroller for 50 yuan with a 300 yuan deposit that we got back when we returned the stroller.  Rachel loved the stroller, and she cried at the end when we got her out and let Anna ride for a while. First off, we rode the safari train through the African Savannah. Then we walked through a time tunnel to visit the animatronic dinosaurs. This was Luke's favorite part, but the T-Rex freaked out Rachel. After that, we walked through the tiger/lion exhibit. We watched tiger cubs playing in the cub camp.  Next, we stopped for lunch, and Matt had chicken wings, noodles with beef and shrimp, corn on the cob, and a piece of broccoli while Anna had a hot dog on a stick for about $11.  After lunch, we visited the Panda base.  We had tickets (free to the first 1000 people) to see the three panda babies who were born in August. There were restrooms all over the park, but the only "western toilets" were the handicapped stalls at the beginning of the park. The rest were all squatties.  Anna and I have gotten good at reassuring ourselves that it is just like camping! After the bathroom breaks, we let Luke and Anna ride the elephant. It was 150 yuan for two people, so totally not necessary, but we didn't buy any souvenirs. We finished the park, and our guide had told us that we could get a taxi at the exit.  We walked out, and there were three taxi drivers. The first one showed us his phone with 120 to take us back to the hotel. We shook our heads and told him 75. He shook his head and walked off. We didn't know what to do next. He asked again for 100, and again we said 75.  Then, he said "meter?", and we realized that he was trying to scam us! All taxis are supposed to go by the meter, but these guys knew they had us.  We agreed to 100, and he said he would "go hurry". We hopped in, and I noticed the check engine and the low gas light were on.  He zoomed out of the park, and I wanted to tell him "no go hurry!" Anyway, he flipped down his meter and when we arrived at the hotel, he flipped it up again.  I guess he wanted to look legitimate to the hotel staff. I am not sure how we could have avoided the situation, but I was thankful to make it back safely!