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TRAVEL COSTS IN GANZI
(Note: currently there are about 8.2 yuan to the US dollar).
Hotels
See these sample accommodation costs from one traveler's 1999 journey.
Note: All hotels, of whatever standard, will supply a thermos of boiled water, which usually can be refilled by asking the attendant. They often supply one tea cup per guest as well, and a wash basin if there's no bathroom. However, there may not be a shower on the premises, or even in the entire town, in which case a sponge bath is your only option. Beds always have thick quilts appropriate to the season, but rooms are rarely heated.
Where available, a "standard" double with attached bath and at least occasional hot water costs about 120 yuan/night. You will have a color TV and probably a telephone capable of local calls, but otherwise the room will be a bit grotty, with plumbing irregularities, burned out light bulbs, and other petty nuisances.
A relatively clean bathless room costs about 40 yuan/night/bed. More beds in a room means less cost per bed. Usually you get a table, and often a TV. The toilet is down the hall or across the yard.
A not-so-clean bathless room might be as little as 10 yuan per bed per night.
Hotels can be very noisy. Ear plugs help ensure sound sleep.
Transportation
See also some sample transportation costs from one traveler's 1999 journey.
Costs vary tremendously, depending on the type of vehicle. Booking out a whole 34-seat bus from Kangding to Dege for two days (or sometimes three days if you have mechanical trouble) and returning empty is about 3000 yuan. A Landcruiser from Dege to Kangding is about 4000. (reverse is cheaper because cars are easier to find in Kangding). These are our typical costs, but we have good guanxi. Your mileage may vary!
In most towns, there is no "car hire office." You have to ask around to find out which units or individuals have cars that can be hired, whether the vehicle and driver is available on the days you want, and whether they're willing to go to your destination. Then you have to bargain the price. The easiest way to find a car is to skulk around the streets, approaching anyone who looks like the driver of a parked car. Don't hire a car without seeing it. Make sure it's understood who is paying for gas, loding, food, and repairs.
Public transportation is more predictable in cost, but doesn't go everywhere you might want to go. Chengdu to Kangding is about 100 yuan. Kangding to Ganzi is about 65 yuan. Public bus ticket prices are calculated quite exactly according to distance and the standard of bus. On a private bus, anything goes; be prepared to bargain.
Horse hire is usually divided into two separate costs: one for the horse, and one for the owner who comes along, walking beside or in front of you. If you have good connections, you might get a government-guaranteed price of about 20 yuan per horse per half day and 10 yuan per man. (This is reminiscent of the bad old days of the Ulag labor system wherein peasants were required to supply transportation at a fixed price to travelers carrying government passes). You should tell them whether the animal will be used for riding or for baggage so they can equip it properly. Price will go up as distance goes up, especially if the owner has to spend a night away from home. People are often unwilling to travel far from their homes, and may not want to go with you at all during planting or harvest season (April, September).
In the spring animals are thin and weak, and owners unwilling to work them hard. Horses are usually left to graze the high pastures, and must be fetched before they can be used, which might take a day or more depending on how far away the pasture is. Tibetan horses are small but very sturdy; they can carry a man and some minor luggage all day up and down mountains without a problem provided there is good pasture at the end of the day. However, a six-foot westerner with a forty pound pack is probably too much for any but the largest stallion. Tall people should insist, loudly if necessary, that the stirrups be lowered, otherwise your ride will be very uncomfortable.
It would be considerate to pack along some extra snacks to share with the horse-owners, drivers, and other random fellow passengers that turn up. In turn, they will share what they have with you, impromptu picnics being one of the great joys of Tibet travel.
Guides/interpreters
There are almost no English-speaking Khampas, so you may have to make do with a Chinese interpreter. Wages are 30-150 depending on skills and experience. If they travel with you, you'll have to house and feed them. Make sure they have sufficient clothing and proper footware for the proposed journey.
Tips
If you hire someone for the day, or for longer, and they serve you well, you should give them a tip in addition to the agreed-upon salary. Something between 5 and 80 yuan per day is the right ballpark. In counting days of service, you should consider the time spent traveling alone back home if your trip is not a loop.
If someone is helping you for free (maybe you're getting a free ride in their truck), then they might refuse a tip. You should ask several times before concluding that they really don't want it. If they still refuse, then it might be better to offer something more personal, like a knick-knack from you pack, or a photo. Smokers are expected to offer cigarettes to everyone around them every time they ligh up. Non-smoking men can still give cigarettes as gifts, but it would be odd for a woman to do so. Under ordinary circumstances, if you give a gift that's much too large, you will embarrass them and make them lose face and feel bad. [But also remember that they probably have no idea that, say, your foreign-made gloves cost six times what Chinese-made gloves cost, so a gift of gloves won't look as big as it really is]. If you stay in someone's house, or eat a meal in their home, a personal memento of some sort is in order. If they travel with you for days, or rescue you from a very dire fate, consider something like your fleece jacket or Swiss Army knife.
One last thing: if you promise to send photos to someone you've met, then follow up!