National Geographic recommends the Chaka Salt Lake, but I really don't like it

This time, I want to share with you a few tourist spots that I have visited, where my expectations were high, but the disappointment was just as great. 📍Chaka Salt Lake, along with Kumbum Monastery, Qinghai Lake, and Mengda Tianchi, is one of the four major attractions in Qinghai and a spot many people pass through on the Qinghai-Gansu grand loop. The lake is called the 'Mirror of the Sky' because its surface reflects like a mirror, and it has been named one of the '55 places one must visit in a lifetime' by National Geographic Traveler magazine. But, is it really a must-visit? The truth is, the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment. Upon arriving at the scenic area, you first take a shuttle bus to the entrance, then you can choose to buy a ticket for the small train. If you don't buy a ticket for the train, you'll need to walk 4-5 kilometers to complete the tour of the site, so buying tickets is a continuous process. The worst part is that there is not a single shaded area in the scenic spot, so you have to be exposed to the sun for the entire journey❗So be sure to pay attention to sun protection and bring plenty of water when you come here! 💴Ticket 60 / Sightseeing car 30 / Small train 50 / Round trip 100 / Electric cart 10 / Shoe covers 10 Carefully calculating, a trip will cost nearly 200 RMB. This way of making money is really a common problem in many domestic scenic spots, and it's frustrating. The ticket office must be built far away from the scenic spot, and then they charge for the sightseeing car. Secondly, the difference in scenery is very big. The scenery of Chaka Salt Lake is really mediocre, without the feeling of the 'Mirror of the Sky' at all. When we went in July, the weather was actually very good, but overall it was not as stunning as imagined. There were few people that day, and we could take a few photos, but I can't imagine what it would be like when it's crowded. This trip was in July 2021, and overall, it was a bit disappointing, and I don't know if there have been any improvements in the past two years. 🌈But later we went to the Qarhan Salt Lake in Golmud, which was truly stunning❗Just as exposed to the sun, but the difference in scenery between the two places is not just a little bit. Qarhan Salt Lake is like emerald blue-green, with visible layers to the naked eye. So if you're choosing between salt lakes on the Qinghai-Gansu grand loop, I would directly recommend going to Qarhan Salt Lake.