Dear Sally,

We enjoyed the itinerary you set up for us through Xian, Kunming, Lijiang, Xishuanbanna, Kunming and Guilin. Airline schedule, pickup on arrival, send-offs were all very timely. The weather was amazingly good except for the exceptional heat in Guilin.
Like D. Clarke, we were not happy with our tour guide in Guilin. One suggestion is that there should be more items clearly included for Guilin--for example, dinner upon arrival, seeing a minority dance show afterwards, watching the fisherman using coumararon to fish, etc. Our guide took us to these places but brought us first to a restaurant far too exorbitant--we think he is in with the restaurant. We did not mind the price of the minority dance show and short fishing expedition (U.S. $20) but after the restaurant experience, we were quite distressed. He was afraid we would turn in a major complaint on him. We are disinclined to do that as he may loose a months pay. However, we believe that it is probably the normal practice of the Guilin guides to soak their tourists. Sorry to say this but this dishonest feature was a bad experience.
Jintai Hotel in Kunming was not very clean--the bedspread had all sorts of stains including blood. We took it off and never used it. When our guide asked about the hotel, we told him about it but asked him not to bother to complain. He, nevertheless, told the hotel. Then they changed our slippers, towels, soap, everytime we stepped out of the room--that seemed a bit wasteful. Overall, it was good trip. The hotel in Xian was very good. Thanks a lot.
There was another incident--in Lijang we were supposed to go to a Naxi tribal dance after dinner. The guide told us that reservations had been made the day before. When we arrived, there were no tickets for us. Rather, she had simply called her Naxi friends the day before, alerting them to our arrival. As a result we were given wooden stools in the narrow aisle between the tables. We were very uncomfortable and had a difficult time seeing. After the show we were told to walk back to the hotel on our own or call a taxi as she had to go to a meeting at her tourist agency. Our guide was knowledgeable and prided herself as the only Naxi lady to have gone to college and spoke English. However, her last act blew us away. I suppose that coming from the States we expect everything to be on the up and up. I am sorry to report this incident but I believe international standards are what China tourism is trying to achieve. However, I do believe that you had warned us that in the smaller regions, things are still not up to par. Thank you again for your attention and your endeavor to satisfy your clients.

  "Thanks very much for arranging a very good tour indeed. We have all liked it very much and it has been an unforgettable experience. The guides were always ready at the airport to pick us up and the hotels were a good choice. I have 2 suggestions:
- The full day in Xian was a very busy programme with 4 items. Maybe 2 or 3 visits would be enough for 1 day.
- The day in Guilin (when visiting elephant hill, etc.) was not really special. The sites were very touristic we thought. With hind-sight we would have prefered to have had an additional free half day in Yangshuo and then transfer directly to the airport to fligh to Chongqing.
But again, we are very happy with the tour you have provided and we really enjoyed it. I will certaily recommend any people I know that will travel to China, to use your organisation. Also if I will plan any travel in the future, I will certainly contact you again!"

  "Thanks very much for arranging a very good tour indeed. We have all liked it very much and it has been an unforgettable experience. The guides were always ready at the airport to pick us up and the hotels were a good choice. I have 2 suggestions:
- The full day in Xian was a very busy programme with 4 items. Maybe 2 or 3 visits would be enough for 1 day.
- The day in Guilin (when visiting elephant hill, etc.) was not really special. The sites were very touristic we thought. With hind-sight we would have prefered to have had an additional free half day in Yangshuo and then transfer directly to the airport to fligh to Chongqing.
But again, we are very happy with the tour you have provided and we really enjoyed it. I will certaily recommend any people I know that will travel to China, to use your organisation. Also if I will plan any travel in the future, I will certainly contact you again!"

  Dear TibetTrip,

"Sorry for taking so long to respond to your message. We returned home safely from China and have been busy ever since. Overall, we were very satisfied with the experiences you arranged for us. Tour guides met us promptly at each destination, hotels were excellent, and sites selected were good. Two of the guides were exceptional. Tang Chen in Xian is a remarkably well-informed and professional young woman. Both she and the driver helped to make our experiences pleasant and memorable. She should be commended for her fine work. We enjoyed our stay in Xian very much. Guilin offered fascinating scenery but the level of service from the tour guide was a disappointment after the attentive, informative guide in Xian. Shirley Tam seemed most interested in rushing us through sites to get us to the next shop. At the seven peaks park we saw virtually nothing of the famed scenery. We understand that guides make commissions on purchases, and in fact we are more than happy when such a mutual benefit occurs, but not when that goal becomes the primary focus. Our touring ended on a very high note. Miss Wang Jun, who met us at Huangshan airport and accompanied us during our stay in that area, was another exceptionally bright, well-informed, and personable guide. She became a part of the very pleasant memories we have of our time there. The guide in Shanghai met us at the train and helped us resolve a problem with luggage that had been transported on the baggage car. She was pleasant and efficient. We are grateful for the assistance you offered us. We will recommend your services to friends. It is possible that we will visit China in the future with a small group of colleagues. Would it be possible for you to arrange tours with a single guide to accompany us to all selected locations? "