Jun 18, 1999

"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."

May 14, 1999

"I wanted to write and let you know that the tour organized for my mother and I far exceeded anything we expected. The guides were wonderful and they made the tour ecspeacially wonderful for us. The hotels, and the restaurants were all great. I would like to thank you for making special preparations for our vegetarian meals as I am sure it was difficult for you. The drivers and cars and schedules all went smoothly. I am enthralled with China and hope to return again for an extended period next year. Because of your tour I feel that my eyes, mind and heart have been opened, I couldnt have asked for a better educational and entertaining experience. I will recommend Travel China Guide to others and use it again. Particularly I would like to thank you Mr. Wang for coming to visit us at the hotel in Xian. If you ever plan to to travel in the US I would gladly help you with any necessary preparations. . "

May 13, 1999

"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 Travel China Guide. Also if I will plan any travel in the future, I will certainly contact you again!"