Hi Cynthia,

We are here pleased to give our comments on our recent China travel and try to answer all of the questions you required.

Overall we very much enjoyed the meals provided, the most enjoyed was the Dumpling Dinner on day 2, although the lunch at the Buddhist Temple was not to our western taste. We found the Dumpling Dinner not only delicious but our waitress explained the meal and pointed out the humorous shapes of the dumplings.

We had one guide, Helen. We were surprised to learn she was relatively new at her job because she was so knowledgeable about the history of her country and offered us valuable information in a timely, professional manner. Helen was very helpful in relation to my (Jan) slight disability and both her and the driver, Mr Chen, ensured our safety when getting in and out of the vehicle.

Helen's knowledge of the English language and pronunciation was easy for us to understand, and where there was slight difficulty Helen would repeat with patience so that we did understand.

Mr Chen is a very safe, patient and experienced driver. The traffic in Xian is more chaotic than we are used to, but we never felt unsafe in Mr Chen's hands. The car was clean at all times and there was more than sufficient cold bottled water provided.

The knowledge, patience, expertise of both Helen and Mr Chen was deeply appreciated. We had not traveled in China prior so we very much appreciated having their assistance which made the entire tour a most memorable experience. Having a feeling of complete safety, that we were getting expert information about the fantastic museums and other tour inclusions, and being informed of a great optional extra - the performance on Day 2 after the Dumpling Dinner is something worth recommending to others. We have two other things to recommend to other travelers: 1) get TravelChinaGuide to organize flights - we arranged our own only to discover our flights via Chongqing to Xian were not actual transfers which caused us confusion and time wasted, and 2) try to have a tour that is longer than three days to have some free time incorporated, but as we did not have the luxury of more time the three days was our choice this time. The hotel we stayed at is worth mentioning as it was very comfortable and clean, with lots of choices for breakfasts (and other meals). Please thank both Helen and Mr Chen for making this tour something we can keep in our hearts and minds forever. We have traveled extensively and have a lot to compare this tour with and TravelChinaGuide should be pleased to have both Helen and Mr Chen on board.