With one exception, we thought the guides were well above expectation. In particular, David in Beijing and Lilly in Xian stood out. Both are extremely knowledgeable, and have excellent English skills. When we asked Lilly if we could find a way to spend some time near the fountains in the evening in Xian, which was not part of the tour, she was able to meet our request. The other guides were not quite as polished or sophisticated, but they too worked very hard to be sure we experienced your country in an enjoyable manner and there was no problem in communications. I was surprised to be discussing the U.S. National Basketball Association playoffs with Bruce in LiJang; that was fun.

The disappointment was David in Guilin and Yangshuo. He seems tired of his job. While he was polite, he seemed to want to always do things "the easy way" and also seemed in a hurry to leave us at the end of the day. His performance was noticeably weak when compared to the other very good guides.

The drivers were also very good. They seemed to always work very well with the guide as a team. The cars were clean and comfortable, and we were given plenty of water--which was needed during the hot summer trip!

The meals were very enjoyable. Our favorite meal was the dumpling banquet in Xian (although it would have been better if the food had been served more slowly). There was a nice variety of food, although it was too much. We understand that you want your guests to be able to experience everything China has to offer, but we suggest that you have a smaller dinner, or just a snack, every second or third evening.

The selection of sights to see seemed about right. We saw the most significant cultural attractions at each stop, and it was obvious that we were able to get around much more efficiently than people trying to find their way around by themselves, or those in large groups. The small group tour felt just right--we met new friends and were able to discuss what we were seeing, but we also were a small enough group that we could move around quickly.

Please feel free to publish our comments, including our email address. We would be happy to provide a reference for you.

Sincerely,

Rick and Kathy Ueltschy