Jun 5,2009

Dear Maggie,

Loved the diverse group I traveled with. All of the sight-seeing tours were very nice. Sometimes we went a little fast and it was difficult to get a picture without fear of loosing sight of the guide due to the crowds.

The food was excellent and a bit overwhelming. Too much! We felt like we were wasting so much food by the end of the meal. One dinner I skipped because I was so full, we had ate an entire meal on the plane and it was almost 9 PM. Another time we went to lunch right after eating on the plane. Maybe check to see if we've already been fed or offer smaller meals. So a little less food and a little more to drink. I only wanted part of a beer then maybe some water or soda. By the end of the meal, many of us were still thirsty but the 2 drink limit was already met. And some restaurants counted 2 small glasses as the 2 drink limit while others counted 2 bottles or cans as the 2 drink limit. There were so many great restaurants that it is hard to recommend one.

I was impressed with every guide's English. I really appreciated having a local guide once we were in some of the more remote areas. It made it much more meaningful. Rose in Beijing was so passionate about China and her city. She made it exciting for us and really brought the importance of the history to life.

These drivers should get a medal! Traffic all over China is very scary, the drivers handled it with ease.

I didn't realize what a difference a local guide makes. As we were in the junk going down the river surrounded by the mountains around the Yangtze River our guide began to sing local folk-songs. Her voice echoed off the hillsides and made us feel like we were living a hundred years ago. Knowing her parent's home was 2 more hours deeper into the mountains made the landscape come alive. Real people make the local culture more of an experience than something just to look at. Visiting the local home in Tibet really took me to another time and place, like I was living in a history book.

We ran into several people that had booked through Viking Tours - they offer the same tours. I told them that TravelChina was MUCH less expensive for the same thing; No, a better tour!

Jun 3,2009

Hello Kina,

It was so nice to meet with you in Xian. Many thanks for the photographs (and the t-shirts). Regarding comments on the tour I cannot state how highly Janet and I thought of our guide, Ruth. She was entirely courteous, friendly, diligent, organised and efficient for the short time we were in Xian and helped make our visit a highly memorable one. Her English was excellent and she provided us with detailed explanations of the places we visited as well as the locations we drove through.

The driver was very efficient, courteous and punctual and we could not believe how he managed to get us from one place to the next so safely and quickly given the traffic conditions. The vehicle was very clean and comfortable and a supply of water was always on hand.

The meals provided were very good. The hotel breakfasts were more than adequate and the two lunches were excellent, notably the one on our first day. The dumpling banquet was amazing and we were unable to eat all of the superb food provided to us, although we had a good try!

Regarding the arrangements made for us, we were very impressed with the time and care taken by you to accommodate our specific needs and in answering my various emailed requests and queries in order to provide a tailored tour which exceeded our expectations.

In summary we cannot recommend your company highly enough and will certainly use your services in future visits to China.

Regards,
Brian Davey