Jun 19,2009

Hi Nicole - what a delight to have been able to meet you and Ruby while on our trip - which was truly memorable. I will also send a set of some of our pictures.

A valued component of your tour is that it is truly international (in our group of 13: 6 from the US; 2 from Tunisa; 3 Chinese via Philippines; and 2 Pakistan). You should market this as another reason to choose your group, as too oftern there are only us tourists in a group, which isn't as good. The diversity of participants truly enriched the experience unfortunately too often Americans in large groups can be too demanding - and embarrassing. Good timing for most - for the guides knew what we needed to see and how long it would take. Like the Forbidden City - it was so huge and yet Mr. Du got us through it all in a meaningful way, which also made me glad we didn't spend more time at Tian'anmen Square. I liked the way Du let us have some time (right length) to roam alone to see what interested us and wish that Mark had done that more with us.

Many meals seemed so similar, but I understand and the family style is a good way. More variety of vegetables would have been nice (Mark arranged for us to have eggplant one night - delicious!) Dumplings and Peking Duck Dinner (I make it also and was delighted to see how it is prepared), also the lunch on the Li River cruise was delightful - We were expecting a poor one and were pleasantly surprised. Our group also purchased additional items to try.

All the guide were all conscientious. Mark's language skills were not as good as the others, but he was very knowledgeable and worked hard to meet our needs (IE: He arranged for my daughter to meet an artist in Yangshuo - but unfortunately she wasn't feeling well and we therefore couldn't spend much time with him). They were all extremely knowledgeable. Echo had the best language skills and therefore was able to share more information. Each guide provided specialized information as needed, which was truly appreciate... For example, Durbin Du told us about the nearby garden in Beijing, which we walked through when we got to our hotel - a delightful way to stretch our legs after a long flight from the US.

The vehicles were very good, very clean. The driver in Beijing was new and understandable was slower to get to destinations - but did so safely, which is more important.

Our hotel and location in Beijing was perfect!!! Each morning we took walks in the corridor garden (that Mr. Du told us about) connecting with Tian'anmen Square and hutongs in the area. We were delighted to spend time in Yangshuo, even though it wasn't as long as originally planned. The trip to the village, past rice paddies was a highlight of our trip.

OTHER COMMENTS:
1. It would be best for each couple to give their own evaluation of each section of the trip. When the group only had on form for mark, it was unfair to him, as there were many differing options.

2. Guy suggested having cooking demonstrations or tours through a kitchen - which would be a great idea. After the terracotta army tour, when we have lunch there was a window to view the noodle making, which was fascinating and could have been elaborated on.

3. Many thanks for splitting up the group - 13 was a delightful size and we were very compatible.

4. I will send you the set of 209 pictures representing may of the aspects of the tour (culled from about 1500 my daughter and I took).

5. All the guides should have a way to be identified (Du and Echo had flags and Nancy had a flower, but Mark didn't have anything and, although we didn't have to deal with as many crowded situations, it may have helped.)

6. The value (cost compared to all that was provided) was exceptional! I will refer friends to your company. We liked that everything, except the driver/guide tips and two meals were included. And we liked having the flexibility to choose our own dinners in Shanghai and Yangshuo.

7. We liked learning about the three areas - Beijing = political capital; Xian = Historical capital & wheat/noodle belt; Shanghai = financial capital and we were s very grateful to spend some time in the more rural area of the Li River (one of the key reasons for initially choosing your company - I've always been enamored by the karst mountains). I really didn't think we'd be able to see so much in the 12 days we had - and your tour went way beyond our hopes and dream.

Carolyn