Dear Cecily and William:I definitely wanted to return my comments to you about my experience in China. Sorry about the delay. My busy schedule has not afforded me the time to do so.
In assessing how my experience transpired with your company, I- first of all- feel that it would only be fair to tell you that my goal in traveling throughout the country was to have a chance to integrate myself- as best as possible in the short time I had- with the people and culture of each place I went to in the country, so that I could experience the truth of what China is really about. I am an adventure seeker and was expecting your company to assist me in that.
That said, I will say that my experience with you folks was excellent. All of the guides were helpful and insightful regarding their respective cities. I had a particular fondness of Abdulah in Kashgar, Newman in Beijing, Rachael on the Yangtze River Cruise, and the young man in Xian (I feel silly that I can’t remember his name at the moment). That is not to discredit the efforts of any of the others, but those folks really held good memories for me on my trip.
The hotels and meals were all of excellent caliber as well. Additionally, they were all in excellent locations in every city (your crew couldn't have picked better spots), and were easy to cab or walk from to get to points of interest. Believe it or not, the hotels were actually a little too nice for me. I was really looking for something a little more rugged, but safe. About all I need is a good lock on the door and fresh water for drinking, which is easily solved by buying some water on the street.
As noted, the meals were very good as well. I enjoyed the buffet Chinese breakfasts in the hotels and restaurants particularly well, as my dietary habits and tastes are very similar to those of the Chinese culture. I am a very health conscious eater, and the Chinese menus accommodated that excellently. Additionally, the guides were sensitive to that, and I appreciated it. Thank you! The restaurants were all fantastic, with wonderful service. I particularly enjoyed eating with Adrl (my guide) and the driver-(a great host himself- but I cannot remember his name) in Turpan and Urumqi. Adrl did a great job at choosing different meals for me, so that I would have a wide array of experiences.
The condition of the cars was excellent in each location, and service attitude of the driver in each city was good as well. I particularly enjoyed the drivers that would go above and beyond what was expected of them (for example: enjoy a meal with me or involve him/herself with the tour and my experience). Of particular note, once again- is the gentlemen in Urumqi and Turpan. Excellent service.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about the guides was their willingness to go outside of the boundaries of the itinerary to show me various factories (pottery, silk carpet, etc.) and points of interest; it helped provide a feel for China that might otherwise not have been known. Newman in Beijing and Adrl in Urumqi were particularly good at this. Another thing about the guides was their willingness to allow for photos (I took many of them). They were all very patient and accommodating. The guide who was kind enough to pick me up at the airport in Chongqing even bought me some water before I got on the cruise, thus saving me money instead of having to purchase the water on the ship. Additionally, she explained much of the city in great detail, even though I only spent about 30 minutes with her.
Additionally, each city offered some sort of show to go to, which I gladly did, almost every night. The guides were very accommodating to this, as well, and always had good ideas for shows to go see.
I am very pleased in my experience with your services, and will definitely be back to use ChinaTour360 again. Working with you, Cecily and William, was very easy and stress-free, and I would like to invite anyone who is considering the services of ChinaTour360 to contact me at the email below. I was as skeptical as could be- and these folks came through in every way. From the wiring of funds to the final flight home, everything was done as agreed to. Excellent service. Once again, it really was a pleasure to meet you in Xian. Thanks for all of the wonderful experiences throughout China.
Sincerely,
Brant H.
Denver, CO U.S.A. Email: BRANTH@msn.com
- Name: Mr. Brant Wilde Helferich
- From: Denver, CO, USA
- E-mail: msn.com|BRANTH
- ltinerary: 18-Day Budget China Tours of Beijing - Urumqi - Kashgar - Urumqi - Turpan - Dunhuang - Xian - Chongqing - Yichang - Shanghai
- Date: 8/13/2007
