Fantastic,
Tomas! The entire trip was perfect, and we had bluebird skies every day
on the trek—saw K2 in ideal conditions.
And it was an incredible place—a high-altitude deserted desert.
Fabulous...just what I love!
Your partners out in
Xinjiang were incredibly gracious and professional—really covered the
bases well. So glad I went—the Karakoram is unbeatable. Anyway, just
wanted you to know that it was flawless once again. Thanks for all your
work in putting it together despite the difficult times in that region!
Just wanted to thank you for arranging the most
wonderful trip of
our lifetime. Gary and I had some memories that we will
talk about
forever, and it was too incredible to put into words.
A million thanks to you for all your perfection, and
answering our
many many emails of questions.
I am sorry I slept through our appointed time for the
phone
interview, as I was still not back to the states time.
Gary did a
terrific job and I will pass the email with your web
site to all of my
friends.
Take care, and we will talk again with our upcoming
trip to New Zealand.
Sheridan
Gary Conrad and Sheridan Scott
Yunnan
Hello Tomas,
As you know we flew into Hong Kong, spent 3 days
there before boarding a plane to Kunming. We didn't
have to worry about the guide finding us as we came
off the plane since we were the only westerners on
it. This was pretty much the case in most of Yunnan.
Joe (Zhou) our guide in Kunming was very efficient,
spoke English well, was reticent about giving us
much information but answered any and all questions
we asked (and there were plenty). Of all the places
he took us for meals in Kunming, the Brothers Jiang
was pretty disappointing. Although we were very
curious about the "Noodles Crossing Bridge" which we
did have. The place is pretty run down compared to
many others.
The Stone Forest was one of the highlights of the
entire trip! The Karst formations and the people in
Yi dress was fascinating. Zhu Family Inn and Gardens
in Jinhong was a very, very long trip and we're glad
we stayed overnight. Frankly, although the Inn is
really strange, but charming, with lovely courtyards
and very pretty gardens, we didn't think it worth
the long ride to and from Kunming. I'll send you a
picture of the beds in the tiny room at the Inn.
Wonderful!
And then there is Xishuanbanna and Mary, our
wonderful guide, who was determined and patient
during the whole nightmare of the stolen passports,
etc. Except for the Botanical Institute-which was
outstanding-we didn't see a lot of Banna and I'm
sorry we missed it.
The rest of the trip, thanks to you and Bobby, was
fantastic. Rearranging and rerouting the trip so
that we could see and experience most of it was
nothing short of miraculous. I thank you, Frank
thanks you. Dali, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge,
Zhongdian or Shangri La, they were all memorable.
Our trip to
Dali was too short, of course (we must return). The drive to Tiger Leaping Gorge was
spectacular as was the drive to Zhondian
(Shangri-La) We loved it all. Since it was
October, we were able to witness the harvesting in
all the farms along the way so the Bai, Naxi and
other minority farmers were out and about in all
their glory!!!
Overall, the hotels were just fine. The guides were
very good (especially Mary in Banna and Mr. Wun in
Guangzhou). If we had to rate them, I would give
Mary, Mr. Wun and Guanga (in Zhongdian) an "A" and
Joe a "B".
The
food was generally plentiful and good. We tried many
different dishes, some included bumble bees and
other unknown items! Some restaurant choices, we
felt, could have been better for esthetic reasons.
However, I am aware it was an extremely reasonably
priced tour. And, Frank and I both agree we got a
lot of "bang for our buck"!!
Francine & Frank Ruotolo
Beijing via Xian to Shanghai
Dear Tomas,
We saw so much on our China trip that a week after returning we are still
processing all the amazing experiences. Everything
went smoothly and there never were any moments of
uncertainty about travel details. Our guides met us
upon arriving at our various destinations on time
every time, and were truly part of the trip's charm.
In Beijing the Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, and
Forbidden City all stole the show, and of course the
Great Wall was fantastic. In Xi'an, we toured the
famous city wall and loved the Terra Cotta Warriors
silently guarding Emperor Qin in the countryside.
Next we flew to Guilin, a forested mountain city
surrounded by isolated peaks as far as one could
see. Our hotel in Guilin had stunning views of the
city's buildings, bridges, rivers, and mountains
wrapped in fog. After a scenic boat cruise down the
Li river to Yangshuo, we took a bicycle tour through
town and into the surrounding countryside.
We were really happy to have taken the private tour,
and would definitely use your company again. All
the hotels were top notch and the guides, like
mentioned earlier, helped make the trip very
special. We ate almost exclusively at restaurants
arranged for us by the guides and they were always
very skilled at getting us the best meals. We can't
wait to go back. Thank you for a great vacation!
All of your
China staff was top, great
drivers, excellent guides. Thanks again for
everything! We'll contact you when we
are ready to travel again.
Nancy D.
Eastern China and Yunnan
I took over 2600
photos! Thanks again for organizing the tour, guides,
trip and making sure everything went according to our
agenda. Well done! I am looking forward to coming to China again.
Mark Buck
Mt. Kailash,
Tibet
"We had a
great trip! The drive from Lhasa to Mt Kailash was
tiring, local guesthouses and food not too good but our guide made it a
Tibet learning experience, very informative!
And the Kailash Kora was everything we expected -
seeing the pilgrims, their fervor, their total
preoccupation with their piety made us forget our
mundane concerns, aches and pains trekking, and the
thin air... Thanks!
Larry Hudson
Shanghai to Chengdu
"It was
truly valuable to have an agent that has traveled all
the places we wanted to see and not just passing out
information to us from some brochures (Thank you Tomas!)
Tour was smooth, all the guides very knowledgeable, a
great value considering there were just the two of us.
May be next year we go to India with you guys..."
Michael
Simms
Eastern
China& Yangtze River Cruise
"How was our trip? We had a ball in
China! Will get back to you again in the future - thanks!"
