Testimonial

Hi Candy 

it has been over two and a half months since we returned home from China. Dave received your email regarding our perspectives on our time there and asked me to look after it. However, I was not well and spent some time in hospital and so this has been delayed. Now I am doing super well again. As well, my computer's hard drive broke and had to be sent away to be repaired and so I am just beginning to catch up on all the lost time and relationships, especially those of our time in China.

Candy, I cannot begin to tell you how very much we ALL enjoyed our time in your country. Only the weather could have been better - actually, we should have taken warmer clothes!!! The tour guides were fantastic - we loved them; the only negative was having to say goodbye to them at the end of our time in their city and area.The scenery was fabulous - so different from ours here in Canada. The culture was fascinating - we wished we could have stayed in each place longer to have seen and learned more, to have gotten to know people around us and talked with them, to be able to remember every detail. Our least favorite place was Shanghai - that was because the areas we saw there were very much like here. These are the 'overall thoughts' you asked for and would be true of the experiences of each of us. As I often hear Barbie say and we all agree - 'it was the trip of a lifetime'.

We have many wonderful friends here in Edmonton from China and, a week after we returned, we invited many of them into our home. We had 78 or 80 of them here (I lost count of 'bodies' and ended up counting the shoes at our front door!). Dave showed them about an hour and a half of pictures we had taken and they were excited and so pleased with what we had seen and done, asked many questions, and commented that they had or had not 'been there' or 'done that', Often we heard 'Now we would like to see/do that when we go back to China for a visit'. There were many comments from them that, from their perspective, we had experienced the best tour possible, that they couldn't think of any way we could have done better, unless we were to stay longer so that we could have seen other parts of China as well (especially the areas where they had lived!). We have bought digital picture frames since coming back to Canada. Ours is in our kitchen where we seem to spend a lot of our time; it is wonderful to see our pictures of China over and over, to reminisce and enjoy each scene, to be reminded of all the wonderful things we did, saw and experienced.

Now, to try to answer your actual questions. I will try to answer for each and all of us, drawing my answers from what I have heard them tell others. In a sense, it is like asking someone who loves all ice creams flavors to pick their favorite!

-Most memorable attraction visited: Probably for each of us, different things and places were 'best' but there were some places and things that we all considered wonderful. For Stirling, the mountains and Guilin river trip , the Great Wall, dancers in Lijiang, . For me, Lijiang was the best, because I found the culture there the most fascinating and different from ours. I loved the sights, the sounds, the cultures - in other words, every minute of each day was a constant thrill. For us all, the market that Janice took us to was a highlight, the little national restaurant where we had lunch (we were really cold and the hostess helped us warm up by placing a pan of charcoal by our feet under the table; it was great). For Barb and Dave, the highlight was the balloon ride - and, when Lori, Stirling and I saw the pictures they took, we agreed it was indeed one of the top attractions (weather was perfect for them also). For Genevieve, I think it was the stone forest and Jungjijia – the cloud and mist hanging over and around the mountains thrilled her artistic soul and, though all of us took some amazing pictures, hers were especially good.

Most outstanding tour guide-as in all relationships, different ones of us connnected most closely with different tour guides. They were all very knowledgeable, interesting, and protective, They couldn't have done better in caring for our needs and wishes. The longer the time we spent with each one, the more we loved and appreciated them as we grew to know them better – not only as great tour guides but also very special and wonderful individuals who became our friends. Each one left me with a piece of their heart and it was very difficult for me personally to leave each one of them. We have invited all of them to come to visit us here so that we can show them a bit of our country. Stirling and I have often had people from other countries live with us and we would love to have any and all of our guides do the same! We even got to know some of our drivers quite well and enjoyed them also.

Hotels – they were fabulous. It is difficult to pick a ‘best’ hotel but I think that the one in Lijiung was a highlight – its style, design, and inner court yard seemed tous to be so authentically ‘Chinese’; the dancers in the evening were amazing; we felt like we were living in the middle of all that was so very interesting, wonderful, and different. I think the second choice would be the hotel you gave us in Shanghai – it was far beyond anything we could have imagined. It was fabulous and so special to have the extra ‘sitting room’ - the 6 of us spent a lot of our ‘down time’ there, relaxing, talking about our experiences, etc.

Meals – Candy, we were overwhelmed by the amazing food in all the restaurants. The breakfasts – WOW!! They were unbelievable – so much choice, so tasty, such variety, many things for everyone to enjoy. Stirling doesn’t like too much spice and Dave likes lots – they both were always happy with their breakfast. The guides did a superb job of ordering lunches for us – many wonderful authentic foods to taste, again such variety, and so delicious. We often asked our guides to eat with us but they felt they needed to eat with the driver so he wouldn’t be lonely! Even after they ordered and we received our food, they came back to check to see if all was ok and we were enjoying everything. They would tell us what we were eating and answer any questions we had about the food or the restaurant. We ate what for us was such amazing food; examples are yak, deep fried yak cheese, yak tea, dragon flies, rice in bamboo sticks, pigeon, frogs, and much more. We felt that you put together the perfect combination for meals. It was wonderful to have the breakfasts and most of the lunches; the times when we were on our own, the guides often gave us suggestions and sometimes helped us find a place. Yet there was also an excitement and sense of adventure to choosing our own evening restaurant. So, yes, the meals were perfect.

General suggestions – the only thing we could think about was an English language newspaper whenever it would be possible. We were pleased that there was at least one English language T. V. channel in all hotels, I think. There wasn’t anything we did that wasn’t great. We appreciated the limited shopping but enjoyed the few spots we did go to.

Stirling has already made a DVD that is ready for me to mail to you. He took more than 5 hours of camcorder pictures. We only need your address – I think I have it on the itinerary but please let me know for sure where is the best place to send this. Would you also like some digital pictures? Any time we can be of help in any way, please ask and we will be glad to help. We have all the email addresses of the tour guides except Jenny and Leo. Would you please ask them if it is ok to give their email addresses to us? We would like to send them a copy of the pictures we took when we were with them. It would be great to be able to remain in contact with all of them but they have many people pass through their tours and I know they cannot keep in touch with everyone. But I would at least like to email and thank them for all they did to make our time in China so memorable.

 Candy, we want to extend the same invitation to you that we gave to all our tour guides --- anytime you would like to visit Canada, we would be highly honored to have you come as our guest and show you a bit of our part of the world. Thanks again for all you did to make our trip so fantastic. Who knows – maybe sometime we will come back or you will come here! Sorry this is so long – hope you can understand my ramblings.

 Your friends, Dave, Barb, Genevieve, Lori, Stirling and Ruthie

Jean,

We had a wonderful trip thanks to you and the guides in China.  I can't think of a single issue that we had with respect to the travel arrangements; it was a smooth as silk!  See my comments below.

 Each of the 6 of us would have a different answer to the question of 'What was the most memorable attraction you visited', especially since 3 of us had seen many of the sights before.  Everyone liked Art 789 and the hutongs in Beijing, Wuzhen, Feilaifung in Hangzhou.  The kids liked the Great Wall & Cloisonne factory & Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai & Mawangdui in Changsha.  The most controversial was Zhangjiajie, which my husband and kids didn't appreciate very much, but my parents and I did.  My mother liked Prince Gong's palace, but we all would have skipped it.

Lily in Changsha & Zhangjiajie was the most outstanding tour guide because she displayed a lot of heart and caring, especially with my elderly parents.  Her knowledge & English were very strong.  Rainy & Tony were also very good.

Regarding hotels and meals, I think the breakfasts did not have enough Western food for my husband or kids, though my parents and I enjoyed them.  Changsha had the best breakfasts.  For the lunches, 2 out of 3 were excellent.  Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing hotel locations were very good.  Only Hangzhou Lakeview Hotel was not great - rooms were very small, cot was uncomfortable. Fu 1008 in Shanghai was best meal we had in China.

Dear Sunny,

Just wanted to let you know we had a wonderful trip and we are now back home in California. The train tour was amazing and all the guides were very nice. We were delighted with each tour and the ease of traveling through China.The trip as a whole was 100% satisfaction. Thank you again for helping to make our dream of visiting China come true!

Our tour was incredible and I would travel with China Highlights again and again.

 The most memorable attraction would have to be the Great Wall. It was so amazing to visit it and actually have time to walk around. Our guide gave us 2 hours of free time which was really great. We had a few other people in our group, but everyone was very nice and we enjoyed meeting people from all over the world.

Hi Jean,

During our trip, the Terracotta Warriors in Xian was the most memorable attraction.

Laura, followed closely by Cristina were the most outstanding tour guide we had in China. They were both enthusiastic, friendly, helpful and very informative. And the driver, Michael, in Beijing was always cheerful and friendly.

The hotels were definitely up to standard. Our favorite was the Sunworld Hotel in Beijing. All of the meals at all of the Restaurants were lovely but I would have to say we enjoyed the Restaurant at the Great Wall the most.

What was particularly pleasing for us was the friendliness of the people. We were welcomed everywhere we went. In Beijing, we had dinner at a restaurant opposite the hotel. The young staff there treated us like movie stars. Having our own guide and driver was wonderful. We were taken to each attraction and given a thorough explanation as well as being given ample time to ourselves to explore. The whole trip was a good mix of time with the guide and free time of our own. And as I said previously, the food in China is delicious.We loved visiting China and hope we can visit again soon.

Thankyou,

Allan & Carmel

Dear Virginia:

Overall my family and I enjoyed the trip to China very much.

The visits to Great Wall, The Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square are very memorable. We also loved the visits to Bird Nest and Water Cube and Beijing Zoo.  The visits to Lama Temple, Summer Palace & The Garden of Virtue and Harmony were not bad. Hutong Tours in a Rickshaw and paper cut is also Okay.

We enjoyed the Kungfu show very much even though the demonstration of the Kungfu was so limited.  As for the Acrobatic Show, it is good show but the team from China performed at the casino at Mississippi, USA is better.  I guess maybe that was an Early Show of the day.

Your tour guide - Laura is an excellent, professional tour guide.  Her service is very remarkable and unforgettable.  Without Laura, my memory for this trip to China might be very different. The driver is very good and helpful.

The restaurants from your package were very good, especially the one closed by The Forbidden City and Quanjude (Chinese Roast Duck).

I would recommend your company to my friends or colleagues.

Again, my family and I thank you very much for all of your assistance in planning our trip to China.  Please give our regards to Laura and the driver.

I will keep you and your company on my list whenever I will travel to China.

Thank you very much again.  Best Wishes to you.

Tien

Dear Grace,

We returned safely to Hong Kong last night after a very successful trip through China. We know that there is a lot still to be seen and, who knows, maybe we will be back soon. If this is the case, we will definitely contact you and China Highlights.

The trip was well organized and we had no letdowns. The transportation was perfect and the young guides pleasant and knowledgeable. We enjoyed talking to them and finding out about the people life in general and their own lives and aspirations in particular, as well as the history of China and important events that shaped the wonderful country we found.

One suggestion I would like to make, if possible. We were surprised that the guides and the drivers did not sit down with us when we had lunch. It would be pleasant to know them better and lunch is an excellent opportunity to do so. I asked and was told that they are not allowed to sit with the guests.While I can see that some guests might not want to sit together with the guide and driver, we would have and even offered to pay for their lunch.I would like to suggest that this choice is left with the guests and the guide and driver.

Thank you for helping us having a wonderful time in China. We will definitely advertise your company and its good services to all our friends and acquaintances.

Best regards.

Irene, Serge and Andrew

Hi Grace,

A quick update -- we're back in Chicago (arrived late this afternoon) and none the worse for wear. Thanks to you and the China Highlights group we had a great vacation and everything went as planned. The highlight of the trip was meeting you last week -- it was fun to place a face with a voice. We'll be back and when we return we'll be sure to contact you (and will be recommending China Highlights to our friends).

Thanks and best wishes,
 
Julia and Chris

Dear Michael,

We just returned from a fabulous and affordable tour through China and Tibet. I have always heard that it is necessary to either hire a guide or travel with a tour group in China due to language barriers. My boyfriend and I are young (in our 30's) and active, so we didn't want to end up on a bus with two dozen retirees (no offense Mom and Dad).

A colleague recommended China Highlights, and I reached out to them. They put together a custom tour that was out of this world and within our modest budget. We received a private Tai Chi lesson with a Master in the garden of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. We went on a stunning 4 hour hike along a remote part of the Great Wall - that ended with a zip-line across a river to a motor boat waiting to take us to our hotel (very James Bond!) and we got to spend a day in Chengdu China serving as Panda Keepers - feeding, bathing and caring for young pandas. So much cooler than simply watching them from the observation walkways.

We also flew to Tibet and they handled all of the logistics for our visas. China Highlights managed every detail along the way - we had a fabulous private guide and private driver in each city. I have traveled extensively around the world - including very expensive tour groups (Abercrombie and Kent to Kenya, Backroads to see The Tour de France) and China Highlights exceeded not only my expectations but also the service and care that the expensive tour companies provided. Their tour guides are incredible. They are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and a joy to spend time with.

Our guide in Chengdu (Jane) got us tickets to the Opera and took us backstage to meet some of the actresses in advance - she was friendly with one and we were able to get our photo with the talent. The guides go out of their way to ensure your comfort too. I had a crazy spider bite on my leg that was getting infected (I got this bite in the US and it just got worse in China). Our wonderful guide Laura in Beijing took me to the pharmacy and we got medication that cleared up the problem. Amazing! Oh, and I celebrated my birthday there and the tour guide in Lhasa, Tibet got me a fantastic cake with this crazy candle that blew flames and sparklers into the air!

I can not recommend this group strongly enough. This trip was stellar. Our hotels were in excellent locations. We were able to walk to very cool markets and street fairs in the evenings when we were on our own. Hope you have the chance to travel to China and Tibet.

Hilary

Michael Hu,

I want to let you know how much that Jeff (son) and I enjoyed our trip to China.

A very major reason that this trip was so good was our tour guide, Jeff, that you provided for us. He was an excellent guide. I have never had a better one. He showed us so many things and took care of us so well. We saw excellent sites, ate excellent meals and were informed about so many things about China. My original preconceptions of China were changed to a much more positive feeling about China. He answered our questions and took care of us so well. We were never concerned, we just had a good time. Jeff was excellent in every way. You have my highest commendation and recommendation for Jeff. (I was a Vice-president of Human Resources for two major companies and I was responsible for assessing people).

I would also like to commend our driver, Gao Xi Ming #9127. I had to get accustomed to the traffic in Beijing but Gao did very well. I never felt in danger and he drove exceptionally well. Your guide Jeff and driver Gao made our trip to China a memorable one.

If anyone asks me about arrangements for a trip to China I will recommend China Highlights and tell them to use no one else. Please give my best greeting to Jeff. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Robert

Hi Carol

China Highlights is very professional and organised.  It is STRESS-FREE tours, as transfers, meals and tour fees are all organised.  All tours and activities were an unforgetable experience!

The most memorable attraction is the Summer Palace and Beijing Olympics.Eileen Wen was a wonderful tour guide! She was fantastic! VERY helpful and genuine! Easy to communicate.  She also organised additional activities such as the Acrobatics Show with front seats. She is outstanding!

Kind reagrds

Merry