China & the Yangtze River (2012)

This trip was truly outstanding!! Our tour director, Allen Chen, was extremely well organized and was always anticipating our every need. What we love about GCT trips and this was no exception, is being shown the untouristy part of the country--the local markets, visiting people in their homes. One of our favorite things was the home-hosted lunches, particularly the 2nd one in the farming village (wonderful food!) and visiting the school. The silk factory was high on our list of favorites, as we are silk painters.The 3 Gorges & the Li River cruise were fantastic! Wonderful trip!!!

Traveler: Danny Good from Lakeside, CA traveled on April 03, 2012

Our tripstarted late March to mid April and the weather was perfect. The temps were cool 55 plus in Beijing and warmed up as we travled south to Hong Kong. A jacket and sweater worked out well. We were kept busy from visiting musieums to eating lunch with a local family and learning the coulture. After a few days of adjusting to our routine we lookede forward to what was next on our schedual never to be disappointed. Optional tours were an extra bonus that no one shoud miss. The food was diffrent from the Chinese food we have in the US but I did manage to find a few extra lbs. as my husband lost a few. Now watermelon has a new meaning. I just have to mention the outstanding tour guid Michiel. Hwe made our experience in China so comfortable and intresting.All the local guide were both very friendly and intresting. Our next trip wereever it is going to be will be with GRAND CIRCLE.

Traveler: Maria Forbes from East Longmeadow, MA traveled on March 27, 2012

I haven't even gotten beyond the first sort on my 3000 pictures I took in China, but even if I lost them all this amazing trip would be burned into my memory. I loved the Grand Circle Tour (GCT) and would highly recommend it to one and all. I loved the trip, our guides and the type of people who went on this GCT!

But the importance of the trip goes beyond that. As China impacts all of us in the world these days, and as China is not at all what the press tells us it is...I can't recommend highly enough that people go there, particularly now while it is in this interesting transition period from what had become (as we considered it) a third-world, communist country to a modernfuturistic thriving capitalistic society.

I also recommend making the trip with GCT's outstanding guides; well planned, balanced and executed activitiesadventures; good hotels and transportation arrangements; as well as its excellent trip planning and management tools.

The only downside to GCT as I see it is the fact that GCT understates the full cost of the trip. In reality one is required to constantly give tips to MANY people (from all local guides and bus drivers to people who carry suitcases and serve food at restaurants) as well as pay an add-on amount for the many optional activities that are really an integral part of the experience and that almost everyone on the trip will choose to do. However, when all of these costs are calculated the tour is still well worth it...just be aware that the full costs of the trip are not stated up front when you compare GCT to other tours and plan your trip budget.

But let me return to the many reasons to see China and take this GCT. China is breath-taking in its natural beauty and its ancient culture, history and historic places; its larger than life projects like the Yangtze River Dam; its stark capitalist economy; it's young striving, hip population and adorable children; the extremely wealthy populations you see on the streets compared to its back-alley and rural peasant poverty; its "small towns" that actually have populations larger than New York; its enormous and numerous skyscrapers which are being built in every single town and fill the sky in ways that make New York look small; its efficient, clean modern, almost futuristic subway system that makes the European and US subways look decrepit; its well stocked markets with fascinating produce; its top-of-the-line luxury fancy western stores, fast food places and boutiques; and its traffic jams which include mostly cars and motorized vehicles, few bicycles and virtually no hand drawn rickshaws!

The food in China is delicious (although some of us think it is even better at many good Chinese restaurants in the USA because of our different was of preparing it). The people are friendly, even though most do not speak or understand English (but the children are learning and love to try it out). They are fascinated by "big noses" which is what they call Europeans and Americans and love to have their picture taken with a "big nose."

Yes, China still has severe limits on many forms of freedom of speech. Yes, China clamps down on anti-government activities and demonstrations in public places that try to influence or attract big crowds. Yes, China limits access to the internet (although those in the know can get around web limitations). YET individually people can say what they want to friends, tourists and even strangers about what they like and they don't like about the government and the problems with their country. They are no long afraid to do so. Our guides told us some real life, family stories of the miseries and tragedies their family and friends have been through andor are experiencing.

And yes, it is a dictatorship of the elite and it has its share of corruption; but you will also see that China is no longer what is thought of as a "Communist" country. China is developing an extreme capitalist culture, where every person has to worry about his or her incomejob as well as take care of living, housing, transportation, medical, tax, and unemployment expenses because the government doesn't do a thing to help them in these areas. There is no safety net; people starve to death if they can't earn money and are turned away from medical care to die if they don't have health insurance. This can happen in our country too, although we have tried to develop a safety net to prevent it, and we do have our share of corruption and control by a wealthy elite that we are constantly fighting against.

This trip was a great learning experience. We learned from our guides, from the families whose houses we ate at and visited with, from the school children we meet with, the cultural events we attended, the factory and shop keepers who demonstrated their trades, the many hospitality workers we came in contact with, the back streets we walked and we learned from each others reactions to what we saw, heard and experienced.

This is my take from this amazing tour...don't you want to see what your take would be??

Traveler: Carol Galaty from Washington, DC traveled on March 27, 2012

We went on this trip knowing that much of "old" China had been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, but maybe that's a good thing! We could hardly keep up the pace of seeing all that was left, from the Forbidden City to Summer Palace to Ming Tombs to Great Wall, terra cotta warriors and all the amazing lesser signts this trip includes. 19 days is a long trip, but we left knowing there was so much more to see.
Modern China however, continues to grow each day, and it is impressive! Cities so modern we felt little or no culture shock; familiar car models, ordinary folks dressed in stylish clothes (you have to look very hard to find a Mao jacket), and the ubiquitous KFC.
I am reading the paper so much more knowledgeably...Chongqing...oh, yes, we were there. Possibility of more people being moved from near the Yangtze...oh yes, we heard about the earthquake and landslide potential, one of the unintended consequenses of the 3 Gorges Dam.
Our program director, Allen Chen, and the local guides, were so forthcoming about their lives, now and 20 years ago, that I think we got a very real look at the mostly good, and some bad aspects of China's amazing developemnt over the last three decades.
Some of the best meals were with local families in Shanghai and Xian, and the visits to senior center, village school and Shanghai neighborhood market were highlights.
My recommendations to future travelers... read as much as you can before you go (the 3 books by Peter Hessler are an excellent intro to China), go on all the optional tours (each one had something unique to add to our experience), and don't despair of the shopping stops...most have educational features about traditonal Chinese arts and you can look all you want without buying anything. The only one I thought was of little interest was the Hong Kong jewelry stop, but others bought items and were very happy..

Traveler: Sigrid Freese from Denver, CO traveled on March 08, 2012

This was our first ever group tour and we took it because friends had gone on it less than six months before.
When we arrived in Beijing there was still ice on lakes and snow at the Great Wall where sun hadn't shown. We were prepared with layers and gloves so it wasn't a problem. The end of the trip, Hong Kong, was in the 70s - so if you go early or late in the season be ready for 'season changes'.
The group we were with was blessed to have Allen Chen as a guide! He was on top of everything - his executive skills will serve him very well anywhere - from baggage transfers and admission tickets to sites, to individual needs - even requesting wake-up call the morning we had to leave for home so we wouldn't miss our flight.
China is an amazing place, we could have lingered in museums, in historic sites, in every city. We would have chosen not to be on the tour bus as much as we were but that is trafficlife in China. The buses were clean and the drivers were amazingly competent. Same for the tour guides in each city. I've mentioned Allen, the start to finish director, Michael in Beijing was excellent.
Hotels were all clean and seemingly well located. The beds were comfortable although most were hard by present US standards - better as far as we were concerned.
The members of the tour were all compatible, some serious shoppers who didn't necessarily want to leave opportunities but mostly everyone went along with the program. We made friends with folks we will see in the future which we count as a big plus.
Different folks would probably react to various parts of the tour differently - each experience added to our appreciation of China as well as to what we as Westerners take for granted.
If you go you will be filled with wonder, with awe, and with as many questions at the end as you came with. That's a good thing!
If you are lucky enough to have Allen as a Director, give him a hug from us! And tell him to pass it on to his mother and wife.

Traveler: Robert Melvin from Saratoga Springs, NY traveled on March 08, 2012

We had an outstanding tour director Alan Chen. He was pleasant, entertaining and meticulous. He took care of all details pertaining to each of us most cheerfully. A great tour director can make all the difference. Local guides were knowledgeable.
The hotels were fine. However, there was variation in the restaurants with regards to food and more so the ambiance. On several occasions, particularly for lunch, there was overcrowding and no place to sit. This aspect can be improved.
Tipping is a personal decision based on the quality of service. There is no need for GCT to set the standard or make repeated suggestions about the amounts.
The sights selected by GCT were all appropriate and excellent. The river cruises were outstanding. Fall is a good time of the year to go to China.
In summary, China and Hong Kong with GCT was an absolutely pleasurable experience. We strongly recommend this tour.

Traveler: Anne Thomas from Johnson City, TN traveled on October 19, 2011

Myself and my wife is taken many trips like this through other agencies. We were very please with the trip. The high light of trip, were visiting local in their home, looking at their living style and enjoyed their home cooked food. Some of the optional tours were excellent. Our tour guide Allen was the best and he made our trip very much enjoyable. After visiting China, we changed our opinion about this country. It was our experineced that Chinese are the most friendlier.

We have suggestion to make-- Tour guide should make arrangement for prepaid phone card, so that we can get reliable card or grand circle should include the price for the card. We are also suggesting that Tips for tour director, and all other involved in providing service to tourists, should include in the total proce for the trip.

Traveler: Pramod Shah from Johnson City, TN traveled on October 19, 2011

with the price we paid its worth this trip for us.accomodations through out the trip very nice, internal flights included and on time. beginning to end all scheduled itineries followed on timely manners.cruise trip also very nice. optional tours we took were all okay.buses they hired were very comfortable and in very nice conditions.

only problem we faced is food.being vegetarian it was not in our requirement although they should look into and try to provide or manage to arrange from an Asian Indian restaurants or catering services, if you are vegetarian and if you plan to take any of GCT tours with them.I hope GCT will accept my this suggestion and in future try to help all vegetarian customers.
But this factor will not much bother me to book another trip with GCT and I am going to do so in near future.

Traveler: Suryakant Patel from Roselle Park, NJ traveled on October 26, 2011

We were looking forward to this trip,but unfortunately, it was not what we expected. No fault of Grand Circle; just the fault of higher expectations than was warranted. We had expected to see numerous examples of a very ancient culture, and unfortunately, the deleterious effects of the Cultural Revolution diminished that. The Red Guards literally destroyed old buddhist monestaries, and similar ancient cultural sites. Consequently, there were fewer of those to see. Yes, we did see the highlights, such as The Great Wall, Forbidden City, The Terra Cotta Warriors, the Three Gorges Dam, as well as the gorges themselves, but unfortunately time at those venues was limited, in favor of what my wife and I viewed as excessive and unnecessary shopping. the optional excursion to Szuchow was essentially a shopping trip that we paid for. If you go, we do not recommend that you waste your money on this. Our trip leader gave us the perogative of riding the maglev train to the airport instead of taking the bus, and everyone took the opportunity to do this. Yes, we had to pay for the ticket, which was relatively inexpensive, but well worth the experience to ride a train which zipped along at 301kmhour. Grand Circle, in its usual fashion, left little of the work of travel to the travelers, arranging for porters to remove our luggge from the luggage carosels after each flight and transporting it to our hotels. This service was jealously regarded by members of other tour companies who had to handle their own luggage. The buses were comfortable, and Grand Circle provided opportunity for us to purchase waster if we needed it, which we generally didn't, because the weather for the most part was seasonably comfortable.
The included food was acceptable, but unfortunately, we found that the Chinese food we get at restaurants here in NY is better. Although we did get the opportunity to sample local dishes not generally available here. We did have one unpleasant experience: The Wu Family Western restaurant was a horrible experience. The food was of poor quality, what little they had of it, as they ran out of most dishes because they could not handle the load of tour groups. The Optional Beijing Opera was exceptional, and not to be missed. Our flights, both international and internal were acceptable and good value for the cost. In short, if you've never been to China, go; and Grand Circle gives you the best value for the money. But don't have high expectations; China is strictly a third world country. And be prepared for the squatty potties, or Chinese toilets, as while you'll have western toilets and commodes in your hotel, not all the public restrooms and restaurant restrooms have them, and those that do, have one, so the lines are long.

Traveler: Arlene Lichtenstein from Commack, NY traveled on October 12, 2011

Yangtze River Cruise 2011

Flights - try for as few connections as possible. The overnight Chicago to Beijing flight was terrific. Good food, served fast, decent choice of individual movies and enough room to sleep on the plane so we arrived refreshed and ready to go in Beijing. Return flight had a couple of connections and took a lot longer but JAL serves free booze and descent food with real cutlery, not that plastic stuff I dislike. Hong Kong and Tokyo airports work on time (or there is a huge airline penalty). So at least your connections arrive and depart on time.
Clothes – bring less clothes than you think you need as you can purchase lots there for a reasonable price. Also bring clothing you can wash and wear as all the hotels had laundry lines over the tubs to dry clothing on. Be prepared to haggle over price for just about everything you buy. It seems like the price tag is just the starting point on negotiations for merchandise, even in the stores in Hong Kong I bought a 400 Yuan purse for 200 Yuan in the end. If you are prepared to walk away you can get some good deals.

On the airline we flew to China with you are allowed two 50 pound suitcases to Asia from N America. I think its still that way on most US airlines. Unfortunately, the internal flights in China only allow you one checked 44 pound suitcase but they don’t seem to count or mind how much you carry onboard.

We decided to bring over two suitcases each and then just carried the smaller ones onboard the internal Chinese Eastern flights. As long as the second suitcase fits into the overhead compartment no one seems to care how much it weighs! By the last few internal flights we were carrying 3 or 4 bags onto each flight and no one said anything. Try to make sure your checked luggage is at the 44 pound mark (not 50) or I think GCT will get dinged extra as they weight in the whole groups checked luggage in one go.

Optional trips take as many as you can. We took them all except for the Beijing Opera (which I did not think I could sit through) but apparently those who went said it was a shortened down version and that watching the actors get dressed up in their costumes and makeup was amazing. The Shanghai night cruise with dinner was fun. Good food and an amazing view of beautiful Shanghai from the water. I’ve never seen a city with so many beautiful buildings and so lit up at night. The high speed train trip to Suzhou and the canal cruise along Venice like alleys was amazing. Suzhou is truly a Venice of the East. The silk factory tour was the highlight and it is amazing that those funny looking silk worms munching the mulberry leaves could make such a wonderful fabric. Trust the Chinese to develop and mechanise the process. It was very interesting to see and learn about the manufacture of silk. Be prepared you exit through the stores and there are beautiful items in the stores to purchase. The Tang Dynasty show was awesome with beautiful costumes and great food and best of all they served ice cream for dessert. The Yao Shan Tea Garden was the best tour on the trip. We learned how tea is made and were served in a beautiful tea ceremony. We also got to try our hand at picking tea leaves and wearing one of the interesting Chinese hats. This was lots a fun and my favourite optional trip. The Kowloon and the New Territories trip was also interesting and the flower market so colourful and the bird market quite different from anything I’ve ever seen before. The Nan Lian Garden was beautiful and the seafood lunch terrific if you can handle walking past your lunch outside. Very fresh seafood though!

We took many amazing river cruises. The first one along the Yangtze River was spectacular with amazing scenery, but my favourite river cruise was along the lovely smaller Li River near Guillin. It’s a smaller, shallower river and the Chinese people actually swim in this one, and locals use this river for commerce and pleasure as it has beaches and appears cleaner than the other rivers we cruised along.

Most amazing sites for me were the Three Gorges Dam, the Great Wall, and the Terra Cotta Army. There is something intoxicating and special about all three places for me. There is a lot of sightseeing crammed into this trip and we had to remind ourselves to stop, sit, and reflect and just be amazed at some of these truly awe inspiringly wonderful places. We ended up taking over 1600 pictures. So bring a good camera and lots of memory. Lots of people brought their Ipads or Playbooks to download their pictures onto and share with the group. Thought that was a good idea and wished I had done that. The home visits with seniors and displaced farmers were also truly eye opening.

The hotels were clean; the staff were friendly, and accommodating. The beds were harder and shorter than we are used to. The AC was great, I went in August, and so we needed it to sleep at night. The buses and bus drivers were also very clean and most kindly provided water for a reasonable fee at the front of the bus for their passengers. Bring lots of US $1.00 bills as everyone in China seems to prefer the US dollar to the same amount in Yuan.

The Food; be prepared to eat lots and lots of vegetables. One dish to serve 8 people will probably only contain the amount of meat that a North American would consume per person, the rest of the dish is made up of tasty veggies. You don’t see many chubby Chinese, and I guess that is because they eat a lot less protein and a lot more vegetables. There is also not much dairy but the food was tasty and interesting.

If you have blond hair and blue eyes be prepared to pose in many Chinese photos as many people will ask you to pose with their children.

Michael, our tour guide, was truly awesome, with the patience of a saint. He made everyone’s problems go away. He was helpful, he was courteous, and he taught us some interesting Chinese words! Especially the ones that could drive the street venders that trailed us mercilessly away. Thank you Michael, for making this truly the trip of a lifetime.

Would I go back? In an instance. Do I appreciate how much I have at home? Of course, we live in one of the best places in the world, and every time I travel I appreciate that more.

ILona Monahan, Ashton, Canada
August 2011

Traveler: Ilona Monahan from Boston, MA traveled on August 11, 2011

One of our best experiences was visiting the primary school and our interaction with the children. They seranaded us and our group responsed with our own song. Obviously everyone enjoys the great sites of China, i. e., the Great Wall, panda, Forbidden City, etc. However, for my wife and I the best experiences were the personal contact with people in the markets and home visits. I've attached a picture of a youngster playing with my IPAD. He loved taking pictures of his classmates. Barb and Herb Hrebic

Traveler: Herb Hrebic from Chicago, IL traveled on October 18, 2011

The Forbidden City, The Great Wall, and The Terra Cotta Army were unbelievable, amazing and OMGosh aplenty! Then there was the Yangtze River Cruise, Three Gorges Dam, Panda zoo, Li River Cruise, the various temples, the people, the traffic and ending in Hong Kong. We took in excess of 1000 photos of unbelievable sights.

Modes of transportation were, international air flights and 5 internal flights, tourist buses, bullet train, bicycle rickshaw, cruise boat, sightseeing boat, sampans, taxi and of course the ever faithful feet. The hotels were better than average and the beds ranged from very firm to very hard (common). The bathing facilities in all of the hotels were very good. But out on the road one should not be surprised that not all the bathrooms are common to Westerners. Be prepared!There were a lot of the simplistic Chinese bathrooms and sometimes the lack of care was prevalent.

If you like real Chinese food you will be very happy. We tried sweet bean cakes, handmade noodles with garlic, Chinese pork taco, deep fried fish, chicken, pork, beef, toffee covered apples, fish soup, duck soup, string beans, green peppers with potatoes, different types of steamed buns, vegetable soup, lamb soup, garlic peppers, date soup, fried egg plants, pumpkin cakes, steamed broccoli, roast chicken, various types of fruit, rabbit, curry pork, lotus root served medium spicy and crisp, eggplant and tomato, variety of fried rice, variety of mushrooms, southern fried chicken Chinese style, no black pepper only white pepper, teas, coffees, custard cups, and Coke, Pepsi, beer and wine. You received one complimentary glass and if you wanted more there was a slight charge. We did miss some of the spicy Chinese food since not all travelers would enjoy it. The main disappointment with the food was that it was served on a lazy susan and sometimes if you did not act fast enough you only got a nibble.

Besides the signths what really made this trip over and above all other tours that we have taken with OAT and other companies, was our tour director. Allen Chen was our tour director and he anticipated our demands before they were brought up. He spoke fluent English and had a great sense of humor. He handled all matters from the transfers at the airport, train stations, hotels, etc. He was always there. He was the one that made the group of 40 a smooth trip without any hiccups.

A magnificient trip well worth the time and monies. The big disappointment for us was that they were putting out their winter clothes and we did not get a supply of travel t-shirts.

Traveler: Stephen & Maggie from Novato, CA traveled on September 24, 2011

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Well organized, well managed along the way, can't say enough about our Program Director. The sights, the people, the history, the food, the accommodtions were all what we expected and more. The culture that we experineced through the insight of the individual city guides and the local families visits made for a special trip. We fully expect to take another trip with Gramd Circle Travel and are recommending them to our friends.

Traveler: Dennis Faruol from Marco Island, FL traveled on September 24, 2011

Good trip overall, we did everything described on the trip itinerary. Mostly urban sights (60% my estimate), and enough rural beauty to give you some of China's natural highlights as well. The Kung Fu School show was very impressive! Lots of cultural insights provided in this trip. Be prepared for somewhat repetitive family-style served on lazy-susan meals that include some staples like Kung Pao chicken sometimes more than once daily, with numerus very authentic Chinese foods that did not warrant a second bite. The food was best on the Yangtze cruise boat, and a couple restaurants stood out, like the Mongolian Bar-B-Q, which was a make-your-own stir fry place, and the dumpling lunch place. More worth-the-trip things are...Forbidden City, Shanghai By Night (Opt'l tour), Shanghai acrobatic show, the river views, Fend Du (a river town) visit, Tang Dynasty dinner show (Opt'l tour), Terra Cotta Army, Li River boat trip. We came away with seeing China as a sprawling megopolis of gigantic condominiums surrounding each city for miles, with little rural until you get very far from buildable land. Bring an umbrella. Very photogenic trip, but know how to use your camera beyond just leaving it on 'Auto'. Often the best shots required more than casual photo skills to get good pics in low light and often foggy misty conditions, stage lighting, views from the bus, etc.

Traveler: Paul and Barbara Trottier from Skokie, IL traveled on September 02, 2011

We would recommend this trip to everyone. It not only gives you a day to the Square, the Great Wall and the Three Gorges River Project but gives you many opportunies to see how the farmers live. The trip to see the Soldiers was a highlight of the trip. Every American should go see how Chinese people live. Dale and Gerry Bell

Traveler: Dale Bell from Palm Coast, FL traveled on September 24, 2011

We have traveled for years, lived years overseas, and always avoided controlled tours. Man, were we wrong! Now we are converts. The conveniences offered by the professionals at Grand Circle made a complex trip flow smoothly due to their organization.

Allen, the tour director, was exceptional in every way. His caring attitude toward his "travellers," as he called us, was always evident. He handled all the details, managed the inevitable problems that occur on any such complex undertaking, and did it all with humor. There cant be another Allen! All the local guides were exceptional, as well. We will remember Cherry!

We are both grads of the U of Hawaii with graduate degrees related to Asia. But that was 40 yeas ago; this trip changed our view of China. We saw a vibrant country, filled with content people confident of their future. Beijing, Shanghai, and the beautiful Guilin exceeded our expectations.

The three boat excursions were fantastic, especially the four days on the Yangtze. Accommodations, scenery, lectures.....all of high quality. But it is the crew we will remember the most, their attentiveness and the wonderful performances they put on.

There are few changes we would make. A little more time to recover from the 18 hours to get there and the time adjustment. More free time to simply wander the streets. Some way to avoid the shopping portions of several days. The quality of the visit to the Jade, Silk, Jewelery, Cloisonne, and Carpet factories was uneven. The Jade, particularly, was very "hard sell."

For two months before the trip, we read books, articles and watched videos on China, a recommended preparation. The trip was beyond our expectations and we will continue to read....and go back.

Traveler: Susie Birdsong from Fernandina Beach, FL traveled on August 23, 2011

Good Points: 1) great Grand Circle tour guide; 2) met every single thing initially advertised; 3) well organized, timely tours and efficient movement between cities and hotels; 4) Beijing hotel was excellent; 5) river tour was excellent and had good food; 6) all hotels as well as river boat had TV's with CNN so we could keep up with the news and several had other English channels.
Less than desireable points: 1) heat and humidity were sometimes very bad, but this cannot be controlled by Grand Circle; 2) Hotels other than the one in Beijing were satisfactory, but a couple were in need of refurbishment.
Over all: The trip was outstanding and an excellent value. We were very pleased.

Traveler: Paul Reddy from San Antonio, TX traveled on August 11, 2011

We thoroughly enjoyed returning to China & the Yangtze after 10 years to see the completed Three Gorges Dam and the new cities along the Yangtze River. Our Tour Director, Gary, did an outstanding job throughout the trip. In addition he shared the very touching story of what his family endured during the Cultural Revolution. We were impressed with the growth and vitality we saw in China. We loved the opportunities to visit in local homes and speak with the people. An excellent trip which we highly recommend!

Traveler: Gary & Margaret Morris from Apple Valley, CA traveled on August 16, 2011

This is one of my favorite trips taken with GCT. It is jam packed with activities and will give you the most comprehensive overview of China. The interaction with the people gives you a rich experience as do all of the learning activities.

One more night in Shanghai would have been good because there is so much to enjoy about the city.

This ticked several boxes on my bucket list and we were able to make this incredible journey with my parents.

Don't miss a chance to take this trip!

Traveler: Ann Addy from Columbia, SC traveled on August 11, 2011

Traveler: Laura Salyer from Bristol, TN traveled on August 04, 2011

China in August 2011
The plane trip: When your primary memory of a once in a lifetime trip to a fascinating country is like riding in a coffin with 499 other helpless people, it’s not very good. We do realize that Grand Circle Travel (gcttravel.com) keeps its prices lower by booking economy flights but we didn’t expect the tight, congested 3-4-3 rows with not even enough leg room for a 5’3” woman, let alone a 6’ man, in our United Airlines flights from San Francisco to Beijing and the very worst from Hong Kong to San Francisco. I sincerely hope we never are subjected to this airline again. However, having said that, I realize that flying from Dogpatch (Rapid City, SD) to anywhere is a suspenseful adventure anytime, any season.
OK – we got to China and got home again so now I can tell about this adventure. I think our ages have something to do with some of the comments you’ll read in this travelogue.
China’s population is 1.3 BILLION. Here is where we heard names like Ghengis Khan, Kublai Khan, Marco Polo, Sun Yat-sen and Mae Tse Tung and saw where they roamed and ruled. “China is a land with nothing to spare, its only abundance people. “

Scenery in: Beijing. We arrived into a vast (9 million inhabitants and 5 million cars) city beset with smog, heat and humidity. It’s one thing to read the chart of average temperatures (92-102 in August with high 90’s humidity) quite another to tour in it. We were kept very busy from day one seeing all the sights in person that we’d read about over the years: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Hidden lanes (hotungs), Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Great Wall, Bird Nest Olympic site and Ming Tombs. The Great Wall never really did act as a defense line but it did work well as a kind of elevated highway. We even visited a Kung Fu School where a Karate Kid movie starathlete spoke to us of his experiences with Will Smith’s son Jaden in the most recent movie. Students aged 4 to 18 years old attend in the summer for an intensive, athletic and educational experience. Other schools were not in session. We also visited a cloisonné (cloy-zon-ay) factory and had a Peking Duck dinner. We experienced a Beijing Opera performance – much, much different than our idea of opera but an interesting mix of music, costumes, humor and acrobatics.
Food isn’t included in scenery but here’s where we began our daily Chinese lunches and dinners, all served on a huge turntable at tables for 9 (one of their lucky numbers) mostly. Since there were 31 of us on the tour we always had 3-4 tables. The meals always included sticky rice, some soup, 8-10 dishes of various hot, spicy, sweet and sour meat and vegetables. Our plates were small saucer size and a small soup bowl with choice of fork or chopsticks. Happily, we had western breakfasts always with choices of Chinese foods if we wished. By the time we reached Hong Kong, every one of us headed for a McDonald’s, Burger King or KFC. Gary and I may never enjoy Chinese buffets again. 3 continuous weeks really “fed us up with Chinese”.
Our hotels were very good and had the usual amenities. Most were on the 16th-20th floors. Since massive China really only uses the western 14th of the country and packs all the cities here, there are skyscrapers everywhere. Elevators are only installed in apartment houses with 11 or more floors. Our hotels all had elevators, were in the heart of town so we could walk and experience the people, and had American toilets and showers. Most of the beds were good but some were so hard it was like sleeping on the box spring without a mattress. We were always totally surrounded by people who cut diagonally across in front of us to wherever they were headed. Coming from our small town, we felt smothered by PEOPLE close into our personal space.
Most of us got used to squat toilets at various tourist sites. The large restrooms would have maybe 2 American sitting toilets and the rest squatting. As in almost all Central and South American countries, used toilet tissue was to be tossed in the wastebasket, not flushed.
Since we don’t buy anything we can’t eat or wear – or have to dust, we decided to buy playing cards from the famous sites. We also bought some small kites to play with. Vendors (shouting one dollah, one dollah) sold packages of 2-10 in a package but always demonstrated 20 kites tied together, flying in the breeze. Looks easy but we haven’t tried them ourselves yet.
After 5 days in Beijing we flew the first of 5 inland flights (all 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours and we were fed on every one!) to Shanghai. Here we toured the Jade Buddha Temple, strolled the Bund Promenade and visited the Shanghai Museum of Art and History. We had an optional Shanghai by Night boat ride; Suzhou tour, Chinese acrobat performance and were able to tour the city and walk around our hotel for window shopping.
We visited a hutong by pedicab. This is a very ancient type of city alley. During the “Great Cultural Revolution” many historical and cultural relics of hutongs were destroyed but we saw one which has survived and forms a large “neighborhood” where everyone feels they belong and tries to care for their neighbors and way of life.
We experienced a bullet train (180mph) on the ride to Suzhou. We also experienced the Maglev (magnetic levitation) train: the only one of its kind in the world – top speed 400 mph –engineered by Germans who do not even have this train. It is a demonstration operation line of 30 km. from the Longyang Road Station in the west and ends at Pudong International airport, an 8 mile trip. It doesn’t actually get up to its full speed in that time.
We also shared our first home hosted lunch with a local family. This is a great GCT feature and a guide is along so we can communicate by translation. Usually the family meets a group of 6-10 of us, walks us to their home (usually up stairs) and serves the food. It’s Chinese food but usually different than the usual restaurant fare. We also learn about their family, home and lifestyle.
We toured a rug weaving factory and a silk spinning factory. Sericulture (raising of silkworms) can be traced back as far as 2640 B.C. The steps: adult moth lays eggs; caterpillars hatch and are fed mulberry leaves; they grow to about 3 inches long in about 28 days and increase their weight 10,000 times; in spinning nests they spin cocoons (an adult can form six inches of thread per minute); the cocoon can contain up to 3,000 feet of silk; the cocoons are heated to kill the pupae and extract the filaments. It was fascinating to watch the hand process but they also use machinery.
On Day 10 we flew to Wuhan, transferred to Jinzhou and Yuchang then embarked on our Yangtze River ship for a 4 night cruise. The scope of the Three Gorges Dam is almost unbelievable. It is the world’s largest dam. . . . near 4 times larger than Hoover Dam. A reservoir was created 360 miles long. Land submerged totaled 13 cities, 140 towns, 1352 villages, 657 factories, and approximately 75,000 acres of cultivated land. 1.3 million people were relocated. Four of the 5 locks are in operation and the difference in the river has been magnificent. We could see on the side walls the level of the river during spring thaw but we were about 40’ lower because it was August. Before the dam gorges and river were much narrower. Naked men were used to pull boats upriver before the dam. Now, with the much deeper water, the gorge is also much wider. One very strenuous result: many more stairs to climb from the ship to various tour sites. Our guide Frank asked our group what our thoughts were on this massive undertaking. None of us felt we should make negative or positive comments but I later told him: overpopulation of the world, especially China, means that some things have to be done which won’t please everyone. On this boat trip we also cruised the Xiling Gorge the Daning River and Wu Gorge. We toured Wanxian near the area flooded and visited the home of a relocated family. Displaced people could get a comparable replacement apartment free from the government or pay extra money for a larger apartment. This man has a larger one for himself, his wife, son and his family. However, he lives alone a lot of the time! He does tend a large garden and sells some of his produce. The main need for the larger apartment: holiday family visits. His wife is in the city babysitting the grandchildren on weekdays and the son also works in the city. He has other younger family members who prefer to work and live in Chongqing rather than the smaller village. Hmm, sounds like America and her young everywhere.
On this cruise we also met an extended Chinese family on vacation. Gary and I were sitting and reading and watching the scenery when a young girl (11 years old) came and plunked down, smiling, and trying to speak English to us. She was very brave and we told her so. She was soon joined by a 9 year old male cousin and a college age male brother. Soon her mother, a doctor, and her aunt, manager of a 5 star hotel, joined us. Across the way were the grandma, holding a toddler and grandpa. The extended family of 18 were on vacation. All smiled and we wrote things on paper, used the doctor’s electronic translator and the 2 boys’ better command of English. They took a photo of all of us together, made a copy and laminated it and presented it to us. It was a very happy though tiring hour of communication. Later in the afternoon Gary and I decided to participate in the Yangtze River trivia game as “Goodrich 2” team. In a matter of moments we became Goodrich 6 as our young friends joined us. We enjoyed much laughter as they ran back and forth to get answers that we didn’t know from family. We tied for 2nd place! That evening the 2 mothers invited us up for a drink and we continued our halting communication with the help of a bartender. We later gave some t-shirts (Sturgis Rally and some of my gently worn ones I was going to leave behind) and pens and received a bracelet from their home town of Taiyuan, famous as the home of Buddha culture. The fun thing was – we ran into them again at a museum then the airport as they were heading home.
On that boat trip I also enjoyed a one hour foot massage and learned to play Mah Jong or Majiang. This is a card game like rummy, played with tiles and there is four of every tile like a deck of cards. I hope I can remember enough to play again with the printed directions. Gary and I even dressed up as Chinese Emperor and Empress for photos. The nightly shows, of Chinese culture and music were great. It was a good rest from the hectic touring we’d had to this point.
We debarked at Chongqing and saw how strong the Chinese people can be. Frank, our guide said if we would pay $1 each, men would carry them up the 70+ steps (river level low). Gary and I traveled with 1 small checked bag and 2 carryon size while many of our group had huge suitcases + big carry ons. Of course, we each alternated 2 pair of zip off shorts and t-shirts while our friends had many changes of clothes. Hey! Are we ever going to see these people again? NO. We were able to wash clothes every few days as needed. Anyway, these Chinese men threaded luggage handles on poles and balanced as many pieces as they could then hustled up those stairs and back down again until all the luggage was at the bus. Thank goodness we didn’t have to do that. We bussed to Chongqing where we visited the Stillwell Museum of WWII Flying Tigers’ fame and learned about Major Claire Chennault.
The next stop was the pandas at the zoo. We saw only one but it was fascinating to watch him. The panda does not walk upright as other bears but can stand upright against a wall or tree and is able to sit in an upright position. Occasionally thought to be of the raccoon family, it is actually a bear. He was enjoying his bamboo meal too.
Later that afternoon we flew to Xi’an, home of the Terra Cotta Army and beginning of the Silk Road. Xi’an once vied with Rome and Constantinople for the greatest city in the world. Nothing can equal the sight of thousands of these soldiers, all different in face, posture and weapons, as they are being unearthed from their graves inside 3 buildings. Archaeologists and students are busy at work slowly unearthing them and putting the pieces back together. The warriors were made to protect the tombs of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi from the Qin Dynasty of 200 years B.C. They were once sheltered by wooden beams and a layer of dirt but when their enemies overran the area, they set fire and everything burned and collapsed. A farmer, tilling his field, discovered the first soldiers. That farmer is still alive and is around to autograph books some days.
Here we enjoyed another home-hosted lunch and the father played music for us on his 2 stringed instrument. I took a photo of his sheet music. We also saw a Tang Dynasty Show and dinner with glorious costumes and music. We visited a laquerware workshop, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and climbed Xi’an’s ancient city walls. If memory serves, we also had a McDonald’s hot fudge city here! Yum! We enjoyed a dumpling (18 varieties) lunch then flew to Guilin in the afternoon where we took an optional Yao Shan Tea Garden tour. This was day 17 of 21 and we were beginning to move more slowly. We enjoyed another cruise, this time on the Li River, and a visit to a local farm and rice paddy before our last interior flight to Hong Kong. Here we enjoyed an extensive tour of the city, including Victoria Peak, where we could see the mountains, bay and various settlements and many skyscrapers. We recognized lots of volcanic evidence here in the Ring of Fire area. Hong Kong is autonomous still for 37 more of the 50 years given them by China in 1999. Then it reverts back to China rule. Not sure how that is going to work out. It is one of the leading financial districts in the world. This was another subject Frank, our GCT guide, wanted our opinions about. No one was willing to venture one.
We were on the 19th day of 21 so spent more time resting, exploring the neighborhood and, finally, having some American food for a change. We also had another optional tour to Kowloon with seafood lunch tour and a final farewell dinner with our fellow travelers. Most of us would have liked to shop the Victoria Peak Mall but had to make do with yet another jewelry manufacturer and store: high prices and pushy salespeople. Our last tour was to a bird market and a flower market. People here don’t have room for dogs so they keep birds as pets. They take their birds, in their cages, for a walk, hang them on a tree branch in the park, then visit with friends who are also “walking” their birds.
I have a few more categories to write about and also urge anyone who is interested in a China tour to check out gct.com online and find China and the Yangtze River for the complete itinerary and costs. This was by far the most complete tour we’ve done and it had the most included meals of any we’ve ever done. Many of the optional tours had included lunches and dinners. If I had to make a general comment of the tour I’d say it was wonderful BUT I’d never recommend it in August and if you are between 70 and 80 years of age, not at all. The many steps, much walking, heat and humidity were just too much for me. Peoplefamilies. In Beijing, as in all the Chinese cities, we encountered people who wanted to try their English on us. They’d smile tentatively and Gary or I would say Ni Hao-hello. They’d try a few words then motion with their camera to take a photo of us with them. Gary was teased throughout the trip because he was the first one who was asked for a photo this way. I think it was because he was so different than their idea of elderly: coal black dyed hair, stooped posture and slow walking. Gary with white hair, Marine veteran posture and smiling was a natural draw. He figures his photo is making the rounds of their Facebook or their photo albums now. We have always tried to know a few words or a phrase in a country’s language when we visit. China is the most difficult. Each sound has 4 tones so ma can mean mother, numb, horse or to scold! We learned xie xie – thanks and boo yao – I don’t want it, ni hao- hello and zao – good morning and stopped at that.
Most families share a toilet down the hall from their apartment. Many do not have elevators in their buildings. Chinese people are not fat. I can’t remember seeing a belly on anyone.
Children begin school at 2 years old, attending from 9-5p.m. each day. This begins their education until they graduate high school.
The one birth rule is still in effect in China EXCEPT in farm areas or in the 55 various ethnic groups in the country. If a mother is lucky enough to have twins, that is counted as one birth. Hence, the practice of adopting Chinese girls by Americans. This rule is beginning to backfire because the balance of girls to boys is suffering. At least half the little boys that we observed were horribly spoiled by their mothers, clinging, whining and demanding to be picked up even when they were almost as tall as their mother! Didn’t observe that in the little girls.
Older parents in Beijing have a quaint thing they do: they take photos of their unmarried children to the park to try to set them up with a date or marriage with another older parent’s child. Not sure how many of these things work. The children, who are modern now, don’t like the practice of their parents showing their “family wares” in public.
In Beijing we happened upon a large group of dancers on a Sunday. They come together for exercise and pay the music person so they can dance. Of course, a lot of older people also do daily Tai Chi exercises in the parks. We saw hacky sack and badminton players (without nets) in the parks as well as chess and domino players with lots of observers.
Drivers in Beijing cannot always drive their cars. On weekdays only license numbers with certain end #’s can be driven in the city. Residents get around this by having another car with different end numbers or they use public transportation. It costs $7,000 to license a car and most don’t actually take driving lessons. The result: unbelievably frightening lane changing, speeding and many close calls and accidents. There are even more motor scooters and these are even more scary – no license needed at all. Just buy one, which is a 1-2 seater, and get as many family members, boxes, live chickens, etc. as you can pack on. Bicycles are still there but much more dangerous to ride.
One memorable visit was to a neighborhood cultural center. Senior ladies from 55-94 were dressed in their best and sang, danced and displayed stuff for sale! Sort of like a senior citizen center.
Made in China: If we were still in the acquisitive stage of our lives, we could have bought jade, carpets, silk, pearls, embroidery, laquerware, cloisonné, or hundreds of souvenirs being hawked by locals who shout out “one dollah” to get your attention. As I said, we bought playing cards, kites, several “lazy” teapots (for one with a strainer included), some tea and t-shirts. We actually came home with lighter luggage. The first thing everyone bought was a fan! I had brought 2 from home, thinking we “might” use them. They were our constant companions along with umbrellas and water. All hotels provided a bottle of water each and we could buy 2 bottles for a dollar on the bus. .
Weather: I think I covered the hellish weather throughout this story. They do have winter and snow and the tourist season dries up after October when they rest until about March. The China we visited was between the 20th and 40th parallel which includes Florida, Africa and India. We expected heat but were beaten down by the unexpected humidity.
History and Government: Again, lots of history covered within. This is their government explanation: the president and vice president are elected by the National People’s Congress which is comprised of elected deputies from each of China’s provinces-one deputy each 400,000 minimum. All citizens can vote at 18 and women enjoy equal rights with men in all phases of life. (Sounds good. Chinese people do not talk against their government.) Modernization of their economy is a prime goal but the debate is whether modernization goals can be achieved by socialism or if it must be led by capitalist methods.

Traveler: Gerhart and Joanne Goodrich from Lead, SD traveled on August 04, 2011

With Bangkok post-trip extension.

Memorable Moments -

The trip to the Nan Lian Garden in Hong Kong - this is the best kept secret in the city, totally un-crowded, classically beautiful, not a blade of grass out of place! I will use this as one of my examples for my class "The Garden as Art - The Roots of Garden Design" this fall, when we cover Asian garden design.

Also, I am glad we had a chance to climb the Great Wall, though it was hot and crowded and exhausting. "Must Do!"

Peking Duck at the welcome dinner was awesome! I loved Singapore Slings, never had them before, and can't duplicate them at home. Ditto pineapple stuffed with curry rice & chicken at a small cafe in Bangkok. I'm trying to duplicate it today in my own kitchen from memory.

Both of our program directors (guides) were excellent, especially Jason (who still keeps in contact with me) and Lin (she "made" the Thai trip memorable).

Jason really came through when our trip was delayed, we were hot and tired, and he arranged for hotel rooms so we could shower and rest up before our plane finally arrived at the airport. Great idea!

I especially loved the special care Lin gave us, her frankness and good humor, her vast knowledge, and the trips to the amazing temples and palaces and her favorite little restaurants. She even arranged for a small boat cruise the day we arrived - otherwise it would have been a totally wasted day in an unfamiliar city. That was a great idea!

The hotel in Bangkok was also very special. Ditto the amazing show the last evening in town. I was in the aisle seat in the VIP section with other GCT folks, so I had a chance to get my hands perfumed, personally welcomed by the performers, and float a wreath with a candle in the huge pool on stage - an absolutely unforgettable experience!

Advice for fellow travelers -

Never ever do this trip in midsummer. It's hot as blazes and humid like a Turkish bath!!! Ten minutes outside and you need to shower & change clothes!

Plus, beware of the Yangtze River ship - you go from 100 degree temps to freezing air conditioning in an old ship (definitely not up to GCT standards) and we both caught bronchitis. This was totally unlike other GCT cruises that I've been on before with their lovely European ships, helpful staff, and plenty of wine at dinner...I missed all of that ambiance.

Also be prepared for a lot of fog and air pollution when on long, tiring walks in mid-day. Drip dry clothes are a MUST if you don't want to go broke paying for laundry. Oh, ladies be forewarned - there are some places where you cannot wear sleeveless blouses or tops no matter how hot it is outside. Cap sleeves are OK.

I was shocked at the amount of river pollution, impact on native species and environment that the 3 Gorges Dam has caused. People just throw garbage in the river, and then they fish in it. It reminded me of Varanasi.

We like Chinese food but not the SAME Chinese food day after day on those lazy Susans. The Beijing noodle cafe and the dumpling cafe were a welcome change and a whole new experience.

Areas for improvement -

Extend the post-trip to include Chang Mai. I had really wanted to go there, even for a day or two.

Somehow, find a nicer ship for the 3 Gorges 4-day cruise. It smelled bad, it had mold in the bathrooms, and we got stuck for one full afternoon followed by one full morning without shore leave while the Chinese passengers (the majority) went to see their special sites - not ours. And Ernie was no help at all - he followed the rules slavishly. It was the low point of the trip (for me).

Only offer this trip when the over-60 crowd can handle the heat and humidity. I think it would have been a totally different and more positive experience in the off seasons or winter.

I was underwhelmed by the jewelry shops we toured. I can get better stones,updated custom designs, and better prices from my diamond guy at the jewelry building in downtown Denver. The staff were very pushy in the tour shops and didn't show me unset stones, which is what I was looking for. I don't like pushy staff.

*SLOW*DOWN!* I know there is a lot to see, but we tried to do too much some days, especially in the blazing sun. And try to find datestimes when it is not so crowded at the Summer Palace - it was mobbed, people were pushy, and it was a miserable day trip to an otherwise classic site. I'm used to hiking at 10,000 feet with rough terrain, but the Ming Tombs and Forbidden City pushed me to the limits of my endurance. I haven't experienced these problems on other GCT trips.

Make sure all guides (like Jason) have their cell phones on and a sticky label with their cell phone numbers printed to attach to our gold ID tags. When I got lost at the Forbidden City, I walked up to a Chinese-only-speaking guide, showed him my name tag, he called Jason, they chatted in Chinese, and then Jason immediately rescued me. It was scary, and Jason's idea of the sticky label was my salvation!

The only low point of the Bangkok post-trip was the evening market. I had expected a "market' rather than a "red-light district."

Overall, I am glad I went, the sites are historic and awesome, and our guides were terrific! I will never forget those gorgeous golden temples in Thailand. But there's always room for improvement.

Traveler: Lorraine Sherry from Westminster, CO traveled on July 28, 2011

This has to be my best trip ever! Our guide, Frank was so wonderful that I actually miss him. His scheduling of details was without fault but most important was his personality. I learned so much about China, the culture an it's people from him that his info was equilvalent to a year's course at a college. And from a Chinese perspective!

My favorite was the trip on The Yantze River. Its beauty beyond words especially in the early morning with the mist over the water with my morning coffee on the deck.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the big cities, I loved the interactions with the people in the smaller towns. I loved the Chinese people and got the feeling the the Chinese people really liked the Americans. It was so rewarding to see, Kelly, who worked on the Victoria Ship trying to interact with the travelers so she could improve her English. She had such an infectious personality.

This country has an unbelievable beauty from the Great Wall to Fengdu, Chungking, Xian, Quilin to Hong Kong.

My advice is to go during the September to November departures. August was so hot and so crowded with Chinese people celebrating their holdiay. I never expected to see 50,000 people with me at the Great Wall

Traveler: Audrey Yandel from Atlanta, GA traveled on August 04, 2011

China Trip Review

We feel privileged to have seen so many things in China, a country we thought we would never see. Some of the highlights of the trip were climbing the Great Wall, walking the largest pubic square in the world, Tiananmen Square. The Forbidden City was awesome, what a shame it was for the most powerful. Riding the Bullet Train and Maglev train was an experience. The home visits were all unique. The school visits were really neat; the children have so little but seem to be happy. Shanghai by Night tour of the harbor was fantastic. The Buddha Temple was a very busy place with hundreds of people praying and burning incense. They were also burning paper objects as a message to their loved ones. The Three Gorges Dam was truly amazing and it was interesting going through the Locks.. Our ship the Victoria Anna was adequate but not up to the standards of other ships we experienced with Grand Circle. The Three gorges and the lesser gorges we very scenic and made a great day trip. Flying to Xian and seeing the Terra Cotta Soldiers and horses was remarkable. The Chongqing pandas at the beautiful Zoo were cute. Guilin we participated in tea picking and tea drinking ceremony. The highlight of Hong Kong was driving to the top of Victoria Peak and seeing the Light Show at the harbor. This was an awesome trip. We saw so much and realized the progress that has been made in China especially in the last ten years.

The people are very friendly, curious and serious. On several occasions people would come up and ask to have their picture taken with us. At the public parks people would enjoy themselves by dancing, exercising and playing games. We were there during the Chinese equivalent of our Memorial Day, “ The Sweeping of the Tombs.” People gather at the tombs to honor their ancestors. Sacrifices of food and spirit money are burned to keep them happy. Flying kites and fireworks followed.

Of particular interest to us was the high esteem Chairman Mao is held. His likeness appears on the currency and his portrait is over the gate to Tiananmen Square. When I asked about this the reply was ”Yes he made mistakes but he is the founder of our country.” There is little of a historical nature in the museums, no doubt due to the destruction of historical items during the Cultural Revolution. The hotels we stayed at were excellent; the breakfasts were American style and good. Our program director was excellent; he looked after us as if we were family. Copies of the China Daily were available for free. It is a very readable and informative paper printed in English. It is interesting that road signs and most other signs had English subtitles.

It has taken me a long time to write this review. I had to digest the information and things that we saw. It is no doubt that China has come a long way. China has put its best foot forward on this trip. If you had any questions of a controversial or political nature they were deferred to a later question and answer session, which never came. The interview with a survivor of the Cultural Revolution was interesting but of limited value. It would have been more interesting to see a “real” factory, not the fluff jade factory or the other tourist “factory showrooms” we saw. There was a “Wal-Mart” in downtown Shanghai, how interesting it would have been to visit it. We saw many McDonalds and KFC restaurants. This allowed one to get an American food fix when needed.

Visiting the displace farmer was interesting but it seemed like a political show rather than reality. It would have been more interesting to see one of the displaced people in the high-rise tenement villages. I understand that this is a very closed and controlled society where you see only what they want you to see. Indirectly one gets the message.

In summary it was a worthwhile and fantastic trip. It provided an insight into a major culture. Now, I better understand China’ Role in the world. They have enough of their own problems to keep them busy. Prior to the trip try to read Jung Chang’s book “Wild Swans” and Rob Gifford “China Road.” Grand Circle does a remarkable job of making trips a great value. China, Russia and Egypt are the “Big Three” of our travels.

Traveler: Richard Stanish from Tulsa, OK traveled on March 17, 2011

Although it has been over a year since we returned from this trip, this is such an extraordinary experience, we feel compelled to pass on our thoughts at this time. We took the pre-trip to Japan which, unfortunately, is no longer available; it was a wonderful introduction to the Orient. This was our thirteenth GCTOAT trip, so we were well prepared for the usual features of their tours, including wonderful tour guides. We were not, however, prepared for the depth and richness of this trip; our reflections since our return have only intensified our fine opinion of it.

This is a consuming trip both physically and sensually and is best done when you're in reasonably good physical condition. While each day was full, the pace enabled you to experience each sight adequately. We did every optional trip offered, and would suggest they all at least be considered. This is a country where just walking down a street or exchanging greetings with a local can have profound effects on you - you never know where the next opportunity will occur; we didn't want to miss a thing.

Each of the classical Chinese sights exceeded our expectations. There is a special feeling upon visiting The Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Terra Cotta Soldiers, the Three Rivers Gorge and the many other sights, but there was also a special extra in seeing the citizens close up. We visited a wonderful senior citizen facility, visited local markets, had tea and lunch in private homes and exchanged expessions with Chinese touring their country for the first time. We joined their family photos on the Great Wall because, in many cases, we were the first Westerners they had seen. They were all very warm and open. Shanghai was an especially enjoyable stop. It is their showplace city and abounds in modern architecture; the nightime river cruise and the dazzling lights are very special memories to us.

Many travelers wonder, as we did, about such things as the food, the water, the safety, and the air trips within China (we had five). The food is tasty and filling. Most dinners are about fifteen dishes, served lazy-susan style on each table; the amount of meat is not up to American portions, but the variety of dishes more than made up for this. We used bottled water everywhere, but it also was not a problem. We felt safe everywhere we went. The Chinese airlines, airports and crews are at least up to American standards; every plane we flew on was not more than a year or two old; all equipment was either Boeing or Airbus.

We went on this trip because it was something we always wanted to do. We went saying we'll do it now, but we'll never come back. After a year to reflect on the experience, we're now saying there is a very good chance we will return and, most probably, it will be on this GCT trip.

Traveler: Walter Dietz from Ocean, NJ traveled on May 12, 2010

I have to say, this trip is a great value for the money. I paid less than $2000, on a last minute deal booking approx 22 days in advance. You will need to allow at a minimun 12 days to get a visa from the time you start, it cost several hundred dollars, because I had to do the expidited process. It could take longer, I was very fortunate.
China is amazing and I enjoyed the country and the sights. I had never had a desire to go there till last year. I am glad I saw it. The Yangtze River cruise was the best part of the trip.
Now here is why I rated the trip so poorly, having said all that. We were rushed and allow very little time at the main attractions, The Terra Cotta Warriors comes to mind. We were told that we had to view the movie (in a theater just off the large gift shop) before we could begin viewing the site. We were told that the English version wouldn't start for 45 minutes and that we needed to hang out in the gift shop. I decided I would go in to see the movie in another language, I'm pretty good in German and French. So I went in ahead of the group. The movie only lasted about 15 minutes and they cycled thru the English version about 5 minutes after I entered. Basically, the rest of the group were cheated out of 25 minutes and had to hurry to get to see the Warriors. Several told me later that they hadn't seen all they wanted to see. We were then taken to a "factory tour" and spent 1 12 hrs there. I would have rather had the extra time at the site and so would many of the others.
There were days that we went to 2 factory tours, most lasting 1 14- 2 hrs. I enjoy shopping as much as anyone, but this was ridiculous. The prices were very high and even the best bargainer in our group got only an OK deal on some jewelry, when we checked it out online. As I said, I loved China and wanted to see as much as I could, but I had no choice but to spend hours on factory tours or sit on the bus and wait till the guide decided it was time to go. Once, in Thailand, I was allowed to take a taxi back to the hotel. The factory tours are harder to avoid than you might think, because they are always scheduled between the things that you paid to see or do. If you stay the day at the hotel, you miss the meals or the museums or the sights.
Another issue, the local guides were OK but not great. Of course they know about their city. What bothered me about most of them was that they kept telling us not to buy items (T shirts, panda hats, whatever) from the local little shops where they were very cheap or the street vendors. They always had their favorite shop they took you to. They made fun of the quality anywhere they didn't want you to go. I must have heard the quip about "multi generational T shirts" 4-5 times. They said you buy it for you, you wash it and it fits your daughter, you wash it again and it fits your grand daughter, etc. I bought all my shirts from little road side shops or vendors and they are still fine today. The exact same shirt and brand cost 3-5 times more at the shops they wanted you to buy in.
After a while, I stopped believing anything they told me. If they would lie about one thing, they would lie about another. I tipped them all above what was asked, that's just me. But I really would have liked more free time to see things I'd come to see.
Another issue was the heat settings at the hotels. In Communist countries like China, the government regulates the temperatures. In the winter, you can't set it above 55 degrees, in the summer, you can't cool it below 80 degrees. There were lots of complaints about that. I loved the food, I really did. I eat Chinese food all the time in the states, so eating it twice a day was OK by me. It was nice in Thailand to try something different, too. I now love Thai food even more than Chinese food.I have ssaved the worst criticism till the end of my review. I waited over 10 months to write this, sort of waiting to cool down. I mentioned this on the form that Grand Circle asks you to fill out after your trip and I got a very worried call from them, trying I believe, to make light of this issue. Eight of us I believe, were scheduled to do the Thailand extension. Thailand was then going thru what Egypt is going thru now. There was a travel advisory issued by the State Dept. advising against travel to Thailand. We were sitting in Hong Kong watching the story unfold. There was rioting everywhere in Bangkok, The airport had been seized by the rebels on the day before we were scheduled to fly in. All of us were trying to get the trip canceled, or to stay in Hong Kong or find a way to fly home from Hong Kong. I called Grand Circle twice and spoke with a supervisor about all of our concerns, so did our tour guide. We were stonewalled. We were told we would recieve no help to return home, no help to get a flight or get to stay the extra 5 days in Hong Kong. We were told that since the "tour" was over in Hong Kong, we would have to pay full rates at any hotel we could find. We would get no help with the airlines to try to negotiate a lower price ticket home. (Airlines will make exception to their pricing for emergency type situations, they won't charge you the high rates that would usually go with a ticket bought 2-3 days in advance if there is a provable reason (death in the family, National Crisis, etc.) Grand Circle would not offer any documention that we were caught in a crisis situation. We were told that it was still a safe trip, if we didn't take it, we bore full responsibility. I think 5 of us had even purchased the trip insurance. That didn't help anyone. So we ended up flying in; the Airport had been secured by the Army and we landed safely. Dozens of people had been killed in the riots, but we didn't see any of that. I did get caught up in a riot on my way back to the hotel (that's when I took a Taxi back to avoid another factory tour.) I have many pictures of the rebels wearing their skull masks and red bandanas riding by it trucks, motorcycles etc. No violence erupted, but it could have. I think it would be safe to say that the trip was not what we had expected. Many were afraid to venture away from the hotel unless it was a tour and we were in the bus. not many people were just going out by themselves for a stroll. I think we all felt a lot of fear, expecially right before we took off for the flight to Bangkok. There was quite a bit of crying as we left the hotel. I won't go to any places in the future where I think that the political situation is not completely stable. We were very fortunate, no one got hurt. But I centainly didn't feel that Grand Circle had our best interests at heart.

Traveler: Don Tilton from Colorado Springs, CO traveled on March 22, 2010

In reading most of these reviews it seems that everyone gives the trip 4 stars--From my experience it would not be possible for everyone to give it the highest review possible.
I would definitely give the trip 4 stars for value--It would simply be impossible for anyone to book this trip themselves with all of the internal flights for the price that GCT offers this trip--That being said I would still not give this trip an overall rating of 4 stars.
In fairness I would have to say that most peoples complaints were related more to China as the destination, rather than the tour itself. The tour director was excellent, however every place you went to had to have a local tour guide, while I could see the need for this in some instances I still can't figure out the need for a "local guide" to escort me from airport to hotel or a "local guide" to take me to a show. This seemed ridiculous to say the least--Then at each stop you would be told not to forget to tip the "local guide," as well as how much to tip each of the guides. This I found to be obnoxious behavior and actually diminished from the trip itself, to the point that I would seriously question whether or not to travel with GCT again. By the way I travel extensively and have never run into this type of situation before, it was truly pitiful.
The only other problem I had was with the cruise. The ship I didn't find to be very clean, and I as well as, 30% of the other passengers got horribly sick. When I questioned the guide--he said that this seems to happen on the cruise a lot of the time. If this is the case maybe a different cruise company should be used. One other negative I would say would be the side trips. I did not see the opera, however it seemed that most of the people who went enjoyed it. I also did not go on the last trip in Hong Kong, Again most people who went on that trip did enjoy it. My complaint with the other tours, with the exception of the dinner show, was the price. The price for what you got was quite high, as the extra tours were not as good as the included tours. One tour that I would say was a good value was the tea garden tour, I really don't have much interest in tea, and still found it to be interesting.
Overall I found the 21 Day tour to be very good. and if you are interested in going to China I believe the price to be the best out there. Just be warned that the tour is very busy, the food is not what you would expect, and overall the trip seems long. On the other hand, if you are interested in getting a good overall perspective of China, this tour will accomplish that, so I would definitely recommend this tour.

Traveler: Michael James Clark from Lake Worth, FL traveled on March 11, 2010

I was overpowered … this was a total sensory overload! What a fast-paced 3 weeks of nonstop go-go! Granted, I did all the options—so I laugh now rereading the itinerary that occasionally mentions leisure time. I opted out of leisure for as many experiences as possible. And, this trip delivers.

To highlight the spectacular—the sights and events that left indelible prints in my memory: EVERYTHING in Beijing from the Forbidden City to the Great Wall …acrobats and architecture of Shanghai (night river trip is a must to appreciate this city)…canal and garden in Suzhou…Yangtze River and Three Gorges Dam (despite freezing early-morning winds, every picture was worth the layers of clothing)…the pandas…the mind-boggling Terra-Cotta Army…Tang Dynasty Show (truly spectacular)…musical fountains and dumpling banquet in Xian…cruise through Guilin’s unique mountains (I’ve never seen anything quite like this!)…the Reed Flute Cave (this rates a real wow!)…Hong Kong’s Nan Lian Garden and nightly laser show.

But, this trip was not just to see the sights; it was a learning and discovery venture from day 1. We had open, frank discussions on anything the group wanted to know about China, plus an amazing first-hand presentation on the Cultural Revolution by a teacher who lived through that punishing era.

My head was reeling by the time I got home. Only when I started editing my pictures did I understand why I was so overwhelmed. Every hour of the trip was filled with something worth seeing or doing. But, it’s all digesting now, and with every memory, the trip just gets better.

Traveler: Jane from Shingle Springs, CA traveled on November 12, 2009

Thanks Diana for an amazing adventure. Linda and I had no idea of what to expect from China, but like the Amazon River trip the China trip exceeded our expectations. We were late joining the group due to a death in the family and Diana made us feel at home immediately. We have traveled extensively for over 35 years and prefer not to take tours (this was our 2nd), but this (with GCT) and the Amazon (with OAT) were just perfection. We loved the Chinese people and culture and can not say enough about the interaction that GCT and OAT provide. Our experiences with regard to the trips have been exceptional, however, our experience with the internal staff has been markedly less than we expected. Would I recommend the trip, absolutely, make sure you request Diana

Traveler: Thomas from Delray Beach, FL traveled on November 14, 2009

After waiting a year to travel to China, we finally got to see this fantastic country. We would suggest that you buy travel insurance as my wife broke her ankle seven days before we were to leave in 2008. We were reimbursed within 2 weeks after sending in her doctor's forms, etc.

Our trip was wonderful and made even more so by our guide, Michael. Michael handled everything with ease. He made everyone feel welcome and we enjoyed speaking with him and the local guides who always gave us new insights to the people, the country, and the history. This was our fourth GCT trip and we have always been pleased with our guides, but Michael, was our best by far. And we didn't think anyone would ever top our guide in Australia.

We found all the hotels to be fine and modern. We enjoy Chinese food and found everything tasty, although some people on the trip didn't care for all the food. The breakfasts were always good with a variety of choices. When dinners weren't included, we usually ate in a local restaurant. We particularly liked the food in Hong Kong and on our extension to Bangkok.

A couple of things that concerned us before we left really weren't problems. Don't take a lot of clothes--you need room to pack all the great items you will probably buy. (Pack a small fold up case in your suitcase for those extra things. Also, bring along bubble wrap and scotch tape to protect anything breakable you might purchase.) Although we usually washed out most of our clothes in our rooms in the hotel, we occasionally had to use laundry service which was quite good. It was less inexpensive in mainland China than in Hong Kong. My wife was a bit nervous over having to walk up all the steps from the river cruise. That never seemed to be a real problem. But do watch out as local people will try to help you up the steps and then ask for an outrageous amount of money. Also, we brought along a hair dryer, which wasn't necessary at all. One was available in all hotel rooms and on the ship. We didn't find bathrooms as much of a problem as we had thought. Our guides always told us when a "good happy room" was available. In most of the places, there was at least one handicapped toilet for women which satisfied those who have trouble bending. However, we do suggest that you bring some toilet paper or tissue with you, as occasionally that was a problem.

We found the Chinese people very friendly and they would often stop us and our fellow travelers to practice their English. They also offered help if they could see we were confused. We never felt uncomfortable when we were on our own and enjoyed walkling on local streets.

We took the extension to Bangkok, where we lived 40 years ago. The city had changed quite a bit, but the people were still so friendly, and it was easy to get around there. Our guide was Kenny also did an outstanding job. The food, the shopping, and the availabilty of the internet were great there. We would suggest that you tlreat yourself to a foot massage while in Bangkok.

We thought we had to bring a lot of single dollar bills and brought way too many. We needed dollar bills when we paid for things on the street. The Chinese were always trying to sell us 3 fans for a dollar, or 5 real silk bags for a dollar, etc. We paid for that with American money. but you could always use Chinese money. We would suggest that you call your bank ahead of time to tell them you were either using a credit card, or your ATM card in China. One of our fellow travelers ran into some difficulty and had to call his bank in the US as he was unable to get any cash. We tried to change a hundred dollar bill in one of the hotels, and had a bit of difficulty, even though the bill was crisp and in good condition. The banks will not accept worn American money, so you must have crisp, untorn bills. We would suggest you bring no more than $200 in singles, and some 20's and 50's to exchange at the hotel or the bank, and of course your ATM and credit card. You can use your credit card at the hotels, and the bigger shops, and with Grand Circle, but you won't be able to use them in the smaller places.

We hope you enjoy your trip as much as we did.

Traveler: Roberta and Dag from Southport, NC traveled on September 19, 2009

My fascination with China started as a child. I had my View Master with pictures of China, pandas and the Great Wall. I always dreamed of going to China and walking the Great Wall, but never thought I would be able to do that. I would tape my eyes back, so I would look more Chinese, and I would dig holes in the backyard, because my teachers said China was on the other side of the world from us. My favorite memory of my mother, was when she buried a tea cup in my hole, and said "I must be getting closer". Now, my dream has come true.
We loved Beijing, which was unexpected, but the people were so friendly. They do like American's. We visited the downtown parks in the mornings to see everyone, from young to old, outside doing their exercises. Seeing all of the slim, fit and elderly people exercising, made me even more detirmed to get in better shape. The visits to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall were the crowning events for Beijing, made even better by our expert Tour Leader and the local tour guide. It was hard to believe that I was walking the Great Wall.
Shanghai was unbelievable with all of the tall buildings. Our home hosed lunch was great. The husband did the cooking, and the wife served us his 18 different delicious dishes. We had an added treat when our local tour guide took us on the Megleve (magnetic levatation) train to the airport. Going 248 kmhr was mind bogging.
The Yangtze River cruise was unforgetable. The Three Gorge Dam Project was as big and grand as it was lead up to be. As we were going into the first lock, our boats stern came very close to another boat stern. That boat was full of Chinese people, who were all taking pictures of us, as we were taking pictures of them. At a unbelivable moment, that nobody caught on camera, a man from our group reached across the rail and shook hands with another man from the other boat. It was a touching moment. To talk to the people who were displaced and see all of the new towns that were built, makes you realize what a monumental task that it must have been.
We arrived in Chongquing at night, and what a nice suprise. The river port was lite-up like Las Vegas. I don't know what a expected from a river mountain town, but that wasn't it. The visit to the Zoo was perfect timing, we got there first thing in the morning. The pandas were all out eatting their bamboo, and as soon as they finished they went off to take a nap. The Chongquing Zoo is one of the nicest I have been to.
In Xian, we had a wonderful local tour guide. She was so prode of her city, and boy did she show it off for us. Our day for the Terra Cotta Army and Horses was beautiful with a fresh snow fall that covered everything. The Terra Cotta Soldiers, horses and bronze chariots were mesmerizing. You just wonder what else is under the earth in that area. We met the farmer that discovered the buried site, and got his autograph. The home hosted lunch with the farming family was a joy. The husband did the cooking again ,while the wife served. We had 10 different dishes, and everything was delicious. She sang (opera style) and he played a string instament that was shaped like a sleg hammer. They had an adorable 2 12 yr old granddaughter. Then we had the highlight of the visit, to the Grand Circle Foundations primary school. It was Saturday, but all of the kids in the 6 th grade, showed up to meet us. Every child stood up in front of the room, told us their name, grade, what subject they liked best, what food they liked best and what they wanted to be when they grew up, IN ENGLISH. They sang to us, and we sang to them. Grand Circle is going to help them build a new happy room (bath room).
Our visit to Guilin was so much more that I had expected. I had read so much about the Li River and the limetone formations, and our river cruise met all of those expectations, but the city was so beautiful. At night it was lit up like a fairytale. Because of a airline cancelation we got an extra day in Guilin, which we were not upset at all. We hired a taxi driver, one night, to take us around to all of the beautiful lighted bridges, lakes and pagodas and then walked the streets the next night. We met so many locals that wanted to talk and take our pictures. We exchanged e-mails. The Chinese people are very warm and friendly.
Because of our extra day in Guilin, we were cut short in Hong Kong, but we managed to see almost everything that we had planed. The Peak Tram at night is a must.
The whole trip was so enjoyable and we were treated like family by our wonderful Tour Leader Diana.

Traveler: Jose and Faith from Miami, FL traveled on November 14, 2009

On October 31, we ventured off on our first Grand Circle trip to China. We were greeted by our Program Director, Frank Gau, who set the tone for a wonderful experience.

All aspects of this trip were beyond our expectations. The itinerary was excellent. We were exposed to so many different aspects of life within China. The many demographic areas we visited, from The Great Wall to the Li River in Guilin, immersed us in Chinese history and culture. We were taken by the warmth and friendliness of this country's people. They definitely won our hearts, young and old alike!

We were very impressed by Grand Circle's attention to detail. We always felt well taken care of in all aspects of our trip. Frank made sure of this!

We would highly recommend taking advantage of Grand Circle's extension to Thailand. This opportunity offered another very different cultural experience, from the Grand Palace to the Floating Market. We left "the land of smiles" with big smiles on our faces! We look forward to returning to this exotic part of the world.
We are anxious to plan our next adventure with Grand Circle Travel!

Traveler: Frederick and Cynthia from Auburn, NY traveled on October 31, 2009

We had a wonderful time in China. It really surprised me how beautiful parts of China were with it's beautiful mountains and countryside. Our program director, Annie, was excellent! She took care of our every need and went out of her way to make sure we were taken care of physically and emotionally.
The holels were very nice. They had hot water, modern restrooms, and western breakfast buffets. The staff in most of the hotels spoke a little English. If not, Annie was there to interpret.
On tours during the day, you must be prepared to rough it. Always be prepared to encounter no western toilets, only holes in the ground and always carry the power (toilet paper).
I was surprised how all the factories and museums had no heating. It was snowing on us when we got to Beijing and remained in the 30's the entire time we were in northern China. It was cold in China in November. The Great Wall, etc... were awesome. Sites that I've always wanted to see were spectacular and worth coming to China.
I didn't enjoy the Chinese food. Others in our group of 18 did enjoy the food. I had a constant upset stomach and intestinal problems even though I didn't drink the water as directed. That didn't keep me from enjoying the trip. I just ate a big western breakfast and rice and veggies at the other meals. I did enjoy the dumpling dinner and Mongolian BBQ dinner.
Our ship on the river, Victoria Cruises, was definately an older ship. We were aboard with several other GCT groups. The ship's crew was very friendly and put on several good shows. The rooms were adequate, but the ship doesn't compare to the quality of ships I have previously been on down the Rhine and the Nile with GCT.
Overall, the China trip was excellent. Twenty-one days with 5 internal flights makes it a tiring trip. I would recommend this trip.

Traveler: Terron from Irving, TX traveled on November 10, 2009

Just completed our China and Yangtze trip which was our 5th trip with OATGCT and it was by far our best! This was primarily due to our fantastic program director Patrick Guan. He allowed us to experience his amazing country in an effortless way by handling all those annoying deails in an effortless manner. Effortless for us, not for him. China was totally different than we expected from openness, quality of food , quality of transportation and hotels, and friendliness of the people. All this things were excellent as was the cultural experience. By all means go to China and try to get Patrick as your PD. And do take the post trip extension to Thailand. There Steven, another excellent PD took excellent care of us and showed us the best of his country.

Traveler: Mike from Redington Shores, FL traveled on August 04, 2009

I have just returned from a trip to China on August 24 and I can't say enough about it. It was made all the more awesome due to the Program Director , Annie that we had. She was amazing, so competent and professional. She knew what we needed before we even asked for it and she was there for us 24 hours a day. Annie helped each of us in different ways and made sure we were all taken care of. Please try to go on the trip to China and the Yantgze River and most importantly, try to get Annie as your tour guide. You won't be disappointed.

Traveler: Beverly from Redondo Beach, CA traveled on August 04, 2009

We really enjoyed our trip to China and the Yangtze River Cruise.
We were lucky and didn't have any rain. The weather was very hot though. I would advise not going in the middle of the summer.
Our tour director "Nick" Pong was excellent.
The hotels were all fine. Most of the meals were very good. The Acrobatic Show in Shanghai was fantastic. Also, the Tang Dynasty Show in Xian. The Opera in Bejing was just fair. Really enjoyed going to the Reed Flute Cave, which was an added optional. We thought we were going to have to do it on our own, so were pleased to see it added.
The optional to Suzhou is well worthwhile.
The cruise was wonderful. Boat was older, but the crew were fantastic and the food was great. All our flights were good. New airplanes within China. All in all, it was a wonderful trip and we were highly reccomend it.
Frank and Gail DeWeese
Highland, CA
gnana67@aol.com

Traveler: Francis from Highland, CA traveled on July 02, 2009

The experience exceeded all of our expectations. Our program director, Jack (Wang, Shao Feng), was excellent and was always personnable, knowledgeable, informative, and helpful.

To actually see the places, we have read about over the years was amazing, but interaction with people ranging from school children to farmers to those displaced by the Three Gorges Dam Project was a true gift.

All-in-all, China is a place that bears a repeat visit. It is an interesting mixture of open frendliness and economic openness and government intervention to black out critical CNN stories on cable TV.

Bangkok (post-trip), was also great fun. We are considering a longer trip to Thailand, because we loved the people, places and culture.

I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to get a feel for the changes that are charateristic of China today.

Traveler: James from Shawnee, OK traveled on June 04, 2009

This is truly an adventure of wonder & discovery. It delivers everything it promises and more. John, our program director, was our educator, problem solver and a friend concerned with our well being. He never lost his patience or sense of humor while faithfully sheparding us through his marvelous country. John & all of the step-on guides were fine people whom you would welcome into your home. Our 19 traveling companions were the best.
Good "drinking water" was a concern of mine. Not a problem! Two new bottles of water were in our room each day and an electric pot was in every room which you filled with tap water and it automatically boiled the water, also, cold bottles of water for 50 cents were available on the buses.
The food was good, the breakfast coffee delicious and everyone stayed well.
The April temperature was just right for sightseeing in Beijing and by Hong Kong it was rather warm.
There comes a time when you are tired of looking in from the outside - you want to experience China for yourself. This trip is perfect. You not only get to visit the Forbidden City, you get to visit a home in the hutong. After you've danced with the ladies at the Senior Center, sat with the children in a grade school, and enjoyed a home cooked meal, you begin to realize that China and its hard working, friendly people are becoming very real to you.
This Grand Circle tour of China was a perception changing experience for me.

Traveler: Susan & John from Parkville, MD traveled on April 02, 2009

What a wonderful trip I took just a few weeks ago! Sure I saw many sights on television but nothing compares with the real-life experience of seeing China, as it is today; alive, bustling, exciting and most of all, very educational.

The traffic and the super structures all over the cities were dizzying.

I still chuckle over me in a rickshaw riding through the narrow alleys of Beijing to drink a cup of tea at a host's home and hear about life in China through her eyes.

Our stop at the Temple of Heaven watching seniors exercise, play mah jong, dance and sing was inspriing. Then in Shanghai the senior center was a treat to visit. I enjoyed lunch at a host's home as well. Getting so close to a family brought me nearer their culture and their lives.

Our tour guide Nick (Peng) filled us with information that we could not read in a book or see on a television show. He was enthusiastic about his country and we grew, through his eyes, to appreciate all that China had to offer.

What an amazing sight was the Great Wall. Watching not only tourists, but Chinese, coming to walk along the Great Wall, as their ancesters did. Knowing that my imprint is on the Great Wall is a feat that I have accomplished with great zeal.

It seemed that we were on the go from morning to night, but it was worth seeing all that China had to offer.

Finally we boarded our River Cruise boat and we could relax while sailing the Yangtze.

Wow! The Terre Cotta Warriors were another amazing sight. The Tang Dynasty Show was a special treat. Every city we visited on this trip had its own life and colors and interesting stories.

Most of all, visiting Hong Kong was very special to me. This was the place I was so interested in seeing. How amazing was Hong Kong in my eyes and I know all who were with me felt the same.

There is so much of China that I remember but I would be writing forever. Most enjoyable of all was the wonderful group of travelers I met on this tour. They were friendly. enthusiastic and so helpful. Hopefully we will meet soon again on another Grand Circle experience.

Traveler: Barbara from Yonkers, NY traveled on April 14, 2009

What an amazing trip! We are very experienced travelers but this trip was truly a highlight for us and one we will never forget.

Our Program Director Peng (Nick) was the very best! He anticipated our every need and saw to it that we were able to effortlessly see China in the best possible ways. We were always thoroughly briefed and prepared for each days adventure which just added to the enjoyment of this trip.

The hotels were very good, food was always in abundance with each day beginning with a huge western style breakfast. Staff at all the properties were always courteous and made every effort to make our stay a good one. Our five incountry flights were excellent, on time, and in new clean planes with very good service. The opportunities that this tour gave for interaction with the Chinese people was unique and gave us access to their culture in many ways. The home visits and meals were wonderful and we were made to feel so welcome .

The Chinese people were friendly and interested in us as a group which surprised us. Our group became family for the three weeks of our visit because of Peng's professional and caring attention to detail. Out city guides spoke excellent English and our drivers were excellent which is not an easy accomplishment in the wild traffic of China. Grand Circle had thought of everything that would make us have a true discovery oriented trip.

The river boat was old and in need of maintenance but Grand Circle had advised us of this ahead of time so there were no surprises. The itinerary of this trip allowed us to see China inside and out, interact with wonderful people, and see sights that we will never forget.

We look forward to traveling with Grand Circle again as we would expect only the best from them based on what we experienced on this China trip!

Traveler: Ollie Joe from Winchester, KY traveled on April 14, 2009

A wonderful trip. The Chinese Tour Director, Albert Ruan, was the very best of the best. Transfers to and from our hotels, airports, trains, buses, et cetera, were absolutely seamless. Albert took care of every detail and made himself available to handle any problem, large or small on a 247 basis. We visited factories, schools, local families, had lunch in their homes, interviewed real people, very good hotels, food and excellent transportation. Probably the best trip that we have taken over a lot of years of traveling. Fun and informative and so easy!

Traveler: Frank from Columbiana, AL traveled on March 31, 2009

Prior to this trip, China was a "countrygovernment" to me. Of course I recognized the value of its history and culture, but did not appreciate what it is today. I was amazed at the openness, honesty, warmth and hospitality of the people of China. Our program director, "Charlie" shared his own experiences regarding the cultural revolution and encouraged the families we visited to share theirs, as well as the impact the Yangtse Damn project has had on their lives. He is a treasure that I hope GCT fully appreciates.

Climbing the Great Wall, sailing the Yangtse and Li rivers, the Terra Cotta Army, etc., etc., etc., were experiences too impressive to describe. But experiencing more of the people of China is what might bring me back..

Traveler: Florence from Tucson, AZ traveled on March 17, 2009

I was last in China 30 years ago when it was just opening up to foreigners. I was part of a quasi governmental group hosted by the All China Women's Federation.
What a difference! 30 years ago everyone wore dark blue clothing and rode bikes. Now Western clothes everywhere and masses of cars.
This trip was wonderful, a small group (24) slighly bigger that the OAT trips I enjoy, but still workable.
Our guide, Diana, was a delight. Very bright and willing to discuss all kinds of controversial topics (Tibet, Mao's status now, Tienaman Square, The Cultural Revolution)
We got to see all the highlights, despite horrendous traffic in Beijing and Shanghai. The air is still dirty, as it was 30 years ago (coal is not a great way to heat but it is cheap). Beijing air was better than I hoped, Shanghai was worse. Xian, Guilin, Hong Kong, not too bad at all.
The highlights for me were the 4 nights on the Yangtze River and the boat trip on the Li River. I was not able to do that last time and they were everything I had hoped. The Li River trip is like sailing into a Chinese painting and we were lucky to have good weather. My friend had never been to China before and, like me, loved the Great Wall and was amazed by the Terra Cotta warriors (30 years ago it was just one big covered pit and no pictures allowed).
The people of China was very gracious to us, not just our home hosted events but people in the streets and parks. One group at the Temple of Heaven Park called out welcome messages and then they played "JIngle Bells" for us!
The young students at a Kung Fu School were amazed that we had watched them in the Opening Ceremonies and wanted to know our reactions and those of our friends at home.
The hotels were all great..what a difference. As one man in Xian told me, 30 years ago there were only 3 hotels and I had stayed at one where the paint was peeling off the wall. In Wuxi last time, all the plumbing fell of the wall as I was taking a bath! I was so impressed with them this time!
Food was excellent but I live near San Francisco and I am used to Chinese food . Some of my travel mates were not as happy.
Only a couple of nitpicking things...so many optional tours which really adds up. I realize it keeps the base price down but I would not have minded paying more at the front end. There were so many local guides and drivers that the tips went fast. Dollars are accepted and we all ended up getting more cash for tips than planned. A heads up would not go amiss. e.g. we were told what to pay for river cruise but we were informed on the boat that we should also tip our wait staff and the lecturers..no problem, they were excellent, but again a word to wise would have helped.
Anyway, the trip was everything I had hoped for. I would encourage others to go and, hopefully, they would get Diana as a program director, she is the best ever!

Traveler: Valerie from South San Fran, CA traveled on March 18, 2009

I traveled with my best buddy from Junior High whom I had not been in contact with for 55 years. His wife would not "fly the distance" and my wife refuses to travel more the 14 days at a time, so we enjoyed the trip stag. The hotel accomodations were excellent; the meals were very good, with one or two exceptions, and our guide, Jason Xu was very fluent in English, very capaable and did an excellent job. The true highlights were a visit to the Hutong in Beijing, "open air" market places in Shanghai and the home visits in Shangahi, Xi'an and Beijing and Chong Qing. Especially good fun was the visit to the elementary school in Xi'an -- those kids were spectacular.

Traveler: James from Rancho Mirage, CA traveled on March 14, 2009