A Very Busy but Great Trip to China !

Hi Sophie,

Good to hear from you!

Usually when I travel, especially international, I can't wait to get home again. But this trip was quite different - I did not want to go back home.

I am ready for another trip to see more of China. I LOVED IT!!!!!

Yes, it was a very busy trip - but it was great! The sights were great - but it was the local guides that made it special. I very much enjoyed learning about them and their opinions on life in China.

Let me tell you that I really enjoyed "Michael" in Lijiang - he is soft spoken and a very kind person. "Karen" in Guilin was so friendly and sophisticated. "George" - Shanghai, "Winnie" - Xian, and "Daisy" - Kunming were very knowledgable. "Sophia" - Beijing was knowledgable, but we had some difficulty having a conversation with her. She did not seem to understand English as much as the others - but she was fine.

Then there was "April" - Huangshan / Jingdezhen. She was OUTSTANDING! Even though she had not been to Jingdezhen before, she had as much enthusiasm as I did! She asked EVERYBODY questions about Wang Bing Rong. She bought books, she took notes, she had a great thirst for knowledge! I think she had as much fun as I did!

Jingdezhen was my favorite place and April was my favorite guide. She laughed a lot and joked around with us. (Funny, but I told her that she seemed like my sister-in-law - same sense of humor, same gestures, same laugh!) Most of all, she should be commended for walking up/down the thousands of step at Huangshan many times a week!!!

Bart would like to mention that he prefers eating lunch/dinner in restaurants instead of hotels. Another note about "Michael" - I mentioned to him that I felt some of the foods were too oily. The next meal, he said he ordered food with less oil - I was impressed that he remembered what I had said.

The drivers were good - and the driver with April in Jindezhen was VERY good. He drove very smoothly and was very pleasant.

When we were back in Shanghai for Bart's business, we arranged to meet the Chinese man/wife from E-Bay that have been finding Wang Bing Rong items for me to buy. We saw their antique shop, their workshop, and their home. It was very special for me. Again, it's the PEOPLE that make things special.

And, Sophie, we really appreciate the hard work you did in planning the whole trip. I would like to write another letter to you that you could post on your website. I will do that soon.

I am a very fortunate person to have had this experience and meet the fine people of China.

Thanks for everything!

Deanna
Jun. 08, 2007