Trip of Lifetime in China

Hello, Maggie! Nee-How! I think I have spelled it wrong, but I know it means Hello and we said it daily and often in China.      

We are finally home from our 'Trip of a Lifetime'!  I took approximately 1500 pictures in China!

Maggie, we had the most wonderful time in China. You did a fantasitic job on our itinerary and we want to especially thank you. 

We fell in love with China and everyone and everything there. We were met promptly at all destinations and did not have to think or do anything for ourselves. 

Starting with Michael and our driver Mr Cheung. They were terrific. Great sense of humour, knowledgable and very nice gentlemen. The one thing we missed in Shanghai which I would like to have seen was to go to the Silk Factory/Farm out in the country. Our schedule was so tight though, that I do not know when we could have squeezed it in. The Bund was top notch! All of the sights that we saw were great. I would not have wanted to miss any of them.

Lilly and her driver met us at the airport in Yichang. She made sure we had an excellent dinner in a private dining room and told us as much as she could about this area. My only regret is that I could not tip the driver myself and the poor man who had to carry our bags on his back (on the pole) down that very long and steep hill to where the  Victoria Jenna was docked. Lilly looked after this.

The Victoria Jenna was First Class. Our cabin was great and much larger than those on the big ships. The Yangtze River was everything I dreamed and more. The food was excellent and so was the entertainment. Definitely recommend this ship Maggie to other tourists. Their itinerary on all stops and tours was wonderful and we enjoyed every one. We have never climbed so many steps in our lives. The boat tour up the Shennong Stream was fabulous.  When we were at the Three Gorges Dam wandering around, (you won't believe this it is a very very small world that we live in)  Victor met a fellow that he 'Umpires' baseball with at National and World Tournaments here in Canada. This guy and his wife were going 'down' the Yangtze and we were going up. How cool is that! Imagine, on the Yangrtze meeting someone you know!

David and his driver met us in Chongqing and transferred us to the airport and although we did not have any time with him, he looked after us very well and was most pleasant.

Xi'an was out of this world. Once again, The Grand New World Hotel, our accommodation was top notch. We loved Tracy our guide!  She was extremely thorough, and definitely in charge of things. She made sure everything, including our room was top notch. She made us laugh so many times and taught us so much. The Terracotta Warriors & Horses of course was the highlight. There are no words to describe this incredible, incredible archeological find. We also were lucky enough to get a book signed in person by Mr Yeung himself, one of the farmers who discovered this amazing find. The Hot Pot Dinner that Tracy arranged was exceptional. We loved it! We were sad to leave her and Xi'an and move on as we wished we had more time in this city. Our driver was terrific and most courteous, I am very sorry I didn't write down his name (I thought I was going to remember everything) and now I have forgotten it. I apologize to him because he is a lovely man.

Beijing was once again, out of this world! We were met at the airport by Emily our new grand daughter and Daughter!  Victor is now her grandfather! We love her and have adopted her! She and Mr Ts-ahhhhh (I have spelled his name the way we pronounced it) kept us busy every second of every day! He is an excellent driver and we were in awe of his driving skills as we were of our other two drivers. It is very different driving in China than in Canada.  The Jianguo Garden Hotel is beautiful and again 'top notch'. We were thrilled with all of the accommodation. The Great Wall Mutianyu Section was the best. Once again we walked, climbed, walked and climbed forever. So why have we gained weight?!? :)  :)  :)

We met so many wonderful people on this trip. The Chinese are very friendly and we loved when they wanted to stop and talk to us. Which we did many, many times, haha. 

Maggie, I don't really know how you could improve on this itinerary that you did for us. We crammed in so much that I have to look at my pictures to remember everything. I wanted to attach all my pictures but there are over 1500 haha just of China. I have attached a couple. If you want more or would like to see some just for the fun of it, let me know.

Please send me the address for your China Odyssey Tours website and I will write a story with many pictures of our Trip of a Lifetime in China. We would also be delighted to recommend you and China Odyssey Tours. Please feel free to use our name for any recommendations. The service we received from all guides and drivers all along the trip was the absolute best.

Thank you Maggie, maybe one day soon, we will do this again. If we do, it will be 'you' we talk to.

Sincerely,

Maureen and Victor