Travels in China What a holiday, we were very nervous from the start, our media and politicians have very little good to say of China and we struggled to find a tour company who would and could help two elderly people both with walking difficulties. Then to add to our problems several weeks prior to leaving I had a reaction to one of my medications which put me into a coma and on waking i could only walk 60 steps, it took lots of effort from both Cathryn and myself and a great desire to see as much of China as we could to be able to get to go on the trip. It was only three weeks prior to departure that I obtained medical permission to go on the trip. Following an eventful flight, with both flights departing late, fortunately the second flight was almost two hours late, we arrived in Beijing. Beijing, Alice and John picked us up and an absolutely fabulous trip started, both Alice and John could not be faulted they were very help full, we were surprised that most of the tourists were Chinese with very few non local tourists. The hotel was comfortable with a good breakfast and well located. Although we struggled, we walked to the Great Wall and although the final steps defeated us we found that we were as excited as if we had walked the entire distance of this magnificent structure. We were sensible enough to accept Alice's advice to hire a wheelchair for our viewing of the Summer Palace and also for the following days viewing of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Although we had wheelchairs we decided that no amount of stairs would stop us seeing as much as possible, and Alice assisted us at every step. Beijing, a memorial city with friendly and helpful people and with very good people helping us. We were a little daunted with the rail station, the station is much larger than the airport back home, john droped us at the entrance and Alice ensured we had the correct seats. The high speed G train can travel at 350kph and we reached 349kph, a great and exciting journey. Xian, Kenneth and Mr Fann were at the exit awaiting our arrival and welcomed us, again a great hotel with a good breakfast. We were surprised at the size of Xi'an as all we had read of the city was the Terracotta Warriors and we had not expected or researched that the city was one end of the Silk Road and a major city in world history. Today we are to visit the the Terracotta Warriors, i've been looking forward to seeing them since i saw Warriors and a Horse and chariot at the world expo in Brisbane, 1988, almost a 40 year wait to see this incredible site. A great trip the Terracotta Warriors were even better than expected and the Bronze Chariots were not remembered by either of us only the horses and it was a special surprise that bought back memories. Our walk through the Muslim Quarter Bazaar and food shops was more interesting than expected and we both wished that we could have climbed steps for the view from the bell and drum tower. Our visit to a local family home to assist to make dumplings, our abilities at eating the dumplings exceed our abilities at making them. Our host was friendly and tried to help us feel like we actually made the meal, a fun meal in a lovely home and we were made to feel very welcome. A lot less concerned we headed for the Bullet D train, top speed only 250kph, we were dropped off at the station and Kenneth assisted us to elevator for our platform, by now we were confident enough to find the train, carrige and seat. Chengdu, Lilly and Mr Sun greeted us and we had a site seeing tour and a traditional Tea culture visit in another very large and friendly city, much larger than expected. Today we visit the Panda Research Base, although I am very animal conscious and Cathy is even more of an animal conservationist than me, we were amazed at the feeling that the Panda Research Base had on us. To see the amount of young Pandas being bred was fantastic and surprising. Also a visit to the Sanxingdui Museum a recently discovered culture, the artifacts in the Museum are from an ancient culture and well worth taking the time to visit. What a day Lilly was exceptional we were assisted with every step of this exceptional breeding facility and Museum. Although the day was very tiring, the Pandas made every step worth while, the Museum was not something the we knew anything about prior to our visit. Guilin, Jessica and driver, our journey here started with a trip to the Karsts Caves this beautiful cave complex with large and scenic natural formations is worth the visit Jessica assisted us ensuring our safely with every step. Although we have both seen many Chinese paintings of the strange and different mountains of Guilin, we both thought that the mountains and rivers were exaggerated, we were incorrect the scenery was great and at every turn in the river cruise the views are memorable. Both Jessica and the driver were very helpful and Jessica was extremely curious, Jessica's attention to our safety was extremely important as we walked through the caves and encounter many steps. Cathryn's birthday, and Cathy was surprised with a beautiful cake at the hotel, we were both thrilled. We both needed some assistance for safety and Jessica and the driver ensured our safety all the time. Neo and driver, Thursday was a bad day for Cathryn and myself we could not make the trip, maybe it was two elderly, 75 and 78 Year Olds thinking that they were still in their teens. Neo worked hard to rearrange the days trip to be changed to Friday ensureing that we could see as much as possible.of Shanghai we saw the poster Museum and had coffee in the major shopping maul and had tea tasting at a local tea house. Although we were obviously tired Neo rearrange the day for us to see as much as possible of Shanghai, we are sincerely sorry not to have notified him earlier on the 22nd that we could not make the trip and we are extremely grateful for his efforts to rearrange everything for the following day. I can not leave my commentaries of our trip without thanking David Tan and the staff of ODYNOVO the man and people who put together our wonderful adventure. We planned our trip to China with several people telling us it was not safe to visit China, and we did have slight trepidations, our trip was planned perfectly by David, We have not at any time been treated with as much courtesy on any other travels that we have had. If we are to travel to China or any other destination again we would use ODYNOVO and request David Tan again, we would spend a longer in China as there is so much history to see. The cleanliness of the country, the friendliness of the people and safety we felt is better than any other trip that we have taken. Thank you David.

Odynovo is the way to go! I highly recommend Odynovo for private tours of Asia. They organized our tour of Thailand last year, and this year for China. Their service far surpasses other travel agencies we have used. Our travel consultant is Joyce and she is terrific. She takes the time to find out her clients’ personal preferences and travel style. The itineraries are always well-thought out with an excellent variety of activities - from history and culture - to culinary delights and simple fun. Our recent month-long tour of Southwest China was phenomenal. I cannot imagine planning a trip like this on my own. Joyce’s flawless travel planning and coordination eliminates all worry so we can fully enjoy our time. The tour guides and drivers that Odynovo provides are exceptional. Guides who made our China trip so wonderful include Martin in Hong Kong, whose upbeat personality made our time in this special city fun and enjoyable. Maggie, who made sure we had a memorable time experiencing everything Zhangjiajie and Phoenix Ancient City had to offer. Henry, who introduced us to Guilin rice noodles and took us bike riding in the beautiful Guangxi countryside. Nixon, who did a masterful job of navigating us through the beautiful Kunming Stone Forest. Hua, whose knowledge and pride in Yunnan province let us truly connect with this special region of China. Through Kevin, our guide in Chengdu, we gained a deep appreciation for Chinese society and culture, learned all about pandas, and had our first Chinese hot pot. And Vivian, our Shanghai guide, introduced us to this amazing city’s history, unparalleled views along the river and from skyscrapers, delectable dumplings, and a Venice-like town just outside the city. We are grateful to all our guides, and especially to Joyce at Odynovo, for making our time in China a trip of a lifetime. Joyce is already working on or next trip to Asia!