South Yunnan Tour: Kunming – Yuanyang – Duoyishu – Jianshui – Tuanshan – Stone Forest – Kunming
Dear Sir, I promised to write to you last week, but when we got back after 5 months away, we had a lot of things to do.
As I’ve already said briefly, we’d like to thank you for this wonderful trip to Yunnan, which will remain in our memories, even though we’ve already travelled the world quite a bit.
The organisation was perfect. We got what we were looking for, namely a tailor-made tour, without having to run around every day but with plenty of time to appreciate what we were visiting. We certainly missed out on a few things, but we also discovered that Kunming, for example, was well worth the two-day stopover, as the feel of the town, the banks of the lake and the restaurants we visited were well worth the two nights. We went back twice to the bird and plant market at different times and each time the spectacle was just as different and interesting.
The visit to the rice terraces alone is worth the trip. It’s magical and the sunrise at Jacky’s house is splendid. Jacky was a very good guide and we really enjoyed the two days we spent with him. Two nights were enough for us at this guest house. I apologise again for making you change your plans, but I had a terrible cold. The room was cold despite all the attention from the staff. In this respect, the hotel in Yanyang was what we expected.
Admittedly, we probably lost part of the tour by not having a guide (some of the people we met on the trip thought we were quite reckless), but we did what we wanted to do, just the two of us, without interference from anyone else.
The driver, Zeng, was perfect in his kindness and the quality of his driving. We had no problems checking in or out and he took care of our luggage without the slightest problem. Always punctual and smiling, we only regretted his total lack of knowledge of English. Perhaps a few courses in Kunming would be beneficial for him in the future.
The dances in the village were touching and the meal prepared by one of the husbands was excellent. The markets in Schengun and Laomeng were also well worth a visit.
The stone forest is well worth seeing, but the site is becoming very touristy for the Chinese. That’s what’s threatening this beautiful region. The hotels in Shilin and Kunming were perfect.
We were pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the people, who were smiling and curious to see foreigners. The stops on the way there and back rounded off the trip perfectly.
If we may make an observation, it would be to warn your tourists that they do not have access to Google, with all that this implies in terms of lack of information. For example, my wife had downloaded a translation from French into Chinese, but access was impossible due to the aforementioned lack of connection. One last suggestion: make sure you mention the lack of cash dispensers outside Kunming and Jantshui and the need to carry enough cash.
We would like to thank you and your colleagues once again for this wonderful trip.
Colette and Jacques