China with Grand Circle Travel

I had not been on an organized tour for over 30 years, preferring cruising and my own disorganized independent travel, but I decided that China was a place where I would be more comfortable relying on the expertise of a company like Grand Circle Travel (347 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210; phone 800/837-4735 or visit www.gct.com). Our 21-day trip, March 4-25, ’04, was the first “China and the Yangtze River Tour” conducted by GCT in almost a year after the outbreak of SARS.

For being the first group of the season, we went for the low price of $2,685, including air from most major cities, five flights within China, taxes, visa and most meals. We purchased three optional tours for $55 total, which we felt was a good value. We were amazed that GCT could give us so much for the price.

Our group of 90 was divided into three buses, each with its own GCT guide. Ours was Liang “Riley” Zhang and he was excellent. We also had local guides for each of the cities and on the cruise.

I chose this trip because it included both a 5-day Yangtze cruise and a one-day cruise on the Li River in the picturesque area near Guilin. We also stayed in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an and Hong Kong. The cities of Suzhou (on the Grand Canal), Wuhan, Chongqing and Wanxian were also briefly visited along the way.

All of our hotels were top quality, but the one in Beijing was not as centrally located and much of the surrounding neighborhood was being razed for new development.

Meals were excellent, with some Western ones for variety. The Chinese meals were either buffets or lazy Susan style with many choices. Breakfasts all were extensive buffets with mostly Western-style food.

We certainly made the most of the time we had. When GCT sent us a revised itinerary about six weeks before departure, some complained about places that were dropped. In response, GCT reinstated most of them and included new visits.

GCT places great emphasis on meeting local people. Those activities turned out to be among our favorites. On one occasion we broke into small groups to visit a hutong in Beijing for tea and snacks and on another, an apartment in Shanghai for a wonderful home-cooked lunch.

We also had the opportunity to join in with retirees exercising in the park and to meet children in a kindergarten, an orphanage, a kung fu boarding school, the Children’s Palace and an after-school and weekend enrichment center partially supported by the Grand Circle Foundation. Everyone agreed that these visits were real bonuses.

The 5-day Yangtze cruise was a welcome respite halfway through the trip; however, only one full day was spent cruising without side trips. We enjoyed sitting out on deck in shorts. After the first day the scenery was interesting, but it was quite hazy, which we heard is normal.

The Princess Sheena was not full, so suites with tubs were offered for a $250 upgrade. Cabins were small with no drawers and only a few hangers. Bathroom and shower were as one in each cabin, but we adapted.

Our cruise was cut short by a few hours because of low-water conditions, so we were bused to Chong­qing. Although the road was somewhat winding and bumpy, most of us saw it as a plus because we really got to see villages and the countryside, complete with farmers plowing rice paddies with water buffalo.

The trip was a wonderful experience, although China is not a place that I will rush back to very soon. (If you don’t like squat toilets, this part of the world may not be for you.) This was my first GCT trip, and I hope it won’t be my last. One woman in our group had been on 47 trips with them and was looking forward to more!

— JUDY PFAFFENBERGER, Toledo, OH