China + Vietnam & Cambodia with Orient Odyssey and Travel Indochina

When the original agent with whom we worked at Orient Odyssey (1385 Gulf Rd., Ste. 203, Point Roberts, WA 98281; phone 800/637-5778 or visit www.orientodyssey.com) was poorly handling arrangements for post-tour accommodations, our file was taken over by the very competent owner, Thomas Cheng, who also saw us off in Los Angeles. (We did have to push him a bit to get a reasonable connection on the transfer to San Francisco.)

Our 21-day tour, “Tibet and Grand CHINA Odyssey,” took place in October ’04. The tour was well priced at $3,180 per person, including air.

Because this was to be a “small-group tour” the 28 travelers were split into two sections, each with its own national guide. While both groups were on the same itinerary, we also had separate local guides throughout, although we stayed in the same hotels and were on the same boat on the Yangtze.

We went from Shanghai to Suzhou, Guilin and Wuhan, sailed the Yangtze including the smaller gorges and dam site, then visited Dazu, Lhasa (Tibet), Xi’an and Beijing. I was not at first looking forward to the Yangtze cruise, but in the end I really enjoyed it.

Flights between cities were fine, including the one to Lhasa, which gave us a beautiful view of the Himalayas. The flight from Guilin to Wuhan was changed at the last minute to an overnight “soft sleeper” train trip, which was an interesting experience. Multiple members of our group were caught unawares about the Chinese government’s prohibition against liquor in carry-on luggage and so had to forfeit their libations.

We chose this trip because it included Buddhist Tibet — a highlight even though it was very cold. I (but not my spouse) was affected by the altitude, but unlike a few others in our group I did not have to use the oxygen machine in the room.

In Lhasa the hotel’s central heat was not operational, but we finally got a space heater after multiple requests. In general, the hotels were well situated, except for the one in Lhasa, which was on the edge of the city next to an army barracks.

Meals were included, and most were made up of many dishes (some unknown) served on a giant lazy Susan, with one glass of beer or soda included along with tea.

Tips were not included, so Mr. Cheng advised us shortly before departure that we should be prepared to provide our national guide with a specified amount for a tip kitty including a tip for her.

We had no difficulty finding and using ATMs in China. October was a good month to visit.

Rather than returning to California after touring China for three weeks, we tacked on a 10-day tour of Vietnam and Cambodia, “A Tale of Three Cities,” from the Australian firm Travel Indochina (visit www.travelindochina.com. Book through their U.S. agent, Adventure Travel Company, 595 Market St. #143, San Francisco, CA 94105; phone 800/467-4595 or visit www.atcadventure.com).

We chose the standard rather than the deluxe option of this tour, paying $1,540 per person, and few meals other than breakfast were included.

We had anticipated being with a group of seven to 15; instead, we traveled in Vietnam with only two English travelers and in Cambodia it was just the two of us. That precluded our having a national guide as anticipated and desired.

In VIET-NAM we toured Hanoi, Halong Bay (in my opinion, that was too long for a day trip and anticlimactic after our Li River cruise in China), Saigon, with a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, and the Mekong Delta. We also took a cooking class. Then it was on to CAMBODIA and the marvelous Angkor temples and surroundings.

The hotels were fine except for the 3-star Grand Hotel in Saigon, which was still managed by the Vietnamese government.

Our local guides with Travel Indochina were not quite as good as those with Orient Odyssey, and on both companies’ tours they hustled us to a few local shops to purchase souvenirs.

Traffic in Vietnam was fierce.

Besides the required repatriation insurance, because I was 65 years old Travel Indochina required a note from my doctor saying I could handle the trip, even though it turned out to be not at all strenuous (although the weather in the south was sultry).

My wife took antimalaria pills, but I went bare with no ill effects.

We enjoyed two days between the tours on our own in Beijing and Hanoi. Orient Odyssey charged $775 extra to get each of us to Hanoi from Beijing and then back from Cambodia to Beijing to fly home. The transoceanic flights were handled well by China Eastern Airlines.

Overall, we loved the trip and would travel with both Orient Odyssey and Travel Indochina again.

— JIM JOHNSON, Paradise, CA