Most Inspirational Moment
There was so much and, of course, the obvious things were naturally going to be The Great Wall, The Pandas, The Terracotta Army etc.
Then there were the marvellous views in the countryside which were breathtaking
However, the trip we took opened our eyes to the way the Chinese people now have far more freedoms than we had previously imagined and for us this was a good thing although we were not so naive to think that it was like this everywhere.
The three day cruise along the Yangtze river was wonderful and allowed us a brief respite to relax and then the vistis to Yangshuo, Tongli and Shanghai were fantastic.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Without a doubt the trip was made for us by our Tour Leader Alan Liu, (Hongbin Liu).
His knowledge about the places we visited was astounding and this, coupled with his brilliant nature, great sense of humour and organisational capabilities made our trip that much more enjoyable.
This man is such an asset to Exodus and if he were to ever stop working for the company he would be very sorely missed.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you are going to China with Exodus on the Imperial China and Yangtze River cruise trip then make sure you go on the one led by Alan Liu, you will not be disappointed.
Be prepared for crowds of people in city centres, railway stations and popular tourist sites and be aware of the traffic. One assumes they must have road laws in China but absolutely no one appears to bother about them. Motor scooters, motor bikes and pedal cycles, of which there are many, come at you from all angles and don't for one minute think that the pavement is your sanctuary as they ride on them as well.
Do be prepared to be blown away by the sights and sounds of this country, it has so much to offer and we would strongly recommend that you try and visit China at some stage in your life as you will not be disappointed.
However, one other word of caution, the trip is rated as leisurely in the Exodus ratings and whilst it was not extremely strenuous, it was full on with some early starts and a lot of walking so be prepared.