Main picture: Chantal (fourth from right)
Q: You flew with China Southern Airlines. What was your impression of the airline?
A: They offer very spacious leg room, updated technology and great entertainment choices.
I also loved that they had different colour shirts for the air hostesses, who were either Chinese or English speaking. That’s a very visual thing for us Aussies. The air hostesses were friendly and helpful.
Q: What were some of the highlights of the trip?
A: Definitely the Great Wall. It was incredible to see it, walk a bit of it and see the view from above. But I want to mention a very unique experience which Wendy Wu provided.
We were taken to a local lady’s house where her family lived and she cooked a special meal for us. We sat in her dining area where there were crickets on the table and then after the meal she performed and sang for us using some traditional sticks.
It was such a unique experience and one that you wouldn’t be able to do travelling by yourself.
Q: What was your overall impression of Guangzhou and Beijing?
A: Definitely a bit of a culture shock. They were not as busy or as dirty as I thought they would be. People were friendly, even though there was a language barrier. Beijing is a beautiful city with great shopping areas and I loved visiting the historical sites.
Q: What takeaways did you discover that will help you with clients interested in China?
A: I will be telling my clients about the Canton Tower in Guangzhou and how it is best to spend a night in the city just to see it.
I also learnt about the different ways to make transactions. Alipay is definitely a necessity for shopping and purchasing personal items. E-sim is a great way to keep in touch with your friends/family back home.
Google Translate was my best friend because everything is labelled in Chinese so I could just take a snapshot on my mobile or say something into my phone and it would find the solution.
Also, China is very safe to walk around at night by yourself as a woman. Security is very high there and the crime rate is very low because punishment is sometimes the death sentence.
Also, I cannot recommend Wendy Wu Tours enough. They are very knowledgeable, friendly, approachable and through them we gained access to sites much quicker. Also, their level of care for the group was high and we felt very important.
Q: What was the overall feeling from your fellow agents about the famil?
A: Everyone went home with smiles on their faces, full bellies, a new knowledge about China, sore feet from the amount of walking done and new friendships created.
Q: Can you tell us a bit more about…
A: The food? Every meal was delicious, unique (there was a chicken’s head in one of our meals!), good size portions and it was nice to be immersed in the culture of local restaurants with other locals around.
The accommodation? We all had our own rooms which were very clean and luxurious. The technology was modern and our hotels were all within walking distance of the local shopping centre.
The shopping? There wasn’t much time to shop however at the Great Wall they had this shop where everyone went crazy and bought most of their souvenirs.
Q: So to sum up, overall how was the famil?
A: It was a great experience and I’m still pinching myself that I visited China. Even with the language barrier, everyone was very friendly and helpful.
It was a full-on tour, always on the go, but it was amazing to see so much in such a short amount of time.
