(no subject)
Back from Guilin. This time I'm determined to actually start a travelogue, something that I've been mumbling about for forever. shaychana did the one for HK, but she didn't come along for this one. Hee.
So anyway, this is going to be long - it's a 9-day trip, after all. I was going to do this chronologically, but then I'm kinda waffling around too much. So I'll do first and last impressions first, while it's all fresh.
Day 0: Background on the trip
I swear I repeated this like a zillion times; everyone wonders what two twenty-somethings are doing on an old-people tour to China. And honestly, I asked myself that too. But then, when you want cheap, sightseeing, and last-minute, you have to take what you can get. So basically, me and Fern ran round the shopping complex filled with tour agencies like headless chickens, essentially demanding "what do you have that's sightseeing, leaving on or after 23rd and arriving back on or before 2nd?" obviously, one week before departure means that pickings are pretty slim.
So anyway, that's how we settled on Guilin from that particular agency; best price-itinerary-timing combination available at the time. Or so we thought.
Keep in mind that we decided on the package as it promised:
a. the itinerary stated on the paper
b. one free night stay in Shenzhen due to flight unavailability
c. return flight on MI965
Day infinity: Reflections of the trip
So, after all, how was the trip? Well, there were unexpected perks: all the eye candy. Well, not all that much eye candy. But more than expected. *grin* The 2 tour guides provided most of it, and there was this promising young guy trying to achieve the proper level of heck-care attitude (he failed quite miserably, though, take it from the heck-care expert).
But overall, the trip was a bust. Guilin's not all it's cracked out to be. Money talks, and a lot of money sings and dances. (I got that quote from some crappy novel, but it's a fun line nonetheless.) Because of the tourist dollars flooding into the beautiful Guilin, there's been so much emphasis on tourist attractions such that the conversation with the tour guide goes something like this:
Tourist: "So those buildings across the river are really nice. Are these restorations or new buildings?"
Guide: "They were built new to give people a picture of what the river would have looked like in the past."
Tourist: "So what are the buildings used for now?"
Guide: "Nothing, they're just empty buildings to make the river bank look good."
Okay, so that's not what the conversation is verbatim, but that's what the essence of the conversation is, as the guide tries valiantly not to reveal how superficial and commercial the attractions are. Bottom line: Most of the attractions in Guilin town itself are constructed, including the rivers and waterfalls. About the only natural things are the rocky hills.
However, since rocky hills abound in the region, some actually near natural bodies of water, the tour wasn't a total loss. Except that the tour agent completely ruined our mood.
Why? Well, so we booked at the last minute. So we paid more than everyone else. I agree. I dislike the practice, but if that's how it goes I accept it. However, the tour agency had to go one better. They were apparently so desperate to make sales that they omitted information and outright deceived us!
1. When they told us that the extra night in Shenzhen was free of charge, they informed us that transfer to the airport was not included. When we asked why they wouldn't provide the service for all the 20+ participants of the tour, the agent simply repeated "I don't know." The reason for this seeming-idiocy of the agency was revealed to be omission of information; only 4 of th 20+ people would be staying that extra night due to flight unavailability. Everyone else was returning home a day earlier.
2. Further conversation with other members of the party revealed that that extra night in Shenzhen wasn't free as claimed. In fact, it was an extra 50 bucks, which the agent silently tagged onto the price of the package, that due to the opaque nature of tour pricing. Which meant that we were forced to pay that extra unknowingly. At least the others were made aware of the extra charge. Talk about misrepresentation.
3. Then, the best part is, after all this misinformation, we were thinking "50 bucks, expensive, since the agency's definitely paying much less for our hotel room, and that's all they're providing, but what the hell at least I'll get some shopping done", THEN we were informed that no, our flights were not going to be at 4pm, but rather 12 noon, shaving off 4 hours of time in Shenzhen and effectively removing all opportunities to shop. Why would I ever pay even a dollar to sit 5 hours in traffic from Shenzhen airport to the hotel, pay for my own dinner, shop for less than 4 hours in a place which is NOT the major shopping district and then wake up bloody early just to fly home? And the outrageous thing is that the agency knew about the change in flight time. Before we even departed on the trip. And neglected to mention this. Up to the time the tour guide had to provide instructions to send us to the airport.
What worms, what gutless, cowardly, despicable worms. That agency is one that I will never ever recommend, and one I will really go out of my way to discourage people from even entertaining the thought of using their services.
So anyway, this is going to be long - it's a 9-day trip, after all. I was going to do this chronologically, but then I'm kinda waffling around too much. So I'll do first and last impressions first, while it's all fresh.
Day 0: Background on the trip
I swear I repeated this like a zillion times; everyone wonders what two twenty-somethings are doing on an old-people tour to China. And honestly, I asked myself that too. But then, when you want cheap, sightseeing, and last-minute, you have to take what you can get. So basically, me and Fern ran round the shopping complex filled with tour agencies like headless chickens, essentially demanding "what do you have that's sightseeing, leaving on or after 23rd and arriving back on or before 2nd?" obviously, one week before departure means that pickings are pretty slim.
So anyway, that's how we settled on Guilin from that particular agency; best price-itinerary-timing combination available at the time. Or so we thought.
Keep in mind that we decided on the package as it promised:
a. the itinerary stated on the paper
b. one free night stay in Shenzhen due to flight unavailability
c. return flight on MI965
Day infinity: Reflections of the trip
So, after all, how was the trip? Well, there were unexpected perks: all the eye candy. Well, not all that much eye candy. But more than expected. *grin* The 2 tour guides provided most of it, and there was this promising young guy trying to achieve the proper level of heck-care attitude (he failed quite miserably, though, take it from the heck-care expert).
But overall, the trip was a bust. Guilin's not all it's cracked out to be. Money talks, and a lot of money sings and dances. (I got that quote from some crappy novel, but it's a fun line nonetheless.) Because of the tourist dollars flooding into the beautiful Guilin, there's been so much emphasis on tourist attractions such that the conversation with the tour guide goes something like this:
Tourist: "So those buildings across the river are really nice. Are these restorations or new buildings?"
Guide: "They were built new to give people a picture of what the river would have looked like in the past."
Tourist: "So what are the buildings used for now?"
Guide: "Nothing, they're just empty buildings to make the river bank look good."
Okay, so that's not what the conversation is verbatim, but that's what the essence of the conversation is, as the guide tries valiantly not to reveal how superficial and commercial the attractions are. Bottom line: Most of the attractions in Guilin town itself are constructed, including the rivers and waterfalls. About the only natural things are the rocky hills.
However, since rocky hills abound in the region, some actually near natural bodies of water, the tour wasn't a total loss. Except that the tour agent completely ruined our mood.
Why? Well, so we booked at the last minute. So we paid more than everyone else. I agree. I dislike the practice, but if that's how it goes I accept it. However, the tour agency had to go one better. They were apparently so desperate to make sales that they omitted information and outright deceived us!
1. When they told us that the extra night in Shenzhen was free of charge, they informed us that transfer to the airport was not included. When we asked why they wouldn't provide the service for all the 20+ participants of the tour, the agent simply repeated "I don't know." The reason for this seeming-idiocy of the agency was revealed to be omission of information; only 4 of th 20+ people would be staying that extra night due to flight unavailability. Everyone else was returning home a day earlier.
2. Further conversation with other members of the party revealed that that extra night in Shenzhen wasn't free as claimed. In fact, it was an extra 50 bucks, which the agent silently tagged onto the price of the package, that due to the opaque nature of tour pricing. Which meant that we were forced to pay that extra unknowingly. At least the others were made aware of the extra charge. Talk about misrepresentation.
3. Then, the best part is, after all this misinformation, we were thinking "50 bucks, expensive, since the agency's definitely paying much less for our hotel room, and that's all they're providing, but what the hell at least I'll get some shopping done", THEN we were informed that no, our flights were not going to be at 4pm, but rather 12 noon, shaving off 4 hours of time in Shenzhen and effectively removing all opportunities to shop. Why would I ever pay even a dollar to sit 5 hours in traffic from Shenzhen airport to the hotel, pay for my own dinner, shop for less than 4 hours in a place which is NOT the major shopping district and then wake up bloody early just to fly home? And the outrageous thing is that the agency knew about the change in flight time. Before we even departed on the trip. And neglected to mention this. Up to the time the tour guide had to provide instructions to send us to the airport.
What worms, what gutless, cowardly, despicable worms. That agency is one that I will never ever recommend, and one I will really go out of my way to discourage people from even entertaining the thought of using their services.