Christmas card for 2014: the China Trip

Tom and I never sent a 2014 Christmas card, even though he had created this cover art showing us on the Great Wall of China.

In 2014 we took the longest vacation that we had ever taken: three weeks in China. It is the only time we ever went with a tour group, rather than making all of the travel arrangements ourselves. That was the right decision for China, because we needed to see as much of China as possible; it's unlikely we'll ever go back, given how much more of the world we want to see.  

Without the benefit of the tour company (Grand Circle Travel--excellent), we would not have been able to see so many wonderful sights and so much of the country in three weeks. For example, we had five flights in China, plus a four-day river cruise. Could we have arranged those? 

Even in a single city, such as Beijing, we had the advantage of a bus driver who knew the way to places like the Great Wall, the hutongs neighborhood, Tiananmen Square, and the Summer Palace. We also enjoyed tickets already purchased for us, no standing in line, and guides who could explain everything to us in English. [Note: the links in this paragraph refer to Nairam Chronicles posts about China that I wrote shortly after getting home from China. They have pictures!]

More benefits: All of our meals were arranged, and excellent. We always stayed in 5-star hotels, something that certainly has never happened in trips we've planned ourselves. So, I'd have to give the tour experience high marks.

My biggest surprise was loving China. I mean really loving it, as a country. I thought I would find it fascinating, curious, unusual. I assumed I would learn a lot (since I knew nothing about it). And I did. But I really love it. I think it is because our guides (a different native guide in each city) really conveyed their own love of and pride in their city. They were frank about problems--cost of living, traffic, and housing shortages among them--but their love clearly shone through and I ended up feeling something of that love. 

Maybe we will go back some day!