Hi James,

I arrived back in New Zealand about a week ago, and have just had time to adjust again to the normal routines and tell everyone about my wonderful holiday in China.

I would like to thank you very much for putting together such a varied and exciting program: I was always on the go, with many different parts of the country to visit, everything was way beyond my expectations.

I would just like to share with you my "highlights":

1. Shanghai: The Maglev train was exciting: over 300 km/hr! Interestingly, the last thing I saw – the visit to the Urban Planning Department – which didn't sound that exciting, amazed me when I saw that the whole of Shanghai has been almost completely rebuilt into a very modern city within the last 30 years, with literally thousands of high-rise buildings and massive infrastructure. This was really quite staggering.

2. Xi'an: A fascinating introduction to the Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties, the remarkable achievements of Emperor QinShihuang, and Feng Shui. Apart from the Terra Cotta Warriors, and the walls of Xi'an, I was also impressed by the Han emperor's tomb and warriors, and the Tang Dynasty show.

3. Beijing: The sheer spectacle of the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, then the artistic delights, and skillful action of the Beijing Opera.

Venturing into a vast and complex country like China, without any knowledge of the language, could have been quite daunting, but at each step, each city, your guides were there to meet me and take care of me. All of them were enthusiastic, knowledgeable, friendly, keen to show me the best things about their city and China, and to ensure my security and peace of mind. I think that this made a huge difference to the enjoyment of my trip.

I would be very happy to be a reference for China Travel depot and would recommend it to anyone.

Best regards,

Chris Bonugli
New Zealand