Legends of China

by Suzanne Mattern

I was really impressed. It is a no frills, backpacking type of tour, but I knew that going into it and was excited to meet the other people who would be taking a similar type of trip. I was the only American on the tour, most were Aussies, some Brits, Germans and Kiwis. I was also the youngest with the oldest being 33. Everyone was very active, well traveled and 'young professionals.' We had a 26 year old Chinese tour leader who spoke excellent English and went above and beyond the call of duty. It was so nice to not have to worry about how to get to the hotels, which busses to take, etc and especially with the huge language barrier! The part that I really appreciated was that he took us to off the beaten path places, bars and restaurants, along with the normal tourist spots. We ate a few times in the University areas of the cities, so it was large, inexpensive portions of delicious food. We would usually have one meal all together each day and the other times we would go to the markets and grab snacks and things along the way. I probably spent about $10 a day on food and drinks (with at least 2 ice creams a day.)

The accommodations were pretty good. Since I was a single, I had a roommate, which wasn't a big deal because she was really cool (there is no single supplement.) They were definitely better than hostel rooms, just basic, well located hotels. Our accommodations in LuoYang were a little sketchy and we all wrote this on our reviews so hopefully they will look into changing the hotel in that city. We also stayed a night in the dorms at the Shao Lin Temple which were a little dirty, but it was a great experience to be able to hang out with all of the Kung Fu students, so it made it worthwhile.

I would say about 1/3 of the things we did were included in the package price of the tour. We went to a Kung Fu and Acrobatics show which were not included along with admission into some gardens, Longman Caves and a few other things. We had two local guides along the way (Forbidden City and Terracotta Warriors) who were great. Gecko's usually used public transit as much as possible. A few times we voted and paid a few dollars to get our own bus if the trip was going to be long, which was time saving and much more comfortable.

The tour was very fast paced and pretty exhausting so it is only for people who don't mind packing up their bags all of the time. Someone over 35ish might feel a bit out of place. It did have a good mix of tour time and free time which I enjoyed, so you didn't have to be with the whole group the entire time. I did luck out though since I really liked almost everyone in my group, which was the part I was a little bit nervous about.

I used to be kind of anti-group tours for younger people who are supposed to be 'adventurous' but this trip definitely changed my mind. I couldn't imagine traveling in China without a guide due to the fact that hardly anyone speaks English. We got to see so many more things in a short amount of time and had such a well rounded experience which we surely wouldn't have had if it wasn't for the tour. Also, getting to really know other young people from around the world made the experience that much better (I now have couches to crash on throughout Australia!) I would not hesitate to recommend Gecko's, especially in countries where travel is a bit more difficult.

China: I loved it! It was a complete 180 from everything that I was used to. People pushed, spit, tried to sell you things constantly and you took your life in your hands each time you crossed the street, but it was all part of the experience. When our guide would see something that he knew grossed us out a bit he would just say 'TIC' which means 'This is China.' It was great that we had to go to the markets and get food because each thing was a surprise, both good and bad. The language barrier was huge and I was used to Europe where you could usually fake it or find someone easily who spoke English. I would definitely go back to Asia in a heartbeat and would recommend a Gecko's tour there to any young person who is willing to step out of their comfort zone!

To learn more about the Legends of China click here.

Suzanne Mattern is a travel agent at Willamette International Travel in Portland, Oregon.