Greetings from the Hong Kong
Disneyland Hotel! The official tour finished up last night
but we have a couple of extra days here on our own. We went into Hong Kong on the metro all by ourselves today -- it was strange to be driving the activities ourselves. I miss my fellow adventurers and our wonderful guides already. If any of you get James and/or Huan (James is doing the next trip, I believe), tell him that Steve and Tina say hi!
I won't say much about the tour itself -- you really have to experience it for yourselves. I will say that it was a wonderful experience for the whole family, and that it really opened up our eyes about China and the Chinese people. My favorite memories revolve around interacting with the people themselves.
A few tips/notes for upcoming adventurers:
Adjusting to the time change -- we really didn't have any problem. They key for me was the same as it always is when I fly to Europe or Asia: arrive very tired, and don't go to sleep until bedtime. I didn't sleep on the plane. Our flight came in at 3PM or so, and we got to the hotel at about 5:30. We had a relaxing (though overly expensive) dinner at the Peninsula, then went upstairs and crashed at about 8PM. We woke up at 4 or 5 AM for the first few days, but that faded quickly.
ATMs weren't really a problem for us, though I know of several others who had trouble getting money here in Hong Kong at first. The real issue for us was the daily withdrawal limit, which was 1500 yuan for us. That's not really all that much money, especially if you need to stock up quickly. We ended up calling the bank from Hong Kong to get a one day increase in our limit, as we needed to gather money for tips for the guides.
There will be one or two points in the trip where you will likely need cash: Chengdu (if you're going to do the Panda thing) and Hong Kong (for tipping the guides). Plan ahead (i.e., get money early), and all will be well. We didn't do that, and both times we ended up scrambling.
The Panda encounter is 1000 yuan per person. The handlers said that family members not taking part could step in for a group picture at the end. BTW, a few of the younger adventurers were told that they were too small, and they didn't get to hold one.
In Beijing, be sure and visit the Night Market. It's just down the street from the hotel. The sights, sounds, and (especially) smells will stay with me for a long time. I didn't eat anything, though others did.
I would *highly* recommend talking to your doctor and getting a course of antibiotics for traveler's diarrhea for *everyone* in your party. I had a mild bout in Chengdu, and it cleared up instantly when I took the antibiotics. A few others had varying degrees of this, and I suspect they wish they'd brought some along. Be sure and bring pepto bismol and imodium as well. Let's just say that I used them at one point.
Upset stomachs notwithstanding, I'd encourage you to be adventurous and try everything. I wouldn't change my culinary choices one bit. It was a blast. The "local" flavor is much more pronounced in the first half of the trip, I found. In the second half, there were many more western choices as well.
Be prepared for a very long day on the Chengdu/Xian/Guilin day. It's absolutely worth it, but man oh man, we were beat for a day or so after that.
Be sure and go explore the park around the hotel in Guilin. We grabbed bikes on the morning before the cruise on the river, and we rode all over the park. It's amazing.
In Shanghai, be sure and go explore Fu Xian(sp?) park when they give you some time after the fan dance. It's quite an experience, assuming the same things are going on when you're there.
If you have cute little kids, especially blond ones, Chinese folks are going to come up and take your picture. Most of the time they'll ask first. Sometimes they won't. They'll stare sometimes as well in some cases -- I think many of them haven't seen Westerners before. It never felt hostile -- it was mainly wonder and interest.
In Chengdu, be sure and take a walk along the river at night. It's beautiful. In Shanghai, walk back to the hotel from dinner the first night. The Bund (river walk) is wonderful.
The World Expo is amazing and utterly overwhelming. There are tons and tons of crowds, and the long lines at many of the pavilions are simply not worth it, given the limited time you have. We hit a bunch of the lesser/smaller pavilions (I went for the "Axis of Evil" trifecta - North Korea, Iran, and Iraq.
) and had a blast. Oh, and I think taking the bus across the river is much faster than taking the boat. We did it both ways, and I wish we'd done the bus.
Lastly, if you're worried about it being too foreign or uncomfortable...don't worry. Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong are international cities, and we all felt fine. The tour itself gives you a nice exposure to the culture and country while still keeping things well in control. (If you want to go off and experience the culture yourself during free time, by all means do so! I did so, and I think it enriched the experience.)
Have fun out there. I wish I could start over and do it all again.
Steve
I am still using the nail clippers from the Peninsula in Beijing! It is a beautiful, well-equipped, elegant hotel. There are all sorts of high end shops in the hotel (like Coach and other expensive stuff...I am more of a Target girl myself so I can't remember what stores were there.) The rooms even have a door bell. Everything you could possibly need is available.
). We were lucky enough to upgrade, so our DD (9), watched every movie available. 
I don't know...I was afraid of the same thing and left ours at home!
