A WORD OR TWO ABOUT GUIDES - by TODD

NOTE: there are changes in italics below to try to clarify this post. We like CCAI very much and very much loved and appreciated the guides for their help. In the original post, I made some speculations as to the reason that we might have been brought to these specific shops, but I really have no proof of these things, and there are definately alternate explanations (e.g. the shops were reputable, but, without the paticipation of the guides, the shops realized they had a captive audience, and thus would not bargain - also the fresh-water salt-issue could have been an isolated mishap). My fear is that, in trying to just tell people to not take things for granted and to use their judgement, that I might get someone in trouble. Our guides were great and I love CCAI... I'd use them again. So these changes reflect the wish not to accuse anyone of anything but to act as a caveat to everyone to use the same "shop around" cautionary philosophy you would use in the US.

I have been swamped this week at work, and I wanted to get some kind of post out (to let you know I'm still intending on continuing). I figured I'd sqeeze out a small post about guides - maybe doesn't deserve a full chapter heading, but it deserved to be in the book, so:

TODD'S GINORMOUS GUIDE TO CHINA

PART 3: GUIDES

During your visit to china, you will have 2-3 groups of guides – one in each city that you stay in. They will organize the paperwork-filling sessions, arrange to get you to appointments, and arrange other optional excursions. Some of these excursions will be pure shopping, and others will be sightseeing (most of these have shopping too). Many of the trips to big stores (friendship stores, department stores) may be necessary or even mandated by regulations, but I was surprised (this is likely a product of my own naïveté) that when the guides bring you to stores in multi store shopping areas that they say have been “recommended” to them you should try other places as well.

In the pearl market in Guangzhou, our local guides brought us to 2 stores (out of hundreds):
We weren’t really happy with these stores as they wouldn’t bargain very much, with the store proprieters droning on about the “quality” of the merchandise, which seemed OK but not really top notch. We came back to the mall (as I’ve mentioned in other posts) alone, and found some very good stuff at a better price at “Apex Jewlers.” Later, a member of our group discovered that the salt water pearls that they bought at one of the recommended places was fresh water, confronted the staff, who told them that no, they were really salt water, they didn’t know what they were looking at. Three more opinions later, the guide went back with them to confront the store, the store owners gave some face saving excuse, and then made it right.

The problem here is that the places who are having groups of people brought to them feel like they have enough of a captive audience that they don’t have to play by the same “rules.” My more well (internationally) traveled colleagues tell me that this is a time honored tradition, and is no big deal, I just didn’t expect it. This should not hamper your appreciation of the guides, but you should realize that the places you are brought to might not automatically be the best places to go. I definitely wouldn’t buy from the these particular places again.

Our guides in Guangzhou were otherwise very good. They walked us line by line through the yellow envelope paperwork, and kept me from making at least 2 mistakes. They helped us get over our single feeding hurtle at 8:00 at night (I think), were always on call to answer questions (in the hotel), didn’t let us forget anything, and took us exactly where we needed to go. Despite the above, we tipped at over the recommended amount (everyone in our group tipped them 100$ each – not all that much for 13 days, really).

All of the guides in each location arranged for a number of meals, which emboldened us to try things ourselves. One funny thing is the way they made such a big production out of producing silverware for us, and asking us if we were SURE we could handle the chopsticks. It was adorable. The protectionism (when they find out you left the island on your own, they act surprised) can get annoying, but mostly it’s kind of cute too. They obviously care very much.

The guides weren’t really good at getting the hotel staff to change things, whcih is the hotel's fault. They don’t eat with you when they arrange meals, which is hard to get used to (they are too busy serving you). The guides in Hong Kong were good also and always tried. All guides, especially the ones in Hong Kong have peculiar senses of humor (the Hong Kong guides, as I may have mentioned, have 2 jokes – the Jackie Chan joke, and the women-like-to-shop joke).

We hired a private guide in Beijing, and she did NOT bring us to any specific shops. She was a recommended guide by the hotel, and she just took us where we told her to. The guide on the Great Wall tour did take us to specific shops, though (bus tour).

So that’s enough “short” post for me. I’ll be back.