Having travelled with Chan Brothers on the 9D8N Jiuzhaigou / Huang Long / Emeishan Leshan / Chengdu trip, we were pretty satisfied and would likely be traveling with Chan Brothers again, the next time we visit China. Although there were a couple of parts that we disliked such as shopping on the bus (i.e. subtlely selling and services and products to you on the bus), “pointing us out” because we (along with another lady) didn’t take up a tour itinerary with the rest of the tour group and localising restaurant food to suit Singaporean tastes, we will still travel with Chan Brothers the next time we plan to visit China…
5 Reasons Why We Will Travel With Chan Brothers To China Again
1. Well-Planned Itinerary.
The entire Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong, Chengdu, Emeishan, Leshan itinerary was actually very well planned. From the initial touch point prior to the flight via whatsapp till our first meet up at Changi Airport and transit to our first bus ride to Chengdu, we felt that the transition were seamless. At Jiuzhaigou, our local guide Xiaozhu knew exactly which locations to bring us to, ensuring that we’d get the best highlights at Jiuzhaigou, without getting too drained or tired ourselves. Even when the low tide at Minjiang (Leshan) meant that we were unable to take the cruise that morning, the swap in itinerary, ensured that the day trip was unaffected and that the cruise could still resume 2 days later. Excellent planning by the local guide Xiao Zhu and well-supported (with English translation, jokes and singing) by our Singaporean guide, Julian.
2. Comfortable Hotels At Local 5 Stars or International 4 Stars Hotels
As you can see from the photos above, the hotel rooms and restaurants were actually quite good. Despite having “local 5 stars hotels” which we had really low expectations of, these turned out to be clean, spacious and sometimes having rooms with great views as well. We were particularly impressed by our stay at Yu Quan Wan Jiu Dian (峨眉御泉湾) aka Royal Spring Hotel Emeishan City Leshan, which had the most amazing night views of the nearby 仙侠聚集小镇 (Xian Xia Ju Ji Xiao Zhen – aka Town where Heroes and Dieties Gather). Of course, the 4 stars hotel at Hilton Garden Inn Jiuzhaigou was excellent, with direct access to shops in its immediate shopping mall and one of the best buffet breakfast in the hotel here. Excellent choices of hotels by Chan Brothers during this trip!
3. Contending With Chinese Crowds
The local guide Xiao Zhu is superbly experienced to handle the large crowds during this entire trip in China. Despite travelling during the off-peak period, there were still large crowds as you can see from the photos above. Nonetheless, while we saw the crowds, we didn’t experience the effects of these crowds (i.e. needing to push and shove for attractions nor waiting for a long time for anything). This boils down to experience and timing. For instance, at the Chengdu East Train Station while taking our High Speed Train to Jiuzhaigou, Xiao Zhu knew exactly where to lead us to so that we could get through the gantry at the shortest possible time, reminding us to stick together and prevent others from cutting in. At the gantry, we just had to point to him and we go through. At Jiuzhaigou itself, he was able to book the chartered bus which allowed us to visit the various attractions with the least number of people, even avoiding the large crowds for lunch. He also candidly told us that if we were to contend with the crowds at the bus stop ourselves, especially with the elderly in our group, it would not be a “non-contest”. 😅
4. Knowledgeable Local Tour Guide
Other than the bus shopping that we disliked, there were actually loads of informative snippets that we learnt from Xiao Zhu during the trip. For instance, we learnt the local slang of Ba Shi (巴适) which means comfortable in Chengdu. It is pretty close to what we say to mean “shiok” in Singapore. So if someone were to ask you how was your trip to Chengdu, a reply “Ba Shi” would be a good one. Also, he shared many stories such as the romance between Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun which told of how Sima Xiangru was a “耙耳朵” (pa er duo) – someone who was afraid of his wife, and thought of ways to return from Beijing to coax her, instead of the initial thought of divorcing her. Such stories and sharing of local terms and geographical information, enriched our travelling experience overall and was something that we valued during this trip.
5. Caring Tour Guides
During the trip, we saw several instances where both Xiao Zhu and Julian demonstrated care for the entire group. For instance, when group members were “lost” in the crowds at Jiuzhaigou, Xiao Zhu would back-track himself to find members of the group. There was an instance where one of the tour members fell ill, Julian accompanied the member back to the hotel and returned to wait for the main group FOR 2 HOURS IN THE COLD. By the time he rejoined the group, he was visibly cold, with a very red nose. For ourselves, we were thankful that Xiao Zhu made arrangements for us to have lunch in our room when we decided to stay in for one of the days and he also to help us secure a lower rate of entry to the hot springs at Yu Quan Wan Jiu Dian (峨眉御泉湾酒店) Royal Spring Hotel – the reduction from 198 RMB to 80 RMB per person was a substantial reduction due to tie-up between his company and the hotel. As for the lunch, it was probably one of the best meal we had during the trip as well!
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@2bearbeartravel Booked our 9D8N trip to #JiuZhaiGou with @chanbrothers.sg During this trip, we visited Jiu Zhai Gou, #HuangLong, #Chengdu #giantpanda Research Base, #Emei, #Leshan , #Kuanzhaialley , #jinliancientstreet, #chunxi #IFS and also had the iconic #malahotpot before shopping at #taikooli and flying back via #tianfu international #airport It was a well paced, well planned and thoroughly enjoyable trip. If you’re thinking of visiting China and not really sure where to start, going with a reputable travel agency like Chan Brothers would definitely be a good start. Alternatively, visit 2bearbear. com for more information about what to expect for things like metro and digital payments in China! #travel #chanbrothers #traveling #traveler #travelvibe #travelblog #travelblogger #2bearbear ♬ Oh my life – Langlang
Overall, we had an enjoyable time touring Jiuzhaigou with Chan Brothers. The local tie-up does elevate the overall travel experience and helped to smoothen the travel itinerary for the tour group. We would likely be traveling with Chan Brothers for future trips to places such as Zhangjiajie and Tibet next time. Have you travelled with Chan Brothers as well? Let us and our readers know more in the comments section below!
P.S. This is not a sponsored post, all thoughts and comments about Chan Brothers are purely from 2bearbear.com
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