Adding Pingyao Last Minute, Finding Lost Glasses: 2 Spanish Tourists' China In-Depth Travel

In March 2024, I hosted two tourists from Spain: Silvia Morales Sallent and Raquel González Martínez. They planned an 18-day in-depth tour of China, from Beijing to Xi'an, then to Guilin, Zhangjiajie, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou. The itinerary was finalized, and payment was completed, but their sudden idea changed the original plan.

Pre-Departure Desire to Visit Pingyao Ancient City

Just a few days before their departure, Silvia Morales sent an email: "We saw Pingyao Ancient City on X (Twitter), it looks so charming, and we want to go." To be honest, it's not easy for other travel agencies to make last-minute itinerary adjustments, especially with only a few days left before their arrival. But we at Asia Odyssey Travel can stay positive and flexibly adjust the itinerary in the shortest possible time.

My colleagues and I quickly replanned the route, adjusted accommodation, guides, tickets, train tickets, and flight tickets, keeping the number of days unchanged but changing the order of the itinerary.

"¡Fantástico! (Great)" The three of them exclaimed excitedly, looking at the newly added Pingyao Ancient City on their itinerary.

After visiting Beijing, they went to Pingyao Ancient City as they wished.

When Silvia Morales and her friends stepped into Pingyao Ancient City, one of China's four best-preserved ancient cities with a 600-year history, they saw mottled blue bricks and majestic city towers. In the ancient city, the streets were lined with well-arranged Ming and Qing dynasty buildings.

I enjoyed looking at the dozen or so tourist photos they shared on X and Instagram, including ones of them posing with ancient account books and silver notes at Rishengchang Bank, known as the "Wall Street of ancient China," and others of them climbing the city walls to wait for the beautiful sunset. I was very happy to help them get to the attractions they wanted to see!

In addition to the classic must-see attractions, I also arranged unique local cultural experiences not found in guidebooks, such as paper-cutting and Shanxi noodle making.

In the paper-cutting workshop, an old master demonstrated how to cut auspicious patterns like double fish or the character for "fortune" with simple lines. They tried to imitate, and the scissors glided across the paper, occasionally cutting where they shouldn't, but the master always smiled and encouraged them: "Take your time." In the end, they each had a unique souvenir.

In the noodle-making workshop, they tried to shave thin slices of soft dough into boiling water, making Shanxi's signature knife-cut noodles. That day, Silvia Morales laughed and said, "I didn't know you could make Chinese noodles with a knife, not just eat them with chopsticks!"

Spanish-Speaking Guides Arranged

Language was another challenge. I considered that they only spoke basic English and that the guides' explanations would contain many professional terms. I didn't want them to miss any cultural details. After all, sightseeing is much more interesting with explanations!

So, I arranged for two Spanish-speaking guides from Beijing and Guilin to accompany them in Pingyao and Zhangjiajie. Silvia and her friends heard familiar Spanish during their trip.

Lost Glasses Found Immediately

Unexpected events are inevitable during travel, especially losing things, and sometimes my colleague and I suddenly take on the task of finding them.

When leaving Zhangjiajie, Raquel González discovered his high-prescription glasses were missing - a big problem for someone with severe myopia. And they were going to Shanghai that day. Raquel González wouldn't be able to see the sights the next day without his glasses, which was unacceptable!

I immediately contacted the hotel, and the driver and guide quickly returned to search. Fortunately, the guide noticed a reflection in the gap of the lobby sofa cushions and found Raquel's glasses - the gold-rimmed glasses were stuck in the cushion crevice, much like the cable car tracks hidden among the Zhangjiajie peaks.

After finding them, the glasses were sent to their next destination, Shanghai, by the fastest express delivery on the same day. When Raquel received his glasses the next day, he breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Now I can see the magnificent skyscrapers of Shanghai."

At the end of the 18-day trip, they said goodbye at the airport. Raquel contacted me and said, "This trip was even better than we imagined. Your team made everything easy and wonderful."

As a travel consultant, the most gratifying thing is to see guests leave with satisfied smiles. Changes in the itinerary are never a problem. I look forward to creating equally desirable China trips for more tourists from around the world in the future!