Chucho

Hello - I am working on arranging my May/June 2007 BIG vacation to Beijing, Xian, HK (although after reading rkkwan report I may skip HK due to the pollution), BKK and CM. I have read about Tong and have sent an email - still waiting for a reply. I also read about Jane Yeo in Beijing who is a trusted guide. I am not having any luck finding an email address for her. I do have an address for her webpage but have received no answers so would like to email if possible.
Can anyone help me?
Deborah

Chucho

Here I am answering my own question. Oops - sorry guys, I just continued scrolling down and found the email for Jane. I will email her right now.
BUT, I will have some more questions quite soon.

ekscrunchy

Chucho, I also read about Jane and e-mailed her last week; have not received any reply. I am hoping she will get back to me, and to you after you post. I am also planning a trip and getting a bit overwhelmed!

PegS

Hi. Just thought I'd insert my two cents. We got Jane two years ago and I'd warn you to make sure you get Jane and no one else. She may be more savvy about hiring people now than she was then, but she stuck us with a young, shy guide whose English was poor and whose sense of history was no better. If we had known that was going to happen we probably would have hired another guide while we were still in the U.S. but she didn't tell us until we called her from the Hong Kong airport on our way to Beijing.

Actually, we wouldn't have even minded our guide's lack of English (since my parents speak Mandarin) except that he was so awkward and shy that we had to pull info out of him! We ended up telling Jane when she did a check up call and so she met us for the last few hours. What a difference! Jane's English was great and she was fun and energetic. If she had been our guide from the beginning we would have felt we'd got our money's worth, but especially when we spent $600 in U.S. dollars it was galling to have such an inadequate substitute.

So, moral of the story, insist that Jane be your guide from the beginning and make sure she doesn't substitute someone else in her place.

kaneda

What's up with getting a Lonely Planet guide and doing it yourself? Beijing is easy to do and you can go to some places off the beaten track. Where's your sense of adventure?

ekscrunchy

Good tip about getting Jane instead of her employees. I rarely hire a private guide..can't think of the last time I did, perhaps in Cambodia. But frankly I feel that without knowing the language there is so much I would miss on my own, even with a great guidebook. Sometimes I have questions about something I see, for example, that is not mentioned in a book. Since I will be alone, I was hoping to use a guide for an introductory tour of the city and also perhaps for a trip to the Great Wall (not sure which sections is best..today I posted an article from the NY TImes which discusses two sections I had not heard about...) I guess I really want someone who lives there and who speaks good English...just to give me an overview. If Jane is not available, are there any other great guides poeple here have used? Even with quite a few previous trips to Asia (mainly SE), I am quite indimidated by the prospect of venturing into China alone....call me a ninny but it is true!

petitepois

As an expat who lives in Beijing, I must admit it distresses me slightly when I see these posts about people becoming fixated on certain tour guides in Beijing. I know it's because there isn't a lot of information out there, but I do worry that you all are getting rooked! I can't help but wonder how much Jane Yeo charges... Anyway, I've held back from posting on these guide threads because I don't use guides here and don't really have anyone to suggest. That being said, one group that I know to be reputable is Wild China www.wildchina.com
They have knowledgeable guides who all speak English and they are committed to "eco-tourism." Just another suggestion for y'all. Good luck!

ekscrunchy

Petiepois, I ws glad to read your response. I am sure that when I get there, I will see that I made a fuss unecessarily. I would prefer to just leave it until the last minute and find a guide from the hotel...but I have read all of these posts cautioning how much more they charge and how difficult it is to find a good, English-speaking guide. Please chime in when you can with any advice you can offer and meanwhile I will check the website you mentioned...
I think what I would really like is a companion to hang around with and show me the city as they know it...unfortunately that means a "guide"...

petitepois

To be perfectly honest, ekscrunchy, I don't think you need a guide. And what you're looking for can be really difficult to find - keep in mind that most people in Beijing do not speak good English (and if they do they're probably working for a multinational corporation) and many people who live here have only recently moved from other parts of China, so they wouldn't be necessarily knowledgeable about Beijing. Plus, in this nation of "kickbacks," your "trusted" guide is very likely taking you to certain vendors or restaurants because they're getting a slice of the pie! You seem reluctant to go the guide book route. But I would suggest that you get one or two - I think Frommer's (sorry, Fodors!) is pretty good, and there's also an excellent one called the Insider's Guide to Beijing that's published locally (but I think available on amazon.com). Between these two books you really will able to determine the sites you want to see (they're not glossing over anything, promise!). Once you've decided your itinerary, then you can decide what days/sites would be good to tour with a guide. At the Forbidden City, for example, you may not need one (they have a great audio guide). Or, in my opinion, at the Great Wall. Or for shopping - the markets seem to have their own universal language (money).

And yes, hiring a guide from your hotel will probably be expensive. As I've said I haven't commented on these guide threads because I don't have any guides to recommend - basically, I encourage you to tour around on your own.

As for your Great Wall question, the Jinshanling section is great, but it's 120 km from Beijing - you'll spend half a day just getting there. And keep in mind that sections here have also been rebuilt. I prefer the Mutianyu section - 70km from the city. It's also a bit touristy (but nothing like Badaling) and you can hike up and down in relative solitude.

Chucho

Hello petitepois thank you for your info. As I live in a tourist resort in Mexico the guide issue is something that I have been wondering about. I thought that it would be good to contact someone eg: Jane just for a back up sort of speak - although she probably doesn't work that way. I have the feeling that with our guide book we should be able to pretty much "wing it" and IF I feel uncomfortable and want some English speaker I figured that there is the posibility of finding one through the hotel. We will see . . . . .

I just want to make one comment about the "kickbacks" that the travel reps get. I have noticed that most people that post on the board think that it is such a bad thing! I have to admit that owning 2 restaurants in a tourist resort where there is ALOT of competetion, it is necessary. I pay kickbacks to the bellmen, travel reps and whoever else sends me clientes. I feel that when the reps send me customers it also helps them because when people really enjoy my establishments they feel that the travel rep can be trusted and then book more tours. Living in a tourist resort is reeeeeeeeeeeeally tough, so we find we do what we have to to survive - which isn't a bad thing, it's just the reality.

Deborah

spring212

I have some very recent experience with Jane - she took us around for 3 days in early Nov. Before our trip, I went through a lot of agonizing over whether to use a guide or tour - hate the thought of getting on the bus with the group every day and ultimately decided we just couldn't do the tour.

It is indeed difficult to find information on independent tour guides. I had contacted WACTS, Warrior, amd a few other companies that provide guides but they were too structured & regimented for me. I emailed to Jane after seeing a recommendation on this forum. I was concerned that it took a while to hear back from her but ultimately she turned out to be great. Very flexible, personable and knowledgable. She charged us $185 per person for 3 full days (included lunches, entrance fees, taxis, driver & van for trip to Great Wall, airport pick-up & drop off). We managed to get around on our own for an additional 2 days.

Beijing is so spread out that it was helpful to have someone who could quickly get us into taxis and to each site. Yes I know you can give taxi drivers the address written in Chinese but frankly, it was easier to have someone who speaks the language manage the details - especially when she sometimes had to suggest alternate routes due to traffic jams.

Jane said she has been a tour guide for 7 years. Her English is fine. I have no idea if the restaurants she took us to gave her any type of "kickback," but they were excellent and not full of other tourists. She did not press us to do any shopping but we readily agreed to an afternoon at the silk market when the weather turned cold and windy.

Finally, on the issue of audio guides vs. people guides I think it just depends on your preferences - I'm very interested in Chinese culture and history and just didn't want to rely on a recording. I wanted a person who was knowledgable and able to answer my questions.

terryr

Hi spring212 and others,

Many thanks for sharing your recent experience with Jane Yeo, spring212; your remarks are very helpful. My family and I (total of 4) will be starting out in Beijing in May, then heading south through various other cities. We've been considering just what you did.

Can you tell me how many were in your own party who used Jane Yeo, and how exactly did you use her (that is, besides the Great Wall, where else did she take you)? What sights did you feel were essential to have a guide on hand? How did you feel about her pricing? I was surprised at how high she's become. Is her pricing on the high side (OK, I do believe in part about what you pay is what you get)...but aren't her fees pretty high even for Beijing standards? I really don't have a clue so that's why I'm asking.

Lastly, did you get her recommendations of tour guides in other parts of China that are frequented by tourists (as advertised on her website), and if so, how did you find the quality of their services and their English? Thank you for providing more help!

Terry

terryr

ttt for spring 212 and others who have used Jane Yeo...thank you for answering my questions.

spring212

Terry - I could not find other independent guides comparable to Jane, so I can't tell if her prices are particularly high. The tour companies I checked with were all over the place with prices and all were more expensive than Jane. As I recall, we were quoted anywhere from something in the $200's up to about $500 (maybe more)per person. I have to admit that I broke off discussions with some of them because they kept including things we didn't want to go to. I was also worried that we'd be taken for shopping I wasn't interested in. Plus there was no way to know if we'd end up with a good guide - no telling who they'd assign to us. At least with Jane, I did have some endorsements to rely on. I can't figure out why no one else is mentioned as frequently as Jane - I'm sure there must be others who provide these services but I could not readily locate anyone. It's all together possible that if we waited to get a referral from the hotel, we might have been fine.

Jane took us to the Forbidden City, Great Wall at Mutianyu, Summer Palace, Lama Temple, a walk through hutongs (touristy & non-touristy sections)and the Silk Market. Tianammen Square was closed off during our stay, otherwise, would have gone there as well. We had not planned in advance on the Silk Market - ended up there because Tianammen was closed and the weather was turning quite cold & windy.

Regarding transportation -Jane provided either her own driver with a van or a taxi. It's possible that lower priced guides might use public transportation. That's perfectly fine as long as you know in advance.

I'm sure we could have made our way to and around all these places on our own. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything by not having a guide. I have no regrets about deciding to hire Jane.

You might want to check out the Chinese Culture Club. They had some tours and classes that looked interesting, but we could not coordinate their offerings with our schedule.

Forgot to mention - there were 2 of us.

terryr

Thank you once again, spring212, for your additional information...you are very helpful.

Also, welcome back from your trip! Please consider doing a trip report as the rest of us would love to hear about your adventures and impressions of China.

Terry

brencara

I too am looking for a guide in Beijing. My emails to Jane Yeo have gone unanswered. Does anyone have a current email address for her? Usually I don't like to chase people, so I am getting concerned about using her. Any suggestions?

terryr

I too am waiting to hear back from Jane Yeo...it's been well over a week and 2 emails. Is this typical of how she does business? I too am having growing concerns about using her and her reliability/professionalism.

Will travelers who have used reliable and trusted guides in Beijing with good English please come forward with your recommendations? Are there any other women guides out there besides Jane Yeo?? Thank you for your help.

Terry

ekscrunchy

I am just noting here that I did eventually hear back from Jane Yeo. She sent a very basic outline for a three day tour and asked me to get back to her about pricing. I will probably do that eventually. My advice for the initial e-mail would be (never having used her, of course) to give her a specific outline of what you are interested in, otherwise you will get the basic ("Great Wall in the morning; airport transfer after lunch&quot and let her know how many persons are in your group....hope this helps somewhat..

terryr

Glad to hear that you finally heard back from Jane Yeo, ekscrunchy...how long did it take you? My original email to her was sent 11 days ago.

How did you feel about her pricing to you? Are you comparing her pricing to any other guides? Thanks.

terryr

OK, if Jane Yeo is not available, any other recs for excellent women tour guides in Beijing? Or, your recent exp with an excellent male tour guide within this past year?

Any description or information would be most helpful. Still waiting, still searching...thank you.