We don't have a lot of experience with guides, but my husband and I
both felt that Tony far exceeded any expectations that we had. He was
always extremely considerate, well informed and good humored. I would

like to list a few specific things that he did which I particularly
appreciated.

　　1. He gave us a very warm welcome at the airport and offered us a
choice of having lunch or leaving directly for Kaili. We chose to
drive right away to Kaili so he gave us snacks and water for the trip.

　2. He hired a very good driver and a comfortable air conditioned van to take us everywhere. This proved to be very important when we were faced with the challenges of road construction and narrow mountain roads later in the week.

　　3. He took us to many great restaurants and ordered interesting local dishes. He carried disposable chopsticks, napkins and bottled water to make sure that we didn't get sick ( and we didn't). Once he discovered that we liked cold ( as opposed to luke warm) beer with our meals, he made a special trip at each location and always managed to find bottles of chilled beer. Cold beer is usually available in the large cities or tourist sites but still hard to find in the provincial towns in China.

　　4. He was very knowledgeable on the subject of minority textiles and answered all of our questions. He was able to identify the group and the area of many of our purchases. He shared several of his books with us on the subject of Miao textiles and embroidery techniques.

　　5. We were not in Guizhou during the season for any of the big

　
festivals, but Tony still made a great effort to find out about some
of the smaller local festivals He spent a lot of time talking with
residents of various villages and tracking down events in smaller
less known villages. The fact that he is Miao was definitely a great

　　 6. The itinerary that he designed for us reflected our interest in Miao culture but was not so ambitious that we ended up spendinghalf a day or more in the car ( comfortable though it was, we were happy to avoid that). We were able to make choices and adjustments as we went along and saw a great deal without ever feeling pressured or experiencing cultural over-load.

　　7. When we spent a night in a small hotel away from Kaili, Tony arrived in the breakfast room with juice, bread jam and coffee.He was concerned that we might not like the Chinese breakfast.

　　8. On the morning of our departure from Guiyang, Tony and the driver were ready at an early hour to take us to the airport. When we got to the airport toll-gate there were long lines of cars backed up and waiting at the three gates that were open in our direction. Tony jumped out of the car and ran up to one of the booths for the closed gates. After a few minutes of persuading, he was allowed to go and manually lift the gate so that we could drive through. This was typical of his "going the extra mile" to make sure that everything worked out for us.

help in gaining the trust and communicating with the local people.

　　9. After taking us to get our boarding passes and walking with us up to the security checkpoint, Tony finally discharged us from his care and we said good-bye. As we were turning the corner to walk to our gate, we looked back and saw that Tony was still standing and watching us, just to make sure that we were heading in the right
direction and still on our feet.

So, after our week with Tony we now have a better idea of what a guide can be: a good guide becomes a teacher, a leader, a friend and almost a parent in some situations. Traveling with Tony was a very special experience and one that we will recommend to any of our friends planning a trip to China.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Brooke & Dov Jaron

My wife and I searched many days on the web to find a guide that would compliment our needs and are character to travel in Guizhou.

　　　We came across Tony's Web Page and unlike the other glossy looking pages he actually talked about the area and the different Minority People, his articles and photos on line convinced us that he had a tremendous understanding of the landscape and its peoples. Tony is an ethnic Miao and is connected to his people with a deep understanding of the culture and crafts; we actually stayed at his village and it became apparent that his family and himself were concerned about tradition and preserving the integrity of the Miao culture.
　　

　We have travelled to many places before mostly without guides but what Tony added to this trip was knowledge of textiles, the people and their daily lives and their beliefs. Tony told us stories and that is what you usually remember about a trip; it was these stories of his family; friends and village people; festivals; marriage births and work that we remember with fondness. I particularly like the story about his brother buying a fighting bull The Bull that would Not Fight.
　　　It was these stories that made his services so very special we felt we knew him his family and the people of the area. He was more than a guide we enjoyed being on tour with him and would not hesitate to do another with him anytime soon

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Howard Diner and Eva

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　November 3rd,2010

Dear Tony,
　

Joan and I want to thank you for everything you have done to make this trip enjoyable and memorable. As teachers, we love your intelligence and the information yo have given us. As people,we love your thoughtfulness and attention to the big and the little details.
　　　

　　We want to give you a special thank you for the arrangements you made for us before and after this tour -the hotels,the plane tickets and the guides. We will use what we have learned fron you to guide us on the rest of our journey.
　　　

　　Remember,I am happy to help you with any internet or email problems of questions you have in the future.
Sincerely,
David Safier

　( If we return to this area of China in the future,you will be our guide.)

Dear Tony

　　Congratulations, you did a marvellous job leading this group. Everyone appreciated the hard work & time you spent taking care of us. The food was outstanding.
　　　　

　　Both John & I wish you every success. I will do our best to encourage others to visit Guizhou.
　　　　Thank you
　　　　Susan & John Pifer

Thank you, Tony....

　　Your concern for our welfare & comfort has made this trip to China memorable. The quality of our food & lodging was outstanding.
　　　　You are an excellent guide.
　　　　Thanks again....
　　　　 　　　　Pat Kulinovich

Tony -

　　It has been delightful traveling with you through your beautiful part of China, especially the first part with just four of us. I learned so much. The Miao are beautiful people. I would love to come back again to see new places in Guizhou.

Thanks for taking such good care of us and being so kind to me. You are fun to travel with!

　Iris V

Dear Tony

　　　Thank you for a wonderful trip. It could very easily been a disaster-- bad weather, one tour leader sick, the other new to the job -- but your enety, cheerfulness, and konwledge pulled us through and made it a succuss. To appreciate all your help shopping, and I thank you for helping me get through despite my bad knee. We would tour China with you any time. Thanks again.

　　　　　Gene & Joan Eppen

P.S. If you ever need a recommendation, just E.Mail us!　　

Dear Tony --

　　　Many Many thanks for all you have done to make this trip a success. We needed you badly to make up for the others inexperience. You are a wonderful travel companion and I hope to see you again sometime in China or the USA. I invite you to my home if you come to San Diego. It has been delighful to get to know you and your family. Langde is a treasure.

　　　Best wishes for your future carrier and for married life. I wish you happiness, long life and prosperity.

　　　　　　　　Catherine

　　　All texts and image by Chen Hualong　All rights reserved by Huyan

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　@2008-2018

　　　For making the tour, contact Along at

　　　　　Cell: 0086-013885136348