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My wife and i were in Lijaing in early November 2016 and Apple was our tour guide. She was wonderful. She is smart, resourceful, friendly and engaging. She got to know us quickly and then proceeded to tailor the trip to our preferences. We stayed at the Intercontinental in Lijiang and visited different locations by car, each day. Apple is an expert on many things: the geography, culture, religion, and economy of the Yunan Province. She is especially knowledgeable about food, and she selected excellent restaurants each day for lunch, all of which she had visited usually multiple times before. We saw may religious sites and learned about the various practices and customs. She loved to walk and we covered an average of about 10 to 14 kilometers a day in all kinds of settings. We were interested in local crafts and we visited painters, ceramic artists, wood workers, and textile artists. We often travel without guides but this was a case where it would have been impossible without Apple and with her it was one of the best trips we have experienced. In short, we cannot recommend her too much. She is terrific. Read less

In August 2016 my family went on a trip to the Yunnan province. We were incredibly fortunate to have Apple as our guide. Having your trip guided by someone who cares deeply about her land and her people makes a world of difference. Apple is an inexhaustible source of history relating to both local peoples and the whole of China. The customs, culture and the day-to-day life of people in the Yunnan region become accessible and understandable with Apple's help. You go where the locals go, eat what the locals eat, and fall in love with the place. My daughter was interested in Chinese medicine and medicinal herbs, so Apple was able to point out a myriad of different plants right there on our hikes, and explain their medicinal value. The hikes were absolutely breathtaking, by the way. Apple was extremely accommodating and tailored our tours around our wishes. We spent six days in Yunnan with her, and I only wish we had more time. Read less

I write this review about a very interesting and joyful trip in Lijiang which was upgraded to one of our best memories of this holiday. We, a group of 3 brothers and sisters stayed for around 4 days around the area and Apple was our first tour guide. Starting point was near our hotel where we decided to make a short round trip in the city and then started to climb up the hill right besides the black dragon pool. Apple explained to us how the people live in this area and showed to us very nice houses where we could for example watch a craftsman doing some tree carvings. Actually we would never had found this on our own! 

She always gave us the feeling that we are not forced to go anywhere and can decide on our own what we want to do but she never made the impression of getting lost or not knowing where to go. She explained to us how the local language is used which is by the way very colorful. After the short hike along some hidden pathways we went down to visit black dragon pool which is a very nice place to relax. Later we were introduced to a local painter who showed us his artworks and Apple was busy translating everything for us.

At the end of the tour Apple led us to a small Muslim restaurant where we could enjoy delicious food which we wouldn't have experienced without her! This was amazing. Additionally Apple helped us to find some places where we wanted to buy some stuff which was already off her duty. After a final coffee on the way back we had to have to say goodbye to her. 

All in all I have to say that we enjoyed this day very much and had a lot of fun. I hope we will meet again in future!

So to all other people who need a very experienced and friendly tour guide around the Yunnan area, for sure you should contact her. 

Thank you Apple and best regards,

Stefan

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At March 2015 my husband and I traveled through China and for our trip through Yunnan we contacted Apple and ask her to take us around.
Apple was an excellent guide. She speaks great English, is very friendly, outgoing and personable. The personal level we had, made the trip much more enjoyable.
She likes to travel by herself, and she is also very knowledgeable and passionate about her country, and the area Yunnan. She took us for hiking, to great festivals, to beautiful little villages and a lot of interesting places around the way, we could not find by our own. She told us al lot about the ethnic groups, the food and the daily way of life. She was always very flexible about our wishes, and planed the trip from Dali to Shangri La very well.  If you have an opportunity to visit Yunnan and need someone to introduce you to the local sites and cuisine, you could not do better than Apple. She is absolutely fantastic.

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We have just returned from a 10 day trip in Yunnan – organised by and guided by Apple - Kunming to Dali, then Weishan, Shaxi, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La and Lijiang. 

Our decision to use a guide rather than travel independently, in an area where we suspected there was little English, was rewarded with a trip that visited some less frequented places and was crammed with local information and experiences. 

Apple was delightful – excellent English and very well-informed.  She not only told us about the history and the local ethnic minorities, but she gave us an impression of everyday life in modern China. She was also very optimistic about the physical abilities of three mature travellers, and encouraged us up and down some very steep paths in Tiger Leaping Gorge which were free from the local crowds.

Highlights of our trip were visits to local markets where Apple pointed out large numbers of vegetables not available in Australia and sampling the local foods, from street and market stalls to restaurants in traditional houses.  It was all delicious!

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Even for experienced travellers, having a guide when exploring China is a real plus, especially when Apple is your guide! Apple spend some days with us exploring Yunnan. She took us to places which you will not easily find on your own. It was very special to learn more of China, culture, etc through the knowledge and enthusiasm of Apple. She shows you places really off the beaten track and we also met a lot of very special people. We had interesting discussions and at the same time saw amazing places, both cultural and nature… we hiked and cycled a lot. What a great way to see China! Shaxi and the Turtle Mountains of Liming were really highlights. Apple organised everything very well, listening to your wishes first and her English is excellent. She has contact with good and trustworthy drivers which makes the journey even more pleasant. Also big thanks to our tireless driver Lohan! If you want to explore Yunnan, we recommend you to contact Apple!! Anne & Marijn (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) Read less