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My family and I (2 adults, 3 kids - 13, 10, 3), along with my mother-in-law, traveled with Apple during the first week of April in Yunnan Province.

We had an amazing time.  Apple met us at the airport on time despite being rushed due to her previous tour having some logistics issues at the end (problems she easily resolved), and there was no affect to the beginning of our vacation.  We spent 2 nights in Dali, 1 night in Shaxi Valley, 1 night in Tiger Leaping Gorge, and the last 2 nights in Lijiang.  We had designed a sketchy tour plan in advance, but were flexible and willing to go with the flow based on how things were going -- especially traveling with 3 kids and my mother-in-law, where things needed to be flexible.  Apple was willing to stick with our original plan but never hesitated to make suggestions of changes or new things to add based on how we were doing, how the weather was, etc.  Apple loves to take the "local" approach and not do the normal touristy things.  We were completely okay with this approach.  As a result, she set up several meals eating with local families, visiting local families in their homes, taking us to the local eateries to experience real local cuisine, setting up an English teaching session with first graders in a Naxi Village school, taking me to a famous local Chinese medicine doctor, appropriate hiking a biking of the local landscape, etc.  etc.   As a result of these experiences, we ended up having a really awesome experience.  My boys, who are not always easy to please, rated this vacation an 8 of 10 and they said it was because the scenery, the food (and my 10 yr old is a very picky eater), and Apple!  We've done some amazing travel in Asia during the past 3 years, but this trip ranks up there as one of our all-time favorites.

Apple is kind, patient, adventurous, extremely knowledgeable of the local culture, speaks amazing English, and is just an all-around interesting and cool person.  We have already recommended her to others if they plan to visit Yunnan.  Thanks Apple!!  Hope we cross paths again someday.  Until then, we hope to stay in touch.

Apple is really fantastic.  We were really lucky. 

We don't normally contact guides - it is usually out of our price bracket.  But we met Apple at the Old Theater Inn in Shaxi - she was there to greet us, just helping out the owner and staff as no one was really around who spoke English - and were immediately struck with how great she was.  We ended up hiring her to take us out on a hike the next day, and it was definitely a highlight of our trip to China.

Apple is special.  She is incredibly articulate, knowledgeable and intelligent.  She has a great store of knowledge about Yunnan, of course.  And she's very intuitive about the information she conveys.  Very generous with her knowledge.  But even more than that....she's fun.  We ended up just spending time with her after hours during our trip because se simply enjoyed her company a lot.  We only spent a couple of days hanging out, but if you had a longer trip planned, she'd be perfect.  I mean, in addition to just being a really good guide, she's super easy to hang out with and a really good conversationalist. 

I couldn't recommend her more highly.  Also, if you are at all interested in food, she is someone you HAVE to meet.  Not only a good food guide, she really specialises in knowledge about local foods and produce.  I can't wait to get back to Yunnan and pick her brain more about what's good to eat...and where.

You should call her.  Now.  

There is no substitute for traveling with a guide who knows every street, every sight worth seeing, all the best views, adventures, cafes, hiking areas--and who can speak with all residents in their native language. I had never visited China and started with a trip to the big cities, but it wasn't until I met Apple in Kunming that I felt the adventure really began.  I asked Apple to design the itinerary and it exceeded my highest expectations.  She has a depth of knowledge about the architecture, religion, daily life, and the people of all the towns and villages we visited, and I returned home with a deeper understanding of what it's like to live in Yunnan.  Some of the highlights of the trip were a night spent with a Lishu family--including attending a village dance--in Liming's high mountains; a hike to an 1,100-year-old Buddhist grotto outside Shaxi; and a tasting tour of the open air market in Dali.  Apple is assertive enough to bargain for you in shops and thoughtful and flexible enough to slow down when you're tired--or to add activities if you're feeling energetic.  I will visit Yunnan again because of my tour with Apple, and she will always be my guide of choice.

Apple is a wonderful guide! She is knows so much about the Yunnan Province and  shares her love of it with great stories. She is so easy to be with, we felt as if we had known her for a long time. She listens to what you tell her you want to see or do and does her best to make it into the experience you were hoping for. We made some changes at the last minute and Apple regrouped and had us moving in that direction quickly. She has a gift in making tourists feel welcome in her country and does everything possible to help you fall in love with her China! Our trip was so much richer in having spent time with her. After we left her we had a problem communicating with a taxi driver in another city. My husband called her to translate for us. Even though we were no longer traveling with Apple, she still helped us. We were very grateful for that!

Sarah and Brian Gander

toured with apple in late january and early february. had planned to go to shangrila but my wife was sick so i toured the lijiang area and shanxi with apple. she spoke perfect english and had exceptional knowledge  about the region. we visited a number of ethnic villages, primarily naxi and bai and i thoroughly enjoyed the hiking and photography. she had excellent suggestions for local dining spots and provided a variety of meal ideas when we were out and about. we did mostly soft hiking as i am old and out of shape but i definitely got my exercise in. the variety of places to visit and sights made touring with her a great experience. as extensive travelers worldwide, both my wife and i would highly recommend apple, she's simply great!

Apple showed us a wonderful time in Yunnan. So wonderful in fact, that we extended our tour with her from 2 days to almost 2 weeks. We traveled north together to see the elusive snub nosed monkeys in the National Park, and onwards to the plains on the fringes of Tibet. Apple made every moment one of adventure. My husband, who is a photographer, was interested in the more cultural and anthropological aspects of the Yunnan region's people; an aspect most guides have trouble understanding. Not so with Apple. She immediately grasped what we were looking for and gave it to us tenfold. Apple is quite simply a very generous, caring and inquisitive soul- so every random moment hiking in the mountains or even in a village market provided us with a personal lens on minority life. She makes friends everywhere, speaks to everyone along the way, learning about each person she meets- and of course translating everything back to us. We spent afternoons in a lonely thatch roofed hut in the mountains with a 92 year old Bai retired soldier, sitting around his fire, drinking tea and listening to Apple translate his stories and questions. We spent an entire day in a Shaxi village temple for a celebration of the elderly and were welcomed warmly, joined their feasts at their insistence as Apple's voice grew hoarse from translating all the questions and answers...  These all began somewhat as random encounters, but if you're with Apple they inevitably turn into so much more. 

    A few particulars about Apple--

   She speaks English, Mandarin and Bai fluently which will open the way for you everywhere.

   She is really knowledgeable about plants, both wild and cultivated. As we walked she would point out different edible plants, and by the end of the day there were various roots,  mushrooms and leaves bursting out of her bag and more oft than not these plants would become our dinner. Not to mention all the natural remedies she will whip up from these if you show a cough, have a bad stomach or even a sunburn... :-) Did I mention they were all new tastes- and delicious?

   She has tons of contacts in the region and is excellent at sorting things out- finding hotels, restaurants, taxis etc. A structured type tour is a breeze for her.

   She is very adventurous and passionate about Yunnan. She's one of the few guides I've encountered that can do a grassroots tour. If you want to see where the road brings you, Apple is the one to guide you. She will find home-stays along the way, arrange rides in the back of pick up trucks, rustle up lunch on a farm.. If you like to play it by ear and are really adventurous, she is the perfect guide and will always fight to keep the budget low.

As you can see- I highly recommend Apple. She's resourceful, knowledgeable, fun, and it really felt like we were traveling with a friend. Nothing beats that!