ktmoomau Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 So we are going to China in May, so I have a long time to think about this, but we are going with two friends and will be with both their families at some point. For the husband, we will see his parents, who live near Kunming, but will also likely see his brother and sister in law, and they are helping to make a lot of our travel accommodations. We will also see the Wife's parents in Chengdu. Likely we might also see some extended family. But I was trying to think of good host gifts for their parents and brother. I wanted to do something that represented our home or families well. My Hubby's uncle is a distiller in Connecticut that makes some pretty good stuff- Gin, Vodka, but their whiskey is what I think they are known for right now. Hubby could also bring them some Mount Vernon whiskey, or we could get them some Ragged Branch, which is a stone's throw from his parent's house. I had thought about some Virginia wine, but not sure if they are wine drinkers or not. Although those are rather heavy things to bring with us all the way, we certainly could, one bottle will leave our suitcases about as soon as we land, then just one bottle in each suitcase to continue onto Yunnan. Since it is May, I don't want to bring chocolates or something that could melt. We could likely bring some other type of Mount Vernon souvenir? (Mount Vernon mini sculpture or sword letter opener anyone?) I was trying to think of something good from Garrett County- there is a lavender farm that makes a really nice soap and lotion, and my Amish Nanny's children have a maple syrup business and I could get small bottles of maple syrup or local honey. I thought the soap would be nice for both our friend's mothers, or perhaps lavender hand cream? Any thoughts from you all on what might go over well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 We are definitely getting his brother a funny George Washington t shirt for sure, as he will like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezy Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 I don't know if it's still true or not (or even if you would want to) but as of about 5 years ago, cigarettes were among the most hoped-for gifts to receive from foreign visitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 17 minutes ago, weezy said: I don't know if it's still true or not (or even if you would want to) but as of about 5 years ago, cigarettes were among the most hoped-for gifts to receive from foreign visitors. I don't think that is something we could do in good conscience, no matter how appreciated it might be, and how Virginian... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Generally speaking, go with a global brand name and not something boutique/unique. Johnny Walker or Hennessy are safe bets. Designer purse/clutch/accessories/makeup/perfume kits/face cream are highly valued (they can be 4-10X their US price). Centrum vitamins or omega-3 oil are good. Maybe American ginseng if you know how to buy a good box. As long as the item is perceived as valuable, you're being a good guest and they can always re-gift anything they don't need/use themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 Just curious On 2/13/2018 at 2:47 PM, ktmoomau said: So we are going to China in May, so I have a long time to think about this, but we are going with two friends and will be with both their families at some point. Just curious - what's on your itinerary for Kunming and Chengdu? Are you going to Dali/Lijiang/Xianggelila? The Chengdu basin area is a beautiful and historic area and May is a nice time to visit Mt. Omei/Giant Buddha/Jiuzhaigou/Huanglong. The Chengdu area has an excellent food culture and not too spicy as Sichuanese food goes. Also - I assume your friends are smart enough to avoid any travel during the May "Golden Week" period and traveling after May 7. If not, you really need to google the topic. Though...I haven't been through the area in about 15 years, so everything I've seen has probably been bulldozed and rebuilt at least 3 times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 We have a big itinerary, but it includes a big fancy meal with family in both areas, resort with elephants near the border, some very historic towns near Kunming and the stone UNESCO site closer to some of his extended family, drinking tea at the public square and pandas in Chengdu... along with all sorts of other stuff, a little shopping for me and really good food. For our friends this is half seeing family and half vacation for them. The husband's brother lives in Kunming and is helping to arrange everything. Plus they go frequently, so we are in good hands. We are flying in at the tail end of Golden week, but we are flying directly into Chengdu and should be fine, as we will arrive on the 6th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 On 2/13/2018 at 4:46 PM, astrid said: Generally speaking, go with a global brand name and not something boutique/unique. Johnny Walker or Hennessy are safe bets. Designer purse/clutch/accessories/makeup/perfume kits/face cream are highly valued (they can be 4-10X their US price). Centrum vitamins or omega-3 oil are good. Maybe American ginseng if you know how to buy a good box. As long as the item is perceived as valuable, you're being a good guest and they can always re-gift anything they don't need/use themselves. Thanks, I picked up some local honey, maple syrup (made by Amish nanny's son) and very pretty packaged soaps from my hometown. I also will order something designer for the ladies. So maybe we will do name brand and not boutique liquor. Although we are leaning towards some nice wine. Thanks for the thoughts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simul Parikh Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 In Chengdu, there is a food tour put on by a Canadian kid named Jordan. The places his lead tour guide Anita took us to were invariably the places that local people told us were "must try". His company is Chengdu Food Tours. Absolutely worth every penny. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 Sorry to be that person, but you might want to re-consider bringing honey as a gift. Speaking from experience, Honey has similar density/property as some explosives, so it can be tricky to get through airport security scans. Also, it might make sense to check with your friends about the best kind of booze to bring. What I had said are general guidelines, it's always possible that your friends' families are the exception and would prefer a nice bottle of Virginia wine over a bottle of Remy Martin. From your description, I guess Lijiang/Dali/Stone Forest/Xishangbanna for the Yunnan leg and mainly staying within the Chengdu basin. If it's possible, definitely see if you can fit in the big Buddha and Mt. Omei, even as a long day trip from Chengdu. If you have a little more time in the Chengdu basin, an overnight trip to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong is worth it - it's crowded and overexposed now, but the waterfalls and serpentine pools are really beautiful. Personally, I was really underwhelmed by Xishangbanna, 15 years ago it was cut-rate northern Thailand with sub-par food with border access to a really sketchy part of Burma. Yunnan has a lot of nicer tourist options, at least in my opinion. Just want to mention this because Xishangbanna takes quite a bit of travel from Kunming so it's a biggish commitment. https://www.terragalleria.com/asia/china/china.all.html offers a nice sense of a lot of what you might see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracisk Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 29 minutes ago, astrid said: definitely see if you can fit in the big Buddha and Mt. Omei, even as a long day trip from Chengdu. I did the Giant Buddha as a day trip from Chengdu a million years ago (in 1993) and thought it was well worth it, even despite transportation issues caused by being a poor student at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 Also - being even more annoying (and Chinese?#@!), I also recommend dialing back shopping to mainly window shopping and buying a few inexpensive souvenirs, or maybe buying some snacks/fruit/flowers for your hosts. I find things on offer in Mainland China to be mainly poor quality and rather expensive - there's a reason why Chinese tourists infamously descend on western shops for clothing/luxury goods/electronics like swarms of locusts! The quality and prices in the US are usually much better than what they can get in China. Definitely do not buy anything from a shop that caters to tourists, those are infamous for price gouging and dodgy claims. Sorry to be a downer, but nowadays, the only things I bring out China are tea (gifted by family/friends who "know a guy from decades back") and xiangfei nuts from the local Carrefour supermarket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 No offense taken! Our itinerary is pretty much up to our hosts, as we have been wonderfully invited, essentially on their trip, but I will put it a good word for the buddha and the food tour, they love hiking and eating and I think they would enjoy that. I love tacky and will definitely bring back some tacky panda items for my cousins and nephews who will love that from Chengdu and etc, and I will be on the hunt in those overpriced souvenir stores for a patch for my bag (I have a big military weekender that I have patches from all my trips). So no worry on my expectations, I am not expecting Tokyo or Singapore shopping. But I always pick up a few items for family and friends, and so does Wifey. But she knows what I like, they travel with us and shop with me from time to time. Wifey will likely tell us not to bring anything for their families that us coming is the gift, which is why I asked about gifts, but if Hubby asks Hubby he may get an answer booze versus wine, etc. As I said, we have a long time to figure it out. This is our first trip to China and we are just kind of along for the ride, I assume we likely will go with them again, as they are some of our closest friends. But wanted to make sure we make a good impression as it's our first time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 Nevermind what I said about shopping! China (especially the tourist spots) is the ultimate for tacky themed souvenirs :-) It makes the world's supply of tacky themed souvenirs. You will see miles of souvenir booths at every travel destination. If you do bring wine, I'd recommend a moderately priced wine (red or fizzy) that you enjoy. Or something sweet and easy to drink like a mead, moscato, blackberry wine, or ice wine (though ice wines are never cheap...). I'd say go with your instinct about chocolate and bring a couple boxes mid-range chocolates. Maybe Lindt or Godiva or if you can find them, a Ferrero Rocher variety pack. Early to mid May isn't too hot and the chocolates intended for Kunming will be in a home most of the time, so melting shouldn't be a problem. Macadamian nuts and pistachio and pecans (as well as their candied derivatives) are also popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted February 28, 2018 Author Share Posted February 28, 2018 Itinerary so far: For the 4 days we are in Chengdu, here is the proposed itinerary - The first day let's take it easy, drink tea @ People's Park and tour the city center area. Friends to get visa on Tuesday (5/8) morning, which will take us a half day. The rest of the day we can make a trip to Panda Conservation Base. Wednesday (5/9) we will take a day trip to Leshan, where the giant buddha statue is. Thursday (5/10) is another day trip to Mount Qingcheng, a beautiful Daoism mountain. Climbing to the top takes 3-4 hours, but the elevation is mild and scenery is beautiful. Friday (5/11) we sleep in and take the high speed train for Kunming in the afternoon. For the week of 5/14, the preliminary plan is that we arrive at Kunming on Friday, 5/11, spend a day or two in Kunming, and then rent a car for Jianshui and Xi Shuang Ban Na. So we def may have time to fit a food tour in, and Giant Buddha in on there! Anyway, as I said we are kind of tagging along on their vacation and family visit. I think their brother and SIL will come for part of it too, so it should be a lot of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simul Parikh Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 The ear cleaning in the park is really weird, but feels kind of good. I'd recommend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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